Ganapati, Vigneshwara, Vinayaka, Ganesha…presides over obstacles. He is worshipped before starting any endeavour. As you enter Hindu temple, Ganesha is normally the first deity you will see.

This image, Magaganapati, is one of the forms of Shakti Ganapati. He has ten arms. The arms should have lotus flower, pomegranate, water vessel, club (Gada), broken tusk, sugar cane, ears of paddy, noose (pasha) and Bitapura. The attributes are quite indistinct due to the small size of the bronze and worship-related d wear.

On his left lap is seated figure of Shakti and his right leg is resting on his vahana (carrier), rat. A hooded snake, a Cobra, is tied around his belly. He is seated in Lalitasana pose.

The figure is about 6.7 cm tall and maybe from the 18th century. This form, Mahaganapti, is a rare image and is worshipped in South India. This is probably from Tamil Nadu.