Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma is a faith in God that underpins the basic humane principles of brotherhood, kind-heartedness and good life. This religion believes in eternal reincarnation of which you may set yourself free by various practices and come to a higher state of Being called moksha - liberation. Christians have salvation, Hindus moksha, Buddhists nirvana. Hindus believe that God is ONE, but has many forms.

Birth of Ganesh and some history

Ganesha (and Skanda too) is understood to be the first God in that sense that if someone wants to come up to Shiva, he must first get through the Ganesha's doorstep. He is mentioned in the oldest Veda - Rig Veda.

Ganesh was born on the fourth day in the Hindu month Magh and He has many powerful aspects. He is also considered to be the master of astrology. According to the Hindu calendar of religious events, His birthday is celebrated in August/September, and this date is variable similarly like Christian Easter (based on the lunar calendar). Hinduism consists of four basic (mainstream) branches of which shaivism is the oldest one. Hence, God Shiva is the absolute God; in other Hindu denominations it is Shakti (female principle) - shaktism, Vishnu and His avatar (incarnation) Krishna - vaishnavism. Smartism is a school that follows Smriti - a specific canon of Hindu religious scripture.

In Hinduism, mainstream Vaishnava, Shakta and Shaiva schools are well-documented, but they also have their offshoots. Cults of sUrya, skAnda and gAnApAtyA are poorly documented. Ganesh, while being one of the most extensively worshiped deities of the Pan Hindu religion, is one of the most poorly understood ones in terms of origins and history. The sectarian worship of Ganapati and Kumara is principally extinct. The literature and practices of these cults are also largely unknown to most Hindus.

Some words about Buddhism
In esoteric Buddhism, Ganesh in Japan is pictured as a Twin-God - two figures joined to one, often with sexual connotation. These statues are not seen publicly. In Japan, there are more than 250 temples dedicated to Lord Ganesh and He has names such as Kanki-Ten, Kangi-Ten, Shooten, Vinayaaka, or Daishoo Kangiten. In Kamakura (a city in Japan), there is a temple (Hookaij-Ji) with allegedly the oldest statue of Ganesh in Japan; it is locked and supposed to have been preserved locked there from the year 1333. The Twin God is nanten - male, nyoten - female Ganesha. It also represents His/Her ego.

Many historians date the presence of Ganesh in Japan back to times when a great monk - Kukai (774- 834) - started the Shingon sect in Japanese Buddhism. The means of worshiping Ganesha, Ganabachi, Vinayaka or Kangiten embody something that makes this cult different from other Buddhist streams. The teaching, rituals and beliefs of the cult have many parallels with the cult of Ganapatyas

In Ganesha Purana it is written:
At His command Lord Brahma creates the universe. At His command Lord Visnu maintains the universe. At His command Lord Siva destroys the universe. At His command the Sun, Lord of the day, moves throughout the universe. At His command Vayu directs the wind. At His command Varuna causes the waters to flow in all directions. At His command the stars shine in the sky. At His command Agni burns in the three worlds...