It's History

The popularity of the image of Ganesh in Thailand can be attributed to King Rama VI (reign 1910 - 1925) who demanded that the representation of this elephant-headed God be used as a symbol of the national Literature Club and Fine Arts Department. The King had adopted the concept from the Indian epic, the Mahabharata, in which Ganesh is viewed as the God of arts. I asked my taxi driver if he was aware of this bit of history, and his response was that he doesn't like to think about the past. For him, this statue solely represents the potential to attract more business.