Ganesha, a photo by DeForestRanger on Flickr.

This figure of Ganesha belonged to my mother, one of several dozen representations of him which she had in her home, and one of the largest. It was one of her favorites because in addition to the deity, it depicts his rat, a symbol of abundance and good fortune. According to one version of the legend, Ganesha obtained his elephant's head when his father Shiva became jealous of his mother Parvati's attentions to the boy and beheaded him. Later, in a moment of regret, Shiva replaced his son's head with that of an elephant. Ganesha is also known as the Remover of Obstacles and as such, was often propitiated with incense, flowers and sweets. Here, I have surrounded him with a metallic brocade and strings of exotic beads as my mother once kept flowers by his side.