In Hinduism, Ganesha refers to the "lord of the hosts," also spelled as Ganesa and Ganesh, often also referred to as Ganapati) - and is one of the most well-known and venerated representations of God (Brahman). The elephant head indicates fidelity, intelligence and discriminative power. An elephant deity riding a mouse is one of the best known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. Ganesha, also called Ganapati, is the god of wisdom, prudence, and salvation. Ga means "knowledge", na means "salvation", and isa and pati mean "lord". His image is found throughout India. Hindu sects worship him regardless of other affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.Lord Ganesha, the God Ganesh, is one of the most worshipped deities in Hinduism. Lord Ganesha is the God of wisdom and literature and brings wealth, riches and power to his followers. The Lord Ganesh can banish all evils and remove any obstacle. There are many stories about how the Lord Ganesha came to have an elephant head. Some stories say he was born with it, others that his own head was cut off and replaced by the head of an elephant.

Ganesha is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India. Although he is known by many other attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify. Ganesha is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles. Ganesha has many other titles and epithets, including Ganapati and Vigneshvara. The name Ganesha is a Sanskrit compound, joining the words gana, meaning a group, multitude, or categorical system and isha, meaning lord or master

My friend Vishnu has collected these photos from various sites