Ganesha and Abhishekam

Many people have wondered why a statue of the Elephant God, Lord Ganesha, can be seen at the park.  Moreover, why he should be so revered by Buddhists and Hindus alike. The practices and goals of Buddhism and Hinduism have  many similarities and differences.

The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. In fact, Ganesha is one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga being the other four) whose idolatry is glorified as the panchayatana puja.

On Thursday 24^th May 2012 a bathing ritual; the ceremony of Abhishekam; was performed for the Lord Ganesha.  The Abhishekam is one part of the shodashopachara poojameans six services done to God, namely snana(bath) . The meaning of the word abhishekam, a Sanskrit word, is 'to make one wet all around', so an Abhishekam is the process of bathing the deity. It may be simple by just using water or elaborate when it includes milk, curds, honey, ghee, sugar, coconut water, sandal paste, fruit juice to name a few in addition to water. Mantras are chanted during this activity and the temple bell may be sounded.

Abisheka is performed by a Brahmin Priest.  The Brahmin priest that conducted the ceremony at the park came from Delhi and was here in Thailand on holiday.  Brahmins were treated with great veneration in the time of the Buddha and there are countless references to Brahmins throughout the Buddhist scriptures. Furthermore, most of the major Buddhist founders were Brahmins. They include Sariputra, Maudgalyayana, Mahakashyapa, Nagarjuna, Asvaghosha, Padmasambhava, Shantarakshita, Nagasena, Kumarajiva and Shantideva, all of whom were referred by their titles as Brahmins.^[ The word Brahmin, meaning "priest class", was not redefined by the Buddha and it continued to be used alongside Arahat in separate capacities.