Ganesha is the youngest member of Lord Shiva’s family and is known to be well liked by all the Hindu deities mentioned in Hindu mythology. Although there are many famous tales associated with the birth of Ganesha or Ganesh, the most popular is the one in which his mother prepares a clay statue and blesses her alive. The statue becomes none other than Ganesha, known for his fondness for sweets. The following information talks about other members of the family that Lord Ganesha belongs to.

Shiva the Destroyer

Lord Shiva, the father of Ganesha, is one of the three supreme Hindu gods, the other two being Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma. Known for residing on the Kailasa mountain, Shiva is worshiped by different names such as Sankara, Rudra, Neelkanth, and many more.

Shiva is held responsible for unknowingly cutting off the head of his own son, Ganesha, when the latter denied him permission to enter the chambers of the goddess Parvati, Shiva’s wife. However, Shiva brought Ganesha back to life after discovering that the latter was his own son. Apart from that, Shiva also announced that people in the universe would worship Ganesha before any other God or Goddess during any kind of ceremony.

Parvati, the Shakti

The goddess Parvati, popularly known as Shakti, the power, is the mother of Ganesha. The Goddess is considered to be the center of all prevailing energy in the universe. Parvati is believed to be the second incarnation of Sati, the first wife of Lord Shiva. Known by other names such as Gauri, Bhairavi, Bhavani, and many more, Parvati is considered to be very close to her son, Ganesha.

As mentioned above, Parvati created Ganesha as a clay statue to protect the rooms, while she went to take a bath. Apart from the story mentioned in the last section, another famous tale tells how Ganesha got an elephant head. Ganesha’s head turned to ash, when the cursed god Shani looked at the newborn child. However, Lord Vishnu soon replaced Ganesh’s head with that of an elephant.

Famous Ganesh gifts consist of portraits and statues, depicting young Ganesha with his father and mother.

Kartikeya, the brother

Kartikeya or Skanda is Ganesha’s brother, although his birth chronology is a matter of debate. Kartikeya is a popular deity among South Indians and also among residents of countries such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Singapore. According to legends, Ganesha once defeated his brother in a competition by acting wiser.

Riddhi and Siddhi

Although Ganesha is believed to be single, in some parts of India he is believed to have two wives, called Riddhi, representing prosperity, and Siddhi, representing spiritual power. The Lord is also believed to have a third wife, called Buddhi, who represents wisdom.

Shubha and Labha

Shubha and Labha are known to be the two sons of Lord Ganesha, the first represents the auspicious and the second represents the benefit.