Ganesha Sculptures from Madhya Pradesh

Udayagiri, Vidisha

The oldest rock-cut sculpture of Ganesha, dated 401 CE, is at Cave No. 6 of the Udayagiri Caves near Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. The carving shows a seated Ganesha—with a heavy-set body, an elephant head leaning to the left, simple naturalistic ears and trunk without complex ornaments—characteristic of early Gupta craftsmanship.

(Source: Gemini: Rare Book Society of India)

Bhumara, Satna

A red sandstone Ganesha sculpture from an ancient, ruined Shiva temple in Bhumara, Satna, M.P., dated late 5th century CE (Gupta Period) is in Indian Museum, Kolkata. The sculpture features early classical proportions, broad ears, a single tusk, and a snake sacred thread (yajnopavita) running across his torso.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Sunari, Vidisha

At Sunari village of Basoda Tahsil, Vidisha, there is a five-feet tall red sandstone sculpture of Ganesha of the Parmar (10^th -11^th century AD) period.

(Source: The Architectural Splendour of Udaypur by INTACH, Bhopal)

Celebrating Ganesha: The British Museum

 For an excellent online exhibit, here is a link:

Celebrating Ganesha is a Spotlight tour by the British Museum.

The exhibition toured across the UK from June 2015 for two years to several museums and galleries:

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/jwWxaGE_2ddqIg

Links for my previous blogs:

Ganesha in India and Beyond: https://www.pkdash.in/2023/09/ganesha-in-india-and-beyond.html

Om Ganeshaya Namah: https://www.pkdash.in/2023/09/om-ganeshaya-namah.html

 

May Vighnaharta remove all hurdles. May Ganesha bless us with Buddhi (intellect), Riddhi (prosperity), and Siddhi (fulfilment).

Hearty Greetings on Ganesha Chaturthi, 2026.