The charm, cuteness and wisdom of Lord Ganesha is felt abundantly throughout the universe. He is VighnaHarata who takes away all barriers and problems.
He is the lord of understanding and knowledge and above all else, he is endearing. And today, as we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi and look at the most beautiful idols across the country being welcomed at home, let’s talk about one of Bappa’s features that make him one of the most special gods in Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha’s trunk. If you take a closer and loving look at Lord Ganesha’s trunks, you will notice that they curve towards the left, except for one incident whete the trunk is tilted towards right. This is the Ganesha idol at Mumbai’s famous Siddhivinayak Temple, located in Prabhadevi. The idol was consecrated approximately 224 years ago and back then, the temple was simply a small structure housing Shree Siddhivinayak’s black stone idol, only two-and-a-half feet wide.
The idol has four hands (Chaturbhuj), holding a lotus in the upper right, a small axe in the upper left, beads in the lower right, and a bowl full of modaks (a delicacy mythologically considered to be a favourite with Ganesha). “The outstanding feature of this deity is the tilt of the trunk to the right side,” says the temple’s website.
Left versus right side trunk
For understanding this, we first have to talk about the marital status of Lord Ganesh which also differs from one mythological story to another. In the South, he is considered a bachelor with no wives. In Bengal, he is married to ‘kaula bou,’ while another story states that Ganesha found it difficult to get married because of the elephant head. The legendary tales say that Gods then ended up seeking help from Brahma, the universal creator, who then created Riddhi and Siddhi and gave them in marriage to Ganesha.
Riddhi sits on Ganesha’s left and represents prosperity and wealth in Hindu mythology, whereas Siddhi sits on the right and represents intellect along with higher spiritual powers. While most of the Ganpati Bappa idols have their trunk facing the left, the Siddhi Ganesha has its trunk facing the right.
To put the long story short, the direction of his trunk is an indicator of what is desired by the individual who is praying to Ganesha, wealth or moksha. It is also believed that the right-trunk Ganesha is extremely powerful and requires a different type of worship. If the rituals are not performed correctly then it can lead to problems due to the intense energy it carries. And so, when you welcome Bappa home every year, it is preferred to bring one with a trunk facing towards the left. This is also associated with the calm and peaceful energies of the moon.