Nepalese - Dancing Ganesha - Walters 543011

Ganesha is a popular Hindu deity worshipped before undertaking a task and the son of the supreme god Shiva. Ganesha has a childlike nature, here eating from a bowl of sweets with his trunk as he sways. His elephant head makes him easy to identify, although he wasn't born with it. Seeing his son for the first time, Shiva flew into a jealous rage and decapitated Ganesha. His mother demanded that Shiva replace the child's head; his servants returned with the head of an elephant.