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ARTICLE : Lord Ganesha in Disneyland-Hinduism Today
>From Hinduism Today, December Edition,
first in our new color magazine format.
copyright 1996 Himalayan Academy
We invite your comments sent to:
letters@hinduism.today.kauai.hi.us
Ganesha Graces Disneyland
Is the Elephant God getting due respect?
By Archana Dongre, Los Angeles
Spun out of the supremely creative imagination of Walt Disney, Mickey
Mouse is the central character of the fabled Disneyland. Although
endowed with human-like qualities, he is still a mouse, the vehicle of
Lord Ganesha since time immemorial. With this ironic coincidence, one
might wonder, does the God of abundance and the abode of all artistic
genius lurk somewhere in the sprawling 85-acre amusement park, casting
his benevolent grace on the more than half-billion pilgrims of joy
that have passed through the turnstiles of Disneyland since its doors
opened in 1955? He is indeed there-thrice, in fact-as I discovered
during a sweltering summer day's visit. But not all Hindus have been
pleased with His less than dignified circumstances.
I found Him first along the Jungle Cruise ride in the form of a giant,
well-designed ten-foot grey stone statue, sitting royally since 1962
against a backdrop of green tropical forest. A few minutes into the
ride, our guide erupted enthusiastically, "And now to your left you
will see the Hindu deity of ..." The ride is replete with rustic, even
barbaric themes, like cannibals dancing, a tribal selling human heads,
a safari scene and sights of wild animals including hippos and a
python.
What is a refined Deity like Ganesha doing in such a place? Most
Hindus I spoke with actually liked seeing Him there. It was a touch of
their own culture to this masterminded, worldclass Mecca of
entertainment. What about non-Hindu Americans? Their response was
typically, "Oh, it's interesting," but nothing offered for or against
it.
More controversial is Ganesha's appearance in the breath-taking
Indiana Jones ride, opened in 1995. The theme of the ride is
essentially the story of a Hindu temple uncovered in the jungle by
Western archaeologists, who also discover its secret of wealth and its
curse. The entrance of the ride is a temple-like structure, not unlike
Mahabalipuram, in South India, though old and crumbling. Snaking
through the hour-long wait in line, I wound through the outside area
where Hindu-looking Deities carved of stone (or cast in concrete)
appear to have been removed from the temple and are being packed for
shipping. Shipping where? One can conjecture they are enroute to
museums or to those art dealers who pirate and sell fine sculptures
from Hindu temples for hefty, selfish profits.
Tall towers with Naga faces and the Naga theme are seen everywhere.
Exiting the six-minute action ride, with its wild bumping and
careening in a jeep-like vehicle, one is confronted with another
statue of Lord Ganesha on a cart [photo above]. He is surrounded by
ordinary paraphernalia of excavation and crates, treated like a piece
of archeological merchandise.
Views differed according to the emotional nature of the onlooker. To
some people, the entire theme is the rape of a Hindu temple, as
offensive as the original "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" movie
upon which the ride is based, which grossly misrepresented the Hindu
Goddess Kali, the Hindu culture, even the Hindu cuisine and eating
habits.
People I saw coming out of the ride were engrossed in what they saw
inside or eager to go on to the next attraction. Most didn't even
notice the third Ganesha statue situated outside. Hindus, however,
rarely miss it. The general consensus of those I spoke with was, "It
may not be offensive, but the West needs to be educated. Once they
know the significance of our Deity, they will be more careful about
using it in places like this." Others, such as Ravi Peruman of
California, were incensed at the disrespectful treatment. Shekhar
Ganapathy and Shobha Narayan, a young couple from Mumbai, were
distressed by the overall temple piracy theme.
"No comment," was all John McClintock, senior public relations officer
for Disney, offered when questioned about Ganesha. He did say,
however, that there are no other religious icons of any faith in the
park; even the park's "Hunchback of Notre Dame" cathedral set is
devoid of Christian symbols. Swami Atmarupananda, head of the Vedanta
Society in San Diego, advised, "Hindus, especially those who are born
into the religion, tend to have a let-go attitude in such situations.
But if we do not stand up for the sacredness of our Deities, who will?
If the connotation of where the Ganesha is situated goes against our
beliefs and modes of worship, then we have to tell them about it..
