For a Puranic story-themed Ganpati decoration, you can create cardboard cutouts

For a Puranic story-themed Ganpati decoration, you can create cardboard cutouts of characters from the following famous story from Hindu mythology: ### **Story: The Birth of Lord Ganesha** This story depicts how Lord Ganesha was created by Goddess Parvati and his subsequent encounter with Lord Shiva. #### **Characters to Create with Cardboard:** 1. **Goddess Parvati**: The mother of Ganesha, depicted with a serene face, holding a lotus or seated on a lion. 2. **Lord Shiva**: The father of Ganesha, shown with his trident (trishul), snake around his neck, and crescent moon on his head. 3. **Lord Ganesha**: As a child, with an elephant head, pot-bellied, holding modaks (sweets), a small axe, and a lotus. 4. **Nandi**: The bull of Lord Shiva, often shown as a devoted and strong protector. 5. **Karttikeya**: Ganesha's brother, depicted with a peacock mount, often holding a spear. 6. **Goddess Ganga**: The river goddess, shown flowing or as a serene figure near Lord Shiva. 7. **Sage Narada**: The celestial sage, depicted with a veena (musical instrument) and a wise expression. 8. **Attendants of Parvati**: You can create a few generic figures as attendants of Parvati who helped her during the story. #### **The Story:** Goddess Parvati once decided to create a son from the sandalwood paste she used for her bath. She shaped the paste into a boy and breathed life into it, creating Ganesha. She instructed him to guard the entrance while she took a bath. Lord Shiva, unaware that the boy was his son, tried to enter but was stopped by Ganesha. Angered by this, Shiva beheaded Ganesha with his trident. When Parvati learned of this, she was heartbroken and furious. To appease her, Lord Shiva promised to bring Ganesha back to life. He ordered his followers to bring the head of the first living being they encountered. They found an elephant and brought its head, which Shiva attached to Ganesha's body, bringing him back to life. Ganesha was then blessed by all the gods and was d