Haridra Ganapati: The Turmeric Ganesha

Introduction

Haridra Ganapati (हरिद्रा गणपति) is the 21st of the 32 forms of Lord Ganesha. He is the golden one dressed in bright yellow vestments, who sits calmly on a regal throne. Along with his tusk and a modaka, he wields a noose to hold devotees close and a sharp goad to spur them onward.

Haridra means turmeric, and this is the Turmeric Ganapati: yellow like turmeric, robed in yellow. Of all the 32 forms, he is perhaps the one most present in everyday worship, because a small Ganesha made of turmeric is worshipped at the start of countless pujas and family ceremonies.

The 32 forms are listed in the Mudgala Purana, and their meditation verses and paintings are preserved in the Sritattvanidhi, a nineteenth-century treatise from the court of Mysore.

The Form of Haridra Ganapati

Golden yellow

His whole form is the colour of turmeric, and he is dressed in yellow. Yellow and gold are the colours of auspiciousness, prosperity and light. Some readings of his verse call him haridrāvadana, “turmeric-faced”; others haridrāvasana, “dressed in turmeric yellow.”

The regal throne

He sits on a royal throne, calm and at ease. He is a Lord of plenty and well-being, sure in his power to bless.

Four hands and what they hold

• A noose (pasha), to hold devotees close to him.
• A sharp goad (ankusha), to spur them onward.
• His tusk (danta), the sign of his sacrifice.
• A modaka, the sweet dumpling that is Ganesha’s favourite food: the sweetness of spiritual reward.

His meditation verse adds that he gives fearlessness to his devotees.

The Meditation Verse

हरिद्राभं चतुर्बाहुं हरिद्रावदनं प्रभुम् ।
पाशाङ्कुशधरं देवं मोदकं दन्तमेव च ।
भक्ताभयप्रदातारं वन्दे विघ्नविनाशनम् ॥

haridrābhaṃ caturbāhuṃ haridrāvadanaṃ prabhum / pāśāṅkuśadharaṃ devaṃ modakaṃ dantam eva ca / bhaktābhaya-pradātāraṃ vande vighna-vināśanam

In English: “I bow to the destroyer of obstacles: the Lord shining like turmeric, four-armed, turmeric-faced, the god who holds the noose and goad, a modaka and his tusk, and who gives fearlessness to his devotees.”

Turmeric in Hindu Worship

Turmeric is one of the most auspicious substances in Hindu ritual. It is applied to the bride and groom before a wedding, rubbed on the threshold of a home, mixed into the rice offered in worship, and used to mark sacred threads and the coconut of the kalasha. It stands for purity, health and good fortune.

The turmeric Ganesha

Before many pujas, a small cone of turmeric paste is shaped by hand into Ganesha and worshipped first. In Telugu it is called Pasupu Ganapati. It is made before observances such as the Varalakshmi Vratam, and before weddings, housewarmings and the opening of a new business, because Ganesha is always worshipped before any auspicious beginning. A turmeric Ganesha is also kept in shops and homes for prosperity.

This simple custom brings Haridra Ganapati into family worship everywhere: a Ganesha made in minutes from a kitchen spice, honoured before anything else is begun.

The Significance of Haridra Ganapati

Devotees turn to Haridra Ganapati for well-being, prosperity and an auspicious start to every undertaking. He is also the patron of one of the traditions of the Ganapatyas, the devotees who worship Ganesha as the supreme God.

The 32 forms, Haridra Ganapati among them, are carved in stone at the Srikanteshvara temple in Nanjangud and the Chamarajeshvara temple in Chamarajanagar, both in Karnataka, and in the Pazhavangadi Ganapathy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Conclusion

Haridra Ganapati, golden and dressed in turmeric yellow, sits calm on his throne with noose and goad, tusk and sweet. His colour is the colour of every auspicious beginning, and in the small turmeric Ganesha shaped before each puja, devotees still invite him first into their homes and their lives.

Read 32 Forms of Lord Ganesha >>