India's Car God

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Lord Ganesha is the defacto car god of India. No kidding.

Glued onto the dashboard of practically every car in India, you will find a small picture or statue of the elephant god. When it comes to monopolizing the Indian car, Ram, Hanuman, and Gurunanak have definitely taken a backseat (no pun intended). Made of materials ranging from alabaster to wood, stylized versions of Ganesha are everywhere. While some are dolled up with jasmine or marigold flowers, others are flanked by incense sticks. Even the car we bought came "pre-installed" with a gold-plated likeness of Ganesha.

The fact that Ganesha is by far the most easily recognizable god (even in the smallest of form factors) must have contributed to its popularity. I suspect this fact wasn't lost on the car-accessory designers of India. Of course, Ganesha's claim to fame as the god of good beginnings must have helped his case for selection.

As I see it, Ganesha is the first truly secular god, transcending the religious boundaries with remarkable ease. The acceptance of Ganesha is much wider than I would have ever thought possible in a land of such religious diversity.


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