Why does Lord Ganesh have an Elephant Head?

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Why does Lord Ganesh have an Elephant Head?
Introduction
Ganesh is one of the highly worshiped gods among the Hindu pantheon. The large followership of Genesh can be attributed to its lack of affiliations. A visit to India may not be considered complete with one not having seen a portrait of lord Ganesh. Ganesh is famous for being the god that aid in removal of obstacles, patron of arts as well as sciences. Believers also attest to obtaining intellect and wisdom from Ganesh. It is in the 4th and the 5th centuries that Genesh is said to have developed into a distinct deity (National Centre for the Performing Arts 60). It is during this Gupta period that Ganesh was formally included in the deities of Smartism. The identification of Ganesh to date is attributed to Ganapatya who elevated Genesh to the level of a supreme deity. Scriptures that are dedicated to the god Genesh are Mudgala Purana, Ganapati Atharvashirsa and Ganesha purana. The popularity of Genesh is not limited only to the problems that are solved through his worship, but the uniqueness with which Ganesh came into existence. The most stinging question to date about lord Ganesh is elephant head with which he is identified (Shukla and Talwar 77). A lot of theories have been formulated in trying to explain the origin of the elephant head with which lord Ganesh is identified. This paper tries to explain why lord Ganesh has an elephant head. To answer the question, the paper takes an analysis of the myths that have been formulated in an attempt to answer the same.
The Family
Ganesh in the Hindu pantheon is known as member of the family of Shiva and Parvati. The birth of Ganesh is associated with a lot of myths just as his head. There are versions claiming that Ganesh was created by Shiva, others claim that Ganesh was created by Parvati. There are myths that also the birth of Ganesh to both Parvati and Shiva. Finally, there exists a myth that claims the birth of Ganesh to have been mysterious. In this mystery myth, it is believed that Shiva and Parvati only came to discover Ganesh after noticing his unique capabilities. The mysteries around Ganesh seem not to end only on his birth and his head. Many times, the family of Ganesh has attracted a lot of debates as well National (Centre for the Performing Arts 70).
Most myths indicate that Skanda, kartikeya is brother to Ganesh. The problem arises in the order of their births. Believers from North India assert that that, Skanda is the elder brother. They believe that before Ganesh emerged, Skanda had already achieved a lot in the martial deity. They further argue that the emergence of Ganesh coincided with the fall of Skanda. In South India however, it is believed that Ganesh was the first born. The superiority of lord Ganesh is fairly exploited to explain why Skanda could not make it being the first child in that family. Once there was a contest of power between Ganesh and Skanda. The challenge was to see who could manage circumambulating the three worlds in the shortest period. As Skanda went around the three worlds, Ganesh is said to have remained back at home circumambulating Parvati and Shiva. His reason for not going around the three worlds was that his parents represente...