Ganesha the remover of obstacles / Maharakta Ganapati (the great red lord of hosts)

Contemporary Newari artist Lok Chitrakar paints on cloth using hand-ground mineral pigments and long-established techniques. He looks to historical Nepali religious paintings (paubha) and Buddhist texts while also infusing his paintings with inventive personal touches. Chitrakar’s Ganesha the remover of obstacles or Maharakta Ganapati (the great red lord of hosts) takes its inspiration from the work of 15th century paubha artist Jiva Ram who mastered Nepali and Tibetan painting styles. Begun in 2004, the painting was completed during the covid lockdown of 2020. Chitrakar first painted Ganesha when he was twelve years old, under the tutelage of his father who came from a lineage of painters. Their family name, Chitrakar, means ‘image maker’ in Sanskrit.

Ganesha or Ganapati is immediately identified by his elephant head. Most often associated with Hinduism, the deity is also revered in the Buddhist and Jain faiths, and much loved the world over. Ganapati is frequently depicted in the art of Nepal’s Buddhist Newari people, the historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley, as well as the Hindu art of the region. Ganapati is the only Hindu deity also worshipped as an enlightened Buddhist saviour (bodhisattva). While in Hindu stories the deity has a single tusk, in the Buddhist interpretation he retains a pair of sharp white tusks.

In keeping with tantric iconography, Ganapati holds a different ritual implement in each of his twelve hands and dances on his rat vehicle (vahana) with his left foot raised. The rat’s resigned expression contrasts with Ganapati’s joviality, revealing Chitrakar’s individual approach and sense of humour. Other innovations include the female figures holding the eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism in diamonds surrounding the primary deity, and the delicate primavera blossoms floating against the indigo blue ground.