The Hindu deity Ganesha

The amiable, elephant-headed Ganesha is a son, as is Skanda, of Shiva and Parvati. (The parents and Skanda can be seen in a nearby case.)

How Did Ganesha Get His Elephant’s Head? According to one account, Shiva disturbed his wife at her bath. She created a young boy to guard the door. Shiva was offended and sent soldiers, who cut off the boy’s head. His wife was distraught, so Shiva replaced the boy’s head with that of a passing elephant.

Ganesha here holds several of his most important symbolic implements. In his lower left hand is the dish of sweets he loves to feed on. In the lower right is a piece of his own tusk. He is said to have broken it off to use as a tool for copying down the great epic Mahabharata when its author first recited it.