In Hinduism Lord Ganesha is the master of all beginnings, remover of obstacles, bringer of material prosperity, patron of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom. He is the first to receive our worship. No ritual no upasana, infact on activity, is done without invoking the blessings of ganesha, because only he can ensure a smooth, unobstructed completion of the work. Every deity has a unique Shakti. This is the Shakti of Ganapati. But the idea of Ganesa we have today was not what it used to be at an ancient time. The first manifestation of Ganesha comes from the Veda-s as Brahmanaspati – lord of harmony. During the Mahabharata era we have references to Vinayaka-s while the term Gapanati – meaning Lord of Ganas - was used as an adjective for Lord Shiva. The fierce Vinayakas eventually changed into the benign form of Mahaganapati over time.
During medieval era the cult of Mahaganapati become very popular in Western India specially with the advent of a saint named Morya Gosavi. He had traveled from Karnataka to Pune and settled near the Mayureshwar temple. Eventually 8 great Vinayaka temples became popular in medieval era surrounding the city of Pune. Moreshwar, Siddhivinayak, Ballaleshwar, Varadavinayaka, Chintamani , Girijatmaja , Vighneshwar and Mahaganapati.
Gaṇēśa is also a personality of the Supreme that controls ganas. Ganas are a host of occult beings acting through the agency of the physical world and can be roughly equated with the wide range of inputs received by the sense organs. Why an elephant's head? Because some believe that an elephant best represents the nature of this deity - a gentle giant in most cases, but extremely destructive when enraged. There are at least 32 different forms of Gaṇēśa mentioned in the Mudgala Purana, each one having its intricate mantras, rituals and prayogas. Ganesha upasana became popular even among Tantrics.
If someone is completely unaware of sadhana it is best to start with any simple upasana of Ganapati with faith and reverence. This not only takes care of material problems in life but removes obstacles from the spiritual path allowing direction and guidance to reach a sadhak is ready for it.
