Durga Ganapati - 31st Form of Lord Ganesha

Durga Ganapati

Durga Ganapati is regarded as the thirty-first form among the 32 forms of Lord Ganesha described in the Puranas. Sacred texts such as the Ganesha Purana, Mudgala Purana and Tattvanidhi provide detailed descriptions of these 32 forms, each worshipped for the fulfillment of specific aspirations. Durga Ganapati is considered a symbol of invincibility. He holds a Vijaya Pataka, i.e., victory flag, which represents triumph and success. Worship of this form of Lord Ganesha removes all obstacles that arise on the path of victory and helps devotees attain their desired goals.

Scholars have explained this form of Lord Ganesha in various ways. The word Durga (दुर्ग) means a fort or a protected stronghold; hence, the form of Lord Ganesha who grants victory over a fort or over impregnable obstacles is known as Durga Ganapati. According to Yogic philosophy, the human body itself is like a fort, and Durga Ganapati is the deity who enables victory over this bodily fort by granting control over the senses. Thus, He inspires mastery over Indriyas, i.e., senses and inner discipline.

According to Vedic astrology, Uttara Bhadrapada Nakshatra is associated with the Durga Ganapati form of Lord Ganesha. Therefore, people born under this Nakshatra are advised to worship Durga Ganapati with devotion. Worship of Durga Ganapati is believed to bestow auspicious results related to Uttara Bhadrapada Nakshatra and to remove its afflictions.

A very beautiful idol of Durga Ganapati is enshrined in the highly revered Shri Mahalakshmi Temple at Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Along with Goddess Lakshmi, a large number of devotees also visit this temple to seek the blessings of Lord Durga Ganapati. Lord Durga Ganapati is also known as Durg Ganapati.

Durga Ganapati Iconography

Lord Durga Ganapati is depicted in Kanaka Varna and Ashtabhuja Rupa, i.e., with a golden complexion and an eight-armed form. He is adorned with precious golden ornaments and is dressed in red garments. In His eight hands, He holds a bow, arrow, noose, goad, rosary, victory flag, jamun fruit and His broken tusk.

Durga Ganapati Family

Shri Durga Ganapati is another form of Lord Ganesha, and therefore His family is the same as that of Lord Ganesha. His father is Lord Shiva and His mother is Goddess Parvati. Lord Kartikeya is His brother and Ashoka Sundari is His sister.

Durga Ganapati Mantra

Mula Mantra -

Dhyana Mantra -

Padachchheda -

Meaning - "May Shri Durga Ganapati, who shines like molten gold, who has eight arms and a mighty form, who holds a radiant goad, arrow, rosary and His broken tusk in His right hands, and a noose, bow, creeper and Jamun fruit in His left hands, and who is adorned in red garments, always bestow auspiciousness and joy upon us."

Durga Ganapati Festivals

• Ganesha Chaturthi
• Ganesha Jayanti

Famous and Prominent Temples of Durga Ganapati

• Durga Vinayaka Ganapati Temple, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
• Shri Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur, Maharashtra
• Narmadeshvara Mahadeva Temple, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
• Shri Kanteshvara Temple, Mysuru, Karnataka