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Meaning of Lord Ganesha Trunk Direction – left or right

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Meaning of Lord Ganesha Trunk Direction – left or right

Lord Ganesha or Ganpati is one of the most popular Hindu gods. He is worshiped almost all over India and his blessings are taken before starting any auspicious work.

Ganesh ji is also known for removing obstacles from life. Ganesha also bestows material prosperity and wisdom on his devotees.

Many devotees keep Lord Ganesha’s statue at home for worship. If you are also planning to buy Lord Ganesha statue then pay special care to the direction of Lord Ganesha’s trunk.

ganesha carvings in ganpatipule temple
Ganesha carvings in Ganpatipule temple in Maharashtra

Lord Ganesha’s trunk could be on the left side, right side or in the middle. The key to judging the Lord Ganesha statue as the left-oriented or right oriented statue is to see the direction in which Ganesha trunk has taken in the beginning (don’t see the direction in which Ganesha trunk is pointing in the end). You have to see the beginning of the trunk.

Normally Ganpati trunk will be almost straight and then in the end portion, it will turn left or right or on rare occasions will be straight.

So if the trunk is turning to the left side in the beginning then it is left sided Ganpati statue and if the trunk is turning to the right side in the beginning then it is right sided Ganpati Statue. It does not matter if the trunk turns to any other side in the end.

We only have to see the beginning of the curve that the trunk of Lord Ganesha Statue has taken. It’s that simple.

Meaning of Lord Ganesha trunk direction – left or right

significance of lord ganesha trunk direction

Lord Ganesha trunk on the left side:

For householders, it is strongly advisable to keep left sided Ganesha statue at home. Left sided Ganesha statues are believed to be representing Ida Nadi which is more cooling side or you can relate it to the moon energy. It is more feminine, cooling, nourishing and relaxing energy.

It is also believed that for the household purpose, The Ganesha statue should be in a sitting position so that the god stays in your home. Whereas for pandals (During Ganesh Chaturthi festival), it could be a standing position.

I believe, that if you want to keep Ganesha statue in the home for material prosperity then the trunk should be touching or close to the laddu. Because it represents that Ganesha is having his favorite food in his hand and will offer the prasad to his devotees also.

Here the laddu represents material gain and prosperity. If you want to have spiritual wisdom or spiritual bliss or want to grow spiritually then the trunk should be close to or touching the Modak. You can also refer this post – Symbolism of Lord Ganesha Statue.

Lord Ganesha trunk on the right side meaning:

This is normally the case with Ganesha statues in temples. Because you need to worship the Ganesha statue with right sided trunk as per correct rituals on every day. Any serious mistake in ritual can bring the wrath of the deity.

The Ganesha statue with trunk on the right side is called as ‘Siddhi Vinayaka‘ because if worshiped correctly then it can give quick results or siddhis. If you happen to visit Mumbai then do visit the famous Siddhi Vinayak temple. It is known for fulfilling the wishes of those people who pray with sincerity and intense devotion.

Right sided Ganesha statue is believed to be representing your Pingala Nadi which is related with the sun energy. It is masculine and has fiery nature but can give quick results. If the fire is used properly it cook your food and the same fire element will also help you to digest food in your stomach. However, the same fire can burn you also, if handled improperly. So discipline, sincerity in devotion and worship is important for Ganesha statue with right-side trunk.

You have to follow the rituals properly if you want to have right sided Ganesha Statue in your home or in your pooja place.

I have read the book of Pandit Gopi Krishna whose kundalini shakti was activated from Sun (Pingala) Nadi and he got into a lot of trouble. After suffering for many years, he was finally able to activate his moon (Ida) Nadi to bring coolness to his head which balanced the fire of already activated Pingala Nadi and he was finally relieved from too much heat in his body.

Lord Ganesha trunk is facing straight forward:

It signifies that the Sushumna Nadi is entirely open. Such idols are very rare and special. Even more special is the trunk where the trunk is swung upright in the air. It means the kundalini shakti has reached the Sahasrara (crown chakra) permanently.

Also, remember in mind that Ganesha is a sattvic deity. So avoid having non-veg food at home. Create a pure and satvic environment at home.

The favorite food of Lord Ganesha is Modak and Laddu. Whenever you plan to make prasad for Ganesha then make it with a lot of devotion and purity. Never taste the food that is meant to be offered to Lord Ganesha or to be prepared for any deity.

Once Ganesha has taken the prasad then only you can consume the food as a prasad. Secondly, avoid adding onions and garlic to the food which is meant to be offered to Lord Ganesha.

You can offer fresh Jaswanti (Hibiscus) flowers to the Ganesha along with Dhruva grass.

This Post from the blog archives, first published in July 2014 has been republished and updated on Feb 2024.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. rekha says

    My ganpati has Straight truck.What does it signifies? Is it good or bad for my fortune?

    Thanks in advance for your guidence.

