Dvatrimshati Ganeshas

Ganesha, the elephant god is worshipped in Hindu pantheon as a remover of obstacles in one’s path to success. The texts like Mudgala purana and Ganesha purana give the Dvatrimshati namavali or the names of 32 Ganeshas in the form of shlokas (verses). They are as follows: 1. Bala Ganapati 2. Taruna Ganapati 3. Bhakti Ganapati 4. Veera Ganapati 5. Shakti Ganapati 6. Dvija Ganapati 7. Siddhi Ganapati 8. Uchchishta Ganapati 9. Vighna Ganapati 10. Kshipra Ganapati 11. Heramba Ganapati 12. Lakshmi Ganapati 13. Maha Ganapati 14. Vijaya Ganapati 15. Nritya Ganapati 16. Urdhva Ganapati 17. Ekakshara Ganapati 18. Varada Ganapati 19.Tryakshara Ganapati 20. Kshipraprasada Ganapati 21. Haridra Ganapati 22. Ekadanta Ganapati 23. Srishti Ganapati 24. Uddanda Ganapati 25. Rinamochana Ganapati 26. Dhundi Ganapati 27. Dvimukha Ganapati 28. Trimukha Ganapati 29. Simha Ganapati 30. Yoga Ganapati 31. Durga Ganapati and 32. Sankatahara Ganapati.

In this painting, the images of these thirty two Ganeshas with specific attributes for each are represented in the same order as stated above, following the conventions of the Mysore tradition.

The images are arranged around a centrally placed Sri Ganesha yantra that has a central eight-petalled lotus embedded in an octagonal arrangement symbolically conveying the eight-syllabled Ganesha mantra (sacred utterance). The entire Yantra is enclosed in an ornamental square enclosure that is adorned with motifs native to the tradition.