Burma:

Professor Ray has noticed fragments of images of Ganesa within the precincts of the Shwesandaw Pagoda, Pagan, where, along with other Hindu divinities placed at the corner of the different pyramidal structures as guardian deities of the Buddhist shrine)S However, a most remarkable Ganesa image was recovered sometime ago from the debris of the ruins of one of the temples of Pagan.l6 It is unique and is of great iconographic interest. It depicts Ganesa seated in padmasana. He has four hands of which the upper right holds a parasu and the lower right a rosary (aksamala) whereas the upper left has a conch and the lower left, placed in his lap probably has matulinga. Yet the most interesting feature of the sculpture is the figure of crocodile on the front of the pedestal carved in low relief. Similarly, on the right and left of the pedestal are carved in bas relief a tortoise and fish respectively. All these are acquatic creatures which have not so far been found associated with Ganesa elsewhere so far. Nor is there any literary evidence to connect the god with them. The image, therefore, is unique on account of these unusual features. It is not unlikely that the Hindu traders carved such an image to protect them from acquatic creatures in the jungles of Burma during their travels far into the interior of the country.

There are two more images of Ganesa at Pagan which are only miniature votive tablets. Ganesa thus appears to have gradually achieved an important place in the indigenous religion and mythology of Burma and came to be known as 'Maha-pienne' and as such is still worshipped in the Peninsula)?