also called by a thousand names. Mr. Havell explains Gana-

pati to be the manas, or worldly wisdom, personified. Gana- pati in Hindu mythology is recognized as an unmarried god a brahmacharin. But from the sequel it will appear that some forms of Ganapati have their accompanying goddesses, some- times, recognized as Ashta-Siddhis (the eight presiding deities of success or achievement).

Thirty-two forms of Ganapati l are mentioned in the Mudgala-Purana. The Silpasdra also refers to some of these forms. Maha-Ganapati is stated in the Mudgala-Purana to be MAHA- an elephant-faced god, three-eyed, wearing the crescent of the GANAPATI - moon as his head-ornament, and red in colour. He is lovingly embraced by his wife who, seated on his lap, holds a lotus in her hand. The following weapons and symbols are mentioned : the bijapura, club, sugarcane-bow, a brilliant discus, conch, noose, lotus, ear of paddy, the broken tusk and the ruby-pot. This list indicates that the god must have ten hands. 2 The illustration (fig. Til) from Madura shows Maha-Ganapati riding on a rat and having on his lap the seated figure of a goddess. He has ten arms but the weapons held in them are not quite distinct. In the uppermost hand on the right side, however, is seen the discus. In the Visvanatha temple at Tenkasi (Tinnevelly district) we have a similar image seated on a pedestal without the usual rat vehicle, the elephant trunk being turned towards the left side. Here again only the discus and the lotus held in two of the ten arms are clear. Maha- Ganapati with different weapons and two goddesses receives the name Lakshml-Ganap.ati. A fine bronze image of LAKSHM!- Heramba-Ganapati, also described in the Mudgala-Purana GANAPAII. comes from Negapatam (fig. 1 1 2). This figure has five elephant GANAPATI faces, the fifth of which, in the illustration, is represented at the top. 3 Of his ten arms the two lowest show the protecting and the boon-giving postures. The others hold the noose, the tusk, the rosary, hook, axe, pestle, pudding and the fruit. He rides on a lion, but no goddess is found, as in the two varieties just mentioned. From Tiruvanaikkaval (i.e., Jambukesvaram)

1 The Saradatilaka speaks of fifty-one forms of Ganapati.

2 The Silparatna says that he is seated on a lotus-pedestal under a fcalpa-tree that he has ten arms holding the weapons mentioned in the Mudgala-T'wrawa and that he is surrounded by gods and ganas. No. 84 of the Tanjore inscriptions (S.I.I., Vol. II, p. 407) refers to a comfortably seated Ganapati and mentions a tree as one of his accompaniments. The reference may be to Maha-Ganapati ; but the inscription states that he had only four divine arms.

3 A stone image of this form of Ganapati is found at Tiruvottiyur near Madras. It is of recent make and has the five heads all arranged in a circle.