The Hindu god Ganesh turns macho and martial in Indian festivities

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MUMBAI, India (RNS) — On a street corner in Khetwadi in south Mumbai, an elephant-headed god towers above — his chiseled torso puffed out proud, with a mane of uncharacteristically long hair surrounding his face. The 47-foot idol of Ganpati, one of the most prominent gods in the Hindu pantheon, is one of thousands set up for community celebrations across the city for the 10-day festival that began Monday (Sept. 14). 

Every year, Ganpati, also popularly called Ganesh/Ganesha, is celebrated across India, where large and small idols of the god are worshipped before being immersed in the water. Most commonly, Ganpati has been portrayed as cherubic and playful, usually seated and with a conspicuous, round belly. 

But in the past decade, this cute and cuddly god has come to be showcased in a variety of more dynamic, macho and unconventional ways, driven by a combination of social media, pop culture, changing aesthetic standards and a muscular Hindu nationalism.  

“Every year we do a different theme,” said Hemant Dixit, president of the Khetwadi committee that has hosted a Ganpati pandal, or structure, for the past 47 years. “… In Hindu tradition, God has no fixed form. You can see God in anything. Here, we have depicted the essence of Ganesha through the body of a lion.” 

This year, at least a handful of groups are hosting Ganpatis in the style of more traditionally macho deities, such as Vishnu’s Narasimha (man-lion) avatar and Shiva. In the recent past, other depictions have included an idol dressed in army fatigues, one atop a military tanker, another carrying an AK-47 and even an idol in an Argentinian soccer jersey. 

“The six-pack abs, the martial bearing, the athletic physicality — these reflect how younger, urban audiences engage with sacred imagery through the visual language of contemporary cinema and lifestyle culture,” said Pankaj Jain, chair of the India Centre at Flame University in Pune and a co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. “A martial, dynamic Ganpati speaks to audiences accustomed to action heroes and powerful imagery. It’s a form of cultural translation.”

Movies have an outsized influence in Indian culture. The past decade has seen the “Baahubali”–style Ganesha, inspired by the epic fantasy series where a key scene features a heavily muscled character heaving a large stone icon on his shoulders. 

Other unusual depictions include goddess forms and movie stars. 

“It all depends on the requirements of the organizers, what unusual styles they want,” said Rakesh Pathrabe, a Nagpur-based artist who shot to fame with “Rudra Ganesh,” his take on the god as a fierce avatar that later inspired copy-cat idols. 

Hinduism is famously flexible. The same deity can be depicted differently depending on the region, context and source material. 

“Popular culture representing lived Hindu traditions are different from the sophisticated philosophical texts, and depict a wonderful sense of humor and expediency,” said Vasudha Narayanan, a religion professor at the University of Florida. “In text and in song, Hindus do praise, make fun of and scold the gods, so I would see this as part of that spectrum.”

But as the festival has become bigger and more commercialized, organizers and artists say that every depiction wants to stand out. 

“It’s become like a competition,” said Siddhant Mohite, an artist who received three requests for Ganpatis with abs, and two for “Baahubali” Ganpatis this year — neither of which he accepted because he believes Ganpati should retain his familiar form.  

Prathamesh Patil, who runs an arts studio that mostly works on smaller, more traditional Ganpatis, said he has fielded requests for Ganpatis on cars, bikes and in army fatigues. “These kinds of idols attract crowds,” he said. 

Faizal Munawar Shaikh, an organizer of a local celebration in Valsad, Gujarat, said every year, communities seek larger and more dramatic representations. “In our neighborhood of two kilometers, we have nine different public pandals,” he said. This year, a 9-foot idol depicts the god with his hands folded, his biceps bulging and with sinews in his forearms and prominent pecs. 

The Ganpati festival as a public celebration began in western India in the late 19th century as a way to celebrate Hindu cultural identity and mobilize against colonial rule. Today, it’s more about representing deities and traditions to the next generation, Dixit said. And by portraying Ganesha in the style of other gods, it’s also a way to highlight other Hindu stories.   

Some pandals also feature community activities or programs on topical issues like the COVID-19 pandemic or celebrations of India’s space program. One robot-themed Ganpati this year will highlight the government’s new socioeconomic vision. 

Since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014, a militant and more macho version of Hinduism has often been projected as politics and national identity have become increasingly welded together. 

This year, one community collective in Hyderabad has called on festival organizers to sing the national song and hoist the national flag at every Ganpati celebration. 

Ganpati celebrations last year were particularly jingoistic. The festival took place a few months after hostilities erupted between India and Pakistan. Although a ceasefire was declared, the military operation was publicly celebrated as a victory for India. In Maharashtra, where the festival is most widely celebrated, the BJP-led state government asked festival organizers to highlight the achievements of the operation and celebrate soldiers. 

One group in Hyderabad stood out: it featured an 18-foot-tall idol of a lean-looking Vishnu-inspired Ganpati surrounded by an S-400 missile system. The idol was aboard an army vehicle piloted by a replica of the prime minister. “We wanted to appreciate the prime minister’s leadership and the efforts of the women soldiers,” N. Maniraj, a member of Hindu Warrior’s Friends Association — a collective that organized that particular celebration — said of the theme that melded patriotism with religious devotion. 

This year, the “balancing murti (idol)” is the biggest trend, according to artists and sculptors. The god is seen flying or rising, balancing on one foot or mid-combat with a demon. Though he may still be portrayed as chubby, he is in dynamic motion. “But these action poses are risky (especially during transport),” Pathrabe said.  

Pathrabe argued the peak of the macho Ganpati trend has already passed. Some artists refuse to depict such poses, and some devotees have criticized organizers for pushing the boundaries of artistic license and religious sentiments. 

In Nagpur last year, one group reportedly faced a police complaint for representing the idol in a fiercer avatar after a right-wing group claimed it was disrespectful.  

“We used to do different versions and go along with the trend of the time,” said Lalit Kanojiya, who heads another Nagpur group that has depicted a variety of Ganpatis. But this year, he said, “Ganpati should look like Ganpati.”