New Delhi: Ganesh Chaturthi is being celebrated today all over India. There are worshipers of Lord Ganesha not only in India but all over the world. There are many interesting facts and stories about Lord Ganesha, who is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated gods around the world, but among all these, the most interesting fact which bears testimony to his popularity is that Indonesia, a Muslim majority country, have Ganesha on its currency note.
Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in world and that's why it is a bit surprising to see picture of Lord Ganesha on world's largest island county's currency notes. Here are some interesting facts one must know about Indonesia:
There are many similarities in the culture of Indonesia-India. Many Hindu deities are worshiped here. Indonesia, spread over thousands of islands between Malaysia and Australia, has the largest population of Muslims, but the influence of Hinduism is hugely visible.
It is not entirely clear how Hinduism arrived in Indonesia, but by the 5th century, Hinduism was established here. As the influence of the Hindu Empire grew, Hindu and Buddhist rulers took control of many islands by the 12th–13th century. The Indonesian government officially recognised six religions - Protestantism, Islam, Hinduism, Roman Catholicism, Confucianism and Buddhism, in which Hinduism got recognition in 1962.
In Indonesia, Lord Ganesha is considered to be the God of wisdom. Probably, that's why Lord Ganesha's image was earlier inscribed on the currency notes here. A few years ago, Indonesia's economy faltered, after which the economists there deliberation issued a new note of twenty thousand rupees, on which the picture of Lord Ganesha was printed.
However, after 1998, new notes of twenty thousand rupees were issued in Indonesia. The photo of Lord Ganesha was removed from the new notes issued after 1998. Along with the influence of Hinduism in Indonesia, there has also been an influence of Buddhism. Indonesia's Borobodur has the largest Buddhist stupa in the world.