    R,
    Rekha

    • amit trehan says

      welcome rekha. i think it is good for spiritual progress. can’t say about good or bad fortune. what is important is to worship the lord ganesha. devotion is important.

  3. Sushma says

    Hi, I have a big doubt that what is the left and right sides of ganesh ji. Should we consider our left and right or Ganesh ji’s left and right

    • admin says

      sushma, it is ganesh ji’s left and right. see the direction of lord ganesga trunk from ganesha ji side

      • Riti says

        Sir, I hv one doubt as u say in ur article, see the turning point of ganesh ji trunk, i m confused where is d turning point frm bottom or from forehead side and if d turning point towards forehead thn my ganesha ji has a turning point from left side and moving towards right thn he is left side ganesh ji or right side….plz answer…. thx sir

  4. Jyothi says

    Sir
    I have bought ganesha for chaturthi pooja in the year 2015. I have performed pooja. Later I came to know that the ganesha is right trunk ganesha. I was not knowing about the trunk differences. I have done the pooja. Some say this ganesha is lucky. But on internet everywhere it is given that right trunk ganesha is difficult to worship and gets angry if any wrong in pooja methods.
    Kindly guide me.
    Also tell me what has to done with this right trunk ganesha jii. Should it be immersed or given in temple or kept in house forever. If it has to be kept in house, what precautions have to be taken.
    Kindly guide me.

    • admin says

      jyothi, its right that for right trunk ganesha we need to do proper pooja. however i am not the right person to answer your other queries. please check with a pandit. ganesha is a kind deity and if you have done pooja with reverence and devotion then don’t worry. remember ganesha and pray to him sincerely and he will clear all your doubts and obstructions.

  5. anil jain says

    sir me bohat confuse hu or har sal me confuse hojata hu ki ganesha right trunk vale laau ya left trunk vale laau. or ghar k liye konse or pandal k like konse
    plz deatailes me bataye kon sa kese assha he

  6. Sash says

    I am building a farm temple. My Ganasha has left turning trunk. which direction should ganasha face. I have been advised that Ganasha should face South direction.

    Please advise.

    Regards,

  7. gary murugan says

    I have recently purchased a Lord GANESHA which is mainly green in colour with many other colours.can u tell me the significant of these colours? Also he is in a seated position with trunk to left side in up position.what is this significant with?
    Kind regards
    Murugan

  8. Mahesh says

    Hi,
    I would like to know the famous temples in India where Balamuri o rLord Ganesha trunk on the right side. Could you please let me know.

  9. anirudha paul says

    hi sir i am anirudha i have buy a ganesh and it is right trunk after that i came to know about this difference and then i kept it inside showcase…and i only pray for my exam infront of it…hv i done any wrong?if done any mistake plz guide me i am in big trouble with my parent’s financial condition and i have board exam within 3 wks…plz guide as soon as possible

    • amit says

      anirudha, i am not the right person to answer this query. you have to check with a pandit. but as per my understanding, this is not the reason for your parents financial condition. because there is some thing called ‘pran pratistha’ which is the procedure by which we invoke deity energy into the idol. according to me, when you do pran pratistha to the right trunk ganesha idol at home then you should follow all the daily rituals. in your case you are just praying to ganesha and have not invokved his energy in the idol. you have just use ganesha idol to connect with him.
      but remember, i am not the authority in this matter. i suggest you to sincerely pray to lord ganesha for guidance and he will remove all your doubts and obstruction in life.

  10. Medaline says

    I would like to purchase Lord Ganesha craved in Black Stone and some parts gold plated. Is it alright to keep Lord Ganesha in Black and Gold. Please assist to reply my email

  11. Sumanth says

    Hari Om,

    Im feeling in mind that means if i close my eyes then right side trunk rotation is happening while worshiping lord ganesha in temple, what it means?

  12. Joachim says

    Hello,
    Thank u for this Information.

    I have a ganesha-shakti on my Puja Place (his Penis is in her Vagina) and he has a Right Sided Trunk.
    I have to say that my tantric Energien rises a lot since i have got him.

    What do u think: how should i worship him?

    Thank u!

    Best wishes!
    Joachim (from Germany)

    • amit says

      Welcome Joachim. no idea. honestly speaking i am hearing first time of such ganesha idol. tantra is a difficult path and need proper guidance. if anything goes wrong then its like getting a electric shock in spiritual dimension, which means your nervous system will have to deal with lot of unwanted energy. so be careful.

  13. Chowdary says

    Sir,
    We have a small doubt, we are going to put Ganesha idol on our main entrance door, can you please suggest whether the idol is in stand or sitting position and with right or left trunk. So please suggest us to proceed further.
    Thanks in advance.

  14. Rutu says

    Hi in my home we have two metal ganesh idol one with right truck and another is dagdushet ganapati with left truck is it good to worship both?lot of negativity we are facing .. please suggest

  15. Lata Gaur says

    Pranaam !

    Thank U sooo much for clearing the doubts about Lord Ganesha’s trunk direction through your article.

    May God bless U !