The God Ganesha

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Instructor: Karen Walker

Students: Grades 1-2

Objective:

Students will be introduced to Indian art in the form of carvings and metal sculptures of the god Ganesha. Students will be able to understand the meaning behind the Hindu beliefs of Lord Ganesha.

Materials:

  1. Sculptures of the god Ganesha and Shiva
  2. Chart paper
  3. Pencils
  4. Drawing paper
  5. World Map

Introduction:

Show the sculptures to the students and ask them what they think they are. Write the students’ responses down on chart paper. The teacher may ask, “Where do you think these figures came from?” or “What do you think they are made of?”

Procedures:

  1. The teacher holds one figure up to the students and uses a storytelling method to inform the students about the figure. 
  2. The teacher writes the name “Ganesha” on the chart paper and asks the class to repeat the name.
  3. The teacher points to the world map and shows the students where India is located.
  4. The teacher explains that the people of India are of many different religions, including Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain.  The Hindu people believe in many gods and one of the most popular gods is Lord Shiva (The god of life and death). 
  5. The teacher shows a small statue of Shiva dancing and tells the students that when Shiva is in his destructive dance, he’s called Natraja.  At this time, show some of Natraja’s symbols (the ring of fire, drum, the trident, and his tall crown of hari).
  6. The story told by the teacher may sound like this (PDF).
  7. After the story and discussion about the story, return to the sculpture. Call attention to the way the sculptor created the image of Ganesha. The idea of a human form with an elephant’s head may seem monstrous but the sculptor has made the transition seem believable. Ganesha’s elephant head and ears seem to fit his chubby little body. Ganesha is adorned with jewels around his head, neck, and feet.  This gives an air of importance to him. He is often sculpted with his little pet rat.
  8. A different sculpture of Ganesha is placed on three different tables in the classroom. Students break into groups and attempt to draw Ganesha’s likeness.
  9. After completing their drawings, the students write a short description of Ganesha on their paper.

Evaluation:

Ask the students what they have learned about the figures and write their responses on chart paper.

Feedback:

The students wanted to display their Ganesha pictures in the classroom and we plan to add other images of cultural gods as we study them.   The students really enjoyed this lesson and want to continue studying Indian gods.

During the Christmas season, I had brought in my sculptures of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. The students recalled those sculptures when I presented the Ganesha sculptures. They independently made connections between the sculptures and their religious significance.  They also made a connection to Ganesha while reading Eric Carle’s Dragons, Dragons.

References:

Kossak, Steven M. & Watts, Edith, W. (2001). The Art of South and Southeast Asia: a Resource of Educators. NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.