Ganesh is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. The elephant-headed Ganesha as lord of the Ganas was known to the people of Sri Lanka in the early pre-Christian era. Ganesh 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.His popularity rose quickly, and he was formally included among the five primary deities in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya, who identified Ganesh as the supreme deity, arose during this period. The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesh are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.

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