Question: what is the story of ganesha the elephant god

title: Ganesha
text: Ganesha appears in Mahayana Buddhism , not only in the form of the Buddhist god Vināyaka , but also as a Hindu demon form with the same name . His image appears in Buddhist sculptures during the late Gupta period . As the Buddhist god Vināyaka , he is often shown dancing . This form , called Nṛtta Ganapati , was popular in northern India , later adopted in Nepal , and then in Tibet . In Nepal , the Hindu form of Ganesha , known as Heramba , is popular ; he has five heads and rides a lion . Tibetan representations of Ganesha show ambivalent views of him . A Tibetan rendering of Ganapati is tshogs bdag . In one Tibetan form , he is shown being trodden under foot by Mahākāla , ( Shiva ) a popular Tibetan deity . Other depictions show him as the Destroyer of Obstacles , and sometimes dancing . Ganesha appears in China and Japan in forms that show distinct regional character . In northern China , the earliest known stone statue of Ganesha carries an inscription dated to 531 . In Japan , where Ganesha is known as Kangiten , the Ganesha cult was first mentioned in 806 . Ganesha