Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati is the first deity to be worshipped during any religious ritual as he is considered the remover of obstacles.
His huge body represents the Universe and trunk the Pranava or Ohm, the symbol of the Brahman. His elephant’s head denotes superior intelligence. The noose he held in his hand reminds us that worldly attachments are a noose. The hook in his hand is to prod us towards the path of righteousness. The broken tusk in his hand used as pen is symbol of knowledge and sacrifice which he used to write the epic Mahabharta .The modaka in his hand remind us of the sweetness of one’s inner self.
The physical form of Ganesha reminds us that real beauty is inner beauty, the spiritual perfection. Similarly his vehicle, the rat tells us the importance of smallest of things existing in universe.