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"Vinayaka" redirects here. For other uses, see Vinayaka (disambiguation)."Ganapati" redirects here. For Hindu Vedic Deity and God of planet Jupiter, see Brihaspati.For other uses, see Ganesha (disambiguation).Ganesha (Sanskrit: à ¤—à ¤£à ¥‡à ¤¶; IAST: Gaṇeśa; listen (help·info)), also spelled Ganesa and Ganesh, also known as Ganapati (Sanskrit: à ¤—à ¤£à ¤ªà ¤¤à ¤¿, IAST: gaṇapati), Vinayaka (Sanskrit: à ¤µà ¤¿à ¤¨à ¤¾à ¤¯à ¤•; IAST: VinÄÂyaka), and Pillaiyar (Tamil: à ®ªà ®¿à ®³à ¯Âà ®³à ¯ˆà ®¯à ®¾à ®°à ¯Â), is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon.[5] His image is found throughout India and Nepal.[6] Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations.[7] Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.[8]Although he is known by many other attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him particularly easy to identify.[9] Ganesha is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles[10] and more generally as Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles (Vighnesha (Sanskrit: à ¤µà ¤¿à ¤˜à ¥Âà ¤¨à ¥‡à ¤¶; IAST: Vighneśa), Vighneshvara (Sanskrit: à ¤µà ¤¿à ¤˜à ¥Âà ¤¨à ¥‡à ¤¶à ¥Âà ¤µà ¤°; IAST: Vighneśvara),[11] patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom.[12] He is honoured at the beginning of rituals and ceremonies and invoked as Patron of Letters during writing sessions.[13] Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography.Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity in clearly recognizable form in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors.[14] His popularity rose quickly, and he was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu denomination) in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya (Sanskrit: à ¤—à ¤¾à ¤£à ¤ªà ¤¤à ¥Âà ¤¯; IAST: gÄÂṇapatya), who identified Ganesha as the supreme deity, arose during this period.[15] The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.