An Urdu poet's timeless tributes to Lord Ganesha

As the beating of drums and the chants of “Ganpati Bappa Morya” echo through lanes during Ganesh Chaturthi, it may seem surprising to many that the beloved elephant-headed deity has not only inspired bhakti poetry in Sanskrit, Marathi and Hindi, but also found enduring expression in Urdu verse. Among the countless hymns to Ganesha, the 18th-century Urdu poet Nazeer Akbarabadi’s ‘Stuti of Ganesh Ji’ stands out as a luminous example of syncretic faith and literary universality.

At a time when religious divisions are often amplified, these verses remind us that devotion to Ganesh – the remover of obstacles, the scribe of the Mahabharata, the harbinger of wisdom and prosperity – transcends boundaries of language, culture and creed.

Ganesha in the Urdu imagination

Urdu poetry, deeply steeped in Persian and Islamic aesthetic sensibilities, may not seem the most obvious language of Ganesha worship. Yet from the 18th century onwards, many Urdu poets began composing verses in praise of Hindu deities. The spirit was not of religious conversion but of shared cultural landscape, where gods and goddesses were revered as symbols of love, wisdom and human aspiration.

Lord Ganesha, or Vighnaharta (the remover of obstacles), occupied a special place in this imagination. For poets writing in Urdu, Ganesha represented both the guardian of auspicious beginnings and the divine embodiment of intellect—virtues that poets deeply resonated with.

Among them, Nazeer Akbarabadi (1735–1830) emerged as the most prolific, penning detailed poetic tributes that described the deity’s form, qualities and powers in vibrant detail, blending the cadence of Urdu with devotional fervour.

Nazeer opens his ‘Stuti’ with:

‘Avval to dil mein keejiye poojan Ganesh ji,
Stuti bhi phir bakhaniye dhan-dhan Ganesh ji.
Bhakton ko apne dete hain darshan Ganesh ji,
Vardan bakshte hain jo devan Ganesh ji’

(First of all, worship Ganesh Ji in your heart;
then praise him in words.
He gives darshan to devotees,
And showers blessings upon them.)

The refrain of every stanza, ‘Har aan dhyaan keejiye sumiran Ganesh ji, / Devenge riddhi siddhi aur anna-dhan Ganesh ji (Meditate on Ganesh Ji every moment; He will grant prosperity, wisdom and wealth)’, acts as a devotional chant, echoing the style of Urdu naats, yet seamlessly applied to Ganapati.

Akbarabadi pours painterly detail into his praise of Ganesha, visually sketching his elephant face (gajamukh), large belly, half-moon crown and gentle smile. His mastery lay in blending metaphors familiar to an 18th-century audience with traditional Puranic imagery:

‘Maathay pai ardh chandr ki shobha, main kya kahun,
Upma nahin bane hai, main chupka hi ho rahun.’

(The half-moon ornament on his forehead is so resplendent,
No simile can match it, I fall silent.)

Another verse lovingly describes Ganesha’s iconic one tusk — ‘Ik daant ko jo dekha, kiya khub hai bahaár, is pei hazaar chand ki shobha ko daalun vaar’ (That single tusk I behold—how radiant,
I would exchange for it the brilliance of a thousand moons).

Here, Nazeer invokes poetry’s traditional hyperbole not to exaggerate, but to express devotional surrender — language falters before divine beauty.

*
For poets and seekers, Ganesh is not merely a remover of physical hurdles but a guardian of wisdom. His role as the divine scribe who penned the Mahabharata under sage Vyasa’s dictation makes him a patron of learning and writing. To Urdu poets, particularly steeped in traditions of scholarly learning, Ganesh symbolised the very union of intellect and devotion.

Nazeer captures this in moving lines:

‘Ilmo-hunar mein ek hain aur buddhi ke nidhaan,
Sab kaam chhod pyare, rakh man mein yahi aan’

(He is unmatched in knowledge and skill, the treasure of wisdom.
Leave aside all tasks, my dear, and keep this joy in your heart.)

In an age where poetry itself was seen as divine wisdom articulated, invoking Ganesha as its guardian was natural, even in Urdu, often considered the language of Sufis and mystics.

The cosmic celebration
What makes Nazeer’s verses extraordinary is not only individual veneration but the cosmic imagery of Ganesh receiving worship. He writes of Saraswati standing with folded hands, Narad playing the been, Indra waving the fan and Brahma singing hymns. Even sun, moon and Shiva’s serpent bow before Ganapati’s might.

‘Sanakaadi Soory-Chandr khade aarti karen,
Aur Sheshnaag gandh ki le dhoop ko dharen.’

(The Sun and Moon stand offering aarti,
Sheshnag holds incense of fragrance in devotion.)

This universal acclaim situates Ganesh not only as a Hindu deity, but a cosmic principle of auspicious beginnings, intellect and compassion.

Ganpati in festivals and syncretic tradition
Ganesh Chaturthi, as celebrated today with grandeur particularly in Maharashtra, was popularised by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in the 1890s as a cultural movement binding communities together. Yet, its devotional underpinnings far predate colonial times. In Urdu poetry too, Ganesh Chaturthi emerges as an axis of shared celebration.

When Nazeer Akbarabadi or later Urdu poets describe worshippers offering sindoor, sweets and flowers to Ganesha, they mirror the lived reality of 18th-century India—where shrines and festivals were vibrant spaces of common participation, and where literary culture did not separate along rigid religious divides.

‘Ghee mein mila ke koi jo chadhata hai aa sindoor,
Sab paap uske daal kar dam ke beech choor.’

(Whoever offers vermilion mixed with ghee,
All his sins are crushed in an instant.)

The imagery resonates with ritual devotion familiar to Hindus, yet its expression through Urdu couplets makes it uniquely syncretic.

Today, as we revisit these verses, their message feels more urgent than ever. Ganesha embodies wisdom, patience and compassion—virtues societies desperately need amidst divisions. Nazeer Akbarabadi’s fearless embrace of Ganesha in Urdu language is a historical reminder of India’s syncretic ethos: that veneration, poetry and faith cannot be imprisoned within narrow walls.

As Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated across India with music, colour, and prayer, it is worth remembering that the deity who removes obstacles was once invoked in Urdu couplets, echoing across the bylanes of Agra where Nazeer lived. His verses remind us that poetry itself can be prayer, and that in the shared rhythms of devotion, boundaries blur, leaving only the music of faith.

(Hasnain Naqvi is a former member of the history faculty at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai)