Uchchhishta Ganapati

2021-09-01T10:56:31Z

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{{Short description|Tantric aspect of the Hindu god Ganesha (Ganapati), one of Ganesha's thirty-two forms}}
[[File:Uchchhishta Ganapati.jpg|thumb|Uchchhishta Ganapati, [[Nanjangud]]]]

'''Uchchhishta Ganapati''' ({{lang-sa|उच्छिष्ट-गणपति}}, {{IAST|Ucchiṣṭa Gaṇapati}}) is a [[Tantra|Tantric]] aspect of the Hindu god [[Ganesha]] (Ganapati)) and his consort [[Lakshmi]] are the primary deity of the ''Uchchhishta Ganapatya'' sect, one of six major schools of the [[Ganapatya]]s. He is worshipped primarily by heterodox [[vamachara]] rituals. He is one of the [[thirty-two forms of Ganesha]], frequently mentioned in devotional literature. [[Herambasuta]] was one of the exponents of the ''Uchchhishta Ganapatya'' sect.

==Name==
The god derives his name from ''[[Uchchhishta]]'' ("leftovers"). The word refers to the food left over at the end of a ritual, but in this context refers to its Tantric connotation. Uchchhishta is the food kept in the mouth, which is contaminated with saliva, thus ritually impure and a taboo in Hinduism.<ref name="stanford"/>

==Iconography==
The elephant-headed god is described to be red in colour in the ''Mantra-maharnava'', while mentioned as dark in the ''Uttara-kamikagama''.<ref name = "Rao53ff"/> Another description describes him to be blue in complexion.<ref name="Subramuniyaswami">{{cite book|author=Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami|title=Loving Ganesha|publisher=Himalayan Academy Publications|isbn=978-1-934145-17-3|page=66}}</ref> The deity is described to have four or six arms. He is described to be seated, sometimes specifically noted in on [[Lotus pad|padmasana]] (a lotus pedestal). The ''Uttara-kamikagama'' elaborates that he wears a ''ratna mukuta'' (jewelled crown) and has a [[third eye]] on his forehead.<ref name = "Rao53ff"/>

The ''Kriyakramadyoti'' mentions that the god carries in his six hands: a [[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus]] (in some descriptions, a [[Nymphaea nouchali|blue lotus]]),<ref name="Subramuniyaswami"/> a [[pomegranate]], the [[veena]], an [[akshamala]] (rosary) and a rice sprig.<ref name = "Rao53ff"/> As per the ''Mantra-maharnava'', he carries a ''bana'' (arrow), a ''dhanus'' (bow), a ''pasha'' (noose) and an ''[[ankusha]]'' (elephant goad).<ref name = "Rao53ff"/> The ''Uttara-kamikagama'' says that the god has four arms and holds a ''pasha'', an ''ankusha'' and a sugarcane in three hands.<ref name = "Rao53ff"/>

Rao classifies Uchchhishta Ganapati as one of the five Shakti-Ganesha icons, where Ganesha is depicted with a [[shakti]], that is, a female consort.<ref>Rao p. 53</ref> The large figure of Ganesha is accompanied with smaller figure of the consort.<ref name="stanford"/> The [[devi]] (goddess) sits on his left lap. She has four arms and wears various ornaments. In the ''Uttara-kamikagama'', she is called Vighneshvari and is prescribed to be sculpted as a beautiful, young maiden.

The textual descriptions generally do not correspond to the sculptures of the deity. The god is generally depicted with four arms and holds a ''pasha'', an ''ankusha'' and a [[ladoo]] or a [[modak]] (a sweet), while the fourth arm hugs the nude goddess around her hip. She holds a lotus or another flower in the left hand.<ref name = "Rao53ff"/><ref>Rao pp. 64-5</ref>Donaldson|title=Tantra and Śākta Art of Orissa|pages = 804–5|year=2002|publisher=D.K. Printworld|isbn=978-81-246-0198-3}}</ref>

Cohen notes that many Ganesha icons are depicted with a shakti, seated on his left hip. She holds a plate of modaks in her lap and the god's trunk reaches into it, to fetch the sweet. The trunk is taken as a symbolic of an "erotic bond" between Ganesha and the goddesses. This erotic iconography reflects the influence of the Tantric Ganapatya (the sect that considered Ganesha as the Supreme Being) sects. The pomegranate is also a symbol of fertility, often represented in the icons of the sects.<ref name="cohen">Cohen, Lawrence in Brown pp. 120–1</ref>

==Worship==
[[File:Uchchhishta Ganpati.JPG|thumb|Uchchhishta Ganapati, folio from the 19th-century ''[[Sritattvanidhi]]''. A rare depiction of the deity with a clothed goddess.]]

As per the ''Kriyakramadyoti'', Uchchhishta Ganapati is worshipped as a giver of great boons. Rao notes that he is worshipped by "many" to gain the desired from the deity.<ref name = "Rao53ff">Rao pp. 53-5</ref> He is also regarded as the guardian of the country. Meditating over his form is said to impart control over the five sensory organs.<ref name="T.K.Jagannathan2009">{{cite book|author=T.K.Jagannathan|title=Sri Ganesha|publisher=Pustak Mahal|isbn=978-81-223-1054-2|page=103}}</ref> A temple dedicated to Uchchhishta Ganapati exists in [[Tirunelveli]], where he is worshipped as a giver of progeny.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://temple.dinamalar.com/en/new_en.php?id=1180 | title=Sri Uchishta Ganapathi temple | publisher=Dinamalar | access-date=30 January 2016}}</ref>

Uchchhishta Ganapati is the patron of the Uchchhishta Ganapatya sect, one of the six major schools of the Ganapatya sect.<ref name="stanford"/> They follow Tantric [[Vamachara]] ("left-handed") practices. The sect may have been influenced by the [[Kaula (Hinduism)|Kaula]] worship of [[Shaktism]] (Goddess-oriented sect).<ref name="bhandarkar">Bhandarkar p. 213</ref> The iconography of the deity bears Kaula Tantric character.<ref name="Nagar59"/> The erotic iconography is interpreted to convey the oneness of Ganesha and Devi ("The Hindu Divine Mother").<ref name="cohen"/> The sect also worships a Ganesha, who is depicted drinking wine and also its use in worship, a taboo in classical Hinduism (see [[Panchamakara]]).<ref name="stanford"/><ref name="bhandarkar"/> Adherents of this sect wear red marks on their foreheads.<ref name="bhandarkar"/><ref name="Nagar59">Nagar p. 59</ref> This sect does not believe in [[caste]] and varna distinctions, disregards the orthodox Hindu rules of sexual intercourse and marriage and leaves the adherence of traditional Hindu rituals to the follower's own will.<ref name="stanford">Sanford, James H.. "Literary Aspects of Japan's Dual-Ganeśa Cult", in Brown, pp. 313–15.</ref><ref name="cohen"/><ref name="bhandarkar"/>

As per Vamachara practices, the deity is worshipped when the devotee is in the ''Uchchhishta'' ("ritually impure") state, that is, nude or with remnants of food (''Uchchhishta'') in his mouth.<ref name = "grewal"/>

Uchchhishta Ganapati is also associated with six rituals of [[abhichara]] (uses of spells for malevolent purposes) by which the adept can cause the target to suffer delusions, be overcome with irresistible attraction or envy, or to be enslaved, paralysed or killed.<ref name = "grewal">Grewal pp. 122–3</ref>

The Kanchi Ganesh shrine within the [[Jagannath Temple, Puri]] houses the icon of Uchchhishta Ganapati, also called Bhanda Ganapati and Kamada Ganapati, which was originally the patron icon of [[Kanchipuram]] (Kanchi), but was brought to Puri as war booty when the [[Gajapati Kingdom|Gajapati]] king [[Purushottama Deva]] (1470–97) of Puri defeated Kanchi.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mahanti|first1=J. C.|title=The Saga of Jagannatha and Badadeula at Puri (Story of Lord Jagannatha and his Temple)|date=2014|publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd|location=New Delhi|isbn=9789382652458|page=69}}</ref> A temple in Tirunelveli is described as the largest temple in Asia dedicated to him.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://temple.dinamalar.com/en/new_en.php?id=1180|title = Sri Uchishta Ganapathi temple|website = temple.dinamalar.com|publisher = [[Dinamalar]]|access-date = 2016-05-17}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Panchamakara]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book| editor= Brown, Robert| year = 1991| title =Ganesh: Studies of an Asian God |location =Albany| publisher =State University of New York | isbn =0-7914-0657-1}}
* {{cite book|author=T. A. Gopinatha Rao|title=Elements of Hindu iconography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MJD-KresBwIC&pg=PA58-IA69|year=1993|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publisher|isbn=978-81-208-0878-2|pages=53–55}}
* {{cite book|author=Royina Grewal|title=Book of Ganesha|year=2009|publisher=Penguin Books Limited|isbn=978-93-5118-091-3|pages=122–3}}
* {{cite book|author=Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar|title=Vaisnavism, Saivism and Minor Religious Systems|publisher=Asian Educational Services|isbn=978-81-206-0122-2|author-link=R. G. Bhandarkar|year=1995|orig-year=1913}}
* {{cite book|author=Shanti Lal Nagar|title=The Cult of Vinayaka|year=1992|publisher=Intellectual Pub. House|isbn=978-81-7076-043-6}}

{{Ganesha}}

[[Category:Forms of Ganesha]]
[[Category:Hindu tantric deities]]

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Uchchhishta Ganapati