Ganesha

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ganesha

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the principal hindu deity?Ganesha is a major and widely revered deity within the Hindu tradition
2. What is the iconographic identifier?Characterized by his elephant head, single tusk (Ekadanta), and often four arms
3. What does Ganesha's elephant head mean?The elephant head shows that Ganesha has great wisdom, intelligence, and strength.
4. Why does Ganesha have a broken tusk?The broken tusk, called Ekadanta, represents sacrifice, the ability to overcome duality, and mastery of the mind.

Puranas: A vast genre of Sanskrit literature in Hinduism, containing cosmological, mythological, and philosophical narratives.
Iconography: The visual images and symbols used in the study or interpretation of art and religious figures.
Vighneshvara: A Sanskrit epithet for Ganesha, meaning 'Lord of Obstacles' or 'Remover of Obstacles.'
Mudra: A symbolic hand gesture used in Hindu and Buddhist art and rituals, conveying specific meanings.