Placing a figurine of Lord Ganesha at the entrance of homes, offices, shops and other buildings has been in vogue since a long time. Most people believe that it is inauