Ganesha Purana

by Anonymous

Also known as: Ganesa Purana, Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Ganesh Purana, Ganesapurana

Ganesha Purana cover
Culture:Indian, Hindu
Written:1200-1500 CE
Length:12,000 lines, (~20 hours)
Ganesha Purana cover
A medieval Sanskrit Upapurana devoted to Ganesha, combining ritual instructions, hymns, temple legends, and narrative cycles. It presents Ganesha’s origins, vows and festivals, avatars across the yugas, and his roles in cosmic order, kingship, and personal devotion.

Description

The Ganesha Purana is a major devotional scripture centered on the elephant-headed deity Ganesha. Compiled over the medieval period, it blends ritual and myth: vrata manuals, puja sequences, kavacas and stotras sit alongside extensive narratives that frame Ganesha as remover of obstacles and lord of beginnings. The text is commonly divided into sections focused on worship (upasana) and divine play (krida), mapping practices to stories that sacralize pilgrimage sites and royal patronage. It treats the deity’s birth, beheading and restoration with the elephant head, the subjugation of Vighnasura, the moon’s curse, the famed circumambulation of his parents, and his service as scribe. Distinctive are its yuga-specific manifestations—such as Mayuresvara and Dhumraketu—and temple mahatmyas linked to Western Indian cult centers. As with many Puranas, its compilation exhibits layered redaction, regional theologies, and didactic aims that fuse cosmology, ethics, and bhakti.

Historiography

Surviving manuscripts reflect regional recensions, with notable transmission in Maharashtra and neighboring regions. The text shows stratification: ritual and hymn sections likely expanded alongside local temple mahatmyas and pilgrimage circuits. Modern scholarship has produced partial critical editions and English translations, often treating the Upasana- and Krida-khandas separately. Reception is strong within Ganesha bhakti, influencing liturgy, festival observance, and Ashtavinayaka pilgrimage narratives.

Date Notes

Composite Upapurana redacted over several centuries, with older materials and later accretions; likely Western/Deccan transmission centers.

Major Characters

  • Ganesha
  • Shiva
  • Parvati
  • Skanda
  • Vishnu

Myths

  • The Birth of Ganesha
  • The Beheading and Elephant Head
  • Ganesha’s Marriages and Vows
  • Ganesha’s Manifestations and Exploits

Facts

  • Counted among the Upapuranas, focused entirely on Ganesha.
  • Combines ritual manuals (vrata, puja) with extensive narrative cycles.
  • Presents four yuga-specific forms: Mahotkata, Mayuresvara, Gajanana, and Dhumraketu.
  • Includes temple mahatmyas linked to Western Indian Ganesha cult centers.
  • Narrates the Vighnasura episode explaining Ganesha’s role as remover of obstacles.
  • Features the moon-curse tale and associated observances for atonement.
  • Transmits hymns, kavacas, and mantra lore central to Ganesha bhakti.
  • Places Ganesha as scribe of the Mahabharata and patron of learning.
  • Exhibits layered redaction and regional interpolation typical of Puranic literature.
  • Influenced the popular celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi and Ashtavinayaka pilgrimage.