Shadow puppetry is one of the oldest art forms in India. The leather is obtained from deer and goat skins and when the puppets are pressed against a screen, with the light coming from behind, they appear as shadow figures to the audience sitting on the other side of the screen.
Ganesh is traditionally worshipped (Hindi) before any major enterprise and is the patron of intellectuals, bankers, scribes, and authors.
Story: The God Shiva often left his wife, Parvati alone for long periods. He had been away several years when Parvati decided to use clay to make a baby. One day she asked Ganesh to stand guard while she bathed in a pool. Shiva suddenly returned and saw this boy who told him, “Don’t go any further,” and blocked his way. Shiva suspected Parvati was with someone else. He was furious and cut off the boy’s head. Parvati cried out, “You have murdered our child,” and told him how she had made the child to keep her company. “What can I do now?” Shiva asked. “Go out and cut off the head of the first creature you see. Then bring it back and give the head to our son.” The first creature Shiva saw was an elephant.