HINDUS from worldwide, including Malaysia, celebrates Vinayagar Chathurthi, also known as Ganesha Chathurthi, today.
Vinayagar Chathurthi is a Hindu Festival which is celebrated on the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Parvathy.

Devotees at the Kottumalai Sri Ganesar temple, KL
In Hindusm, Ganesha is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune and traditionally prayed at the beginning of any new venture.
This festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the Shukla Chathurthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period).
The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on the Anant Chaturdashi fourteenth day of the waxing moon period).
Besides India and Malaysia, the festival is also celebrated in Nepal and by Hindus in the United States, Canada, Mauritius, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Fiji, and Guyana.
How Young Vinayagar got the elephant head?
The legend stated that, the Goddess Parvathy (consort of Lord Shiva), while bathing, created Ganesha as a pure white being out of the mud of Her Body and placed Him at the entrance of the house.
She told Him not to allow anyone to enter while she went inside for a bath. Lord Shiva Himself was returning home and was stopped by Ganesha at the gate. Shiva became angry and cut off Ganesha’s head as He thought Ganesha was an outsider.
When Parvathy came to know of this she was really furious. To console her grief, Shiva ordered His servants to cut off and bring to Him the head of any creature that might be sleeping with its head facing north.
The servants went on their mission and found only an elephant in that position. The sacrifice was thus made and the elephant’s head was brought before Shiva. The Lord then joined the elephant’s head onto the body of Ganesha.
Putting the elephant head at the boy’s torso, Lord Shiva infused a new lease of life in him.
Thus, Ganesha got the head of an elephant and came to be known as Gajanana. Ganesha one with an elephant head.
Shiva also made him the leader (pati) of his troops. Hence his name ‘Ganapati’. Lord Shiva made His son worthy of worship at the beginning of all undertakings, marriages, expeditions and studies.
Shiva also bestowed a boon that people would worship him and invoke his name before undertaking any venture.
This preaches the common people that they should not meddle in others affairs. Such an attempt leads to the loss and nothing more. The softest organ of an organism in his testes.
Unlike other animals testes of an elephant are located in the head, which is also known as Gandasthala (temples). It is the softest spot in otherwise hard and huge body of an elephant.