Mahaganapati

He is the representation of Ganesha as the Supreme Being Paramatman and is the most important deity of the Ganesha-centric Ganapatya sect.

He is one of the most popular of the thirty-two forms of Ganesha, worshipped as a representation of the ultimate truth Para brahman.

[1] He is often depicted with a third eye on his forehead, a crescent moon over his head,[1] ten arms which hold; a lotus, a pomegranate fruit, a gada (mace), a chakra (discus), his own broken tusk, a pasha (noose), a jewelled water vessel or a pot of jewels, a blue lotus, a rice sprig and a sugarcane bow.

[1][3] An alternate depiction replaces the pomegranate with a mango and the gada with a shankha (conch) and elaborates that the jewelled pot contains amrita (ambrosia).

[5] He sometimes holds a citron fruit with numerous seeds, a symbol of the power of creation and a representation the god Shiva.

The sugarcane bow is associated with Kamadeva, the god of love; while the rice paddy functions as an arrow bestowed by the Earth goddess Prithvi; both symbols of fertility.

According to local legend, Mahaganapati had aided his father Shiva to fight the demon Tripurasura.

Mahaganapati, folio from the Sritattvanidhi (19th century). Here he is depicted with ten arms and accompanied by a goddess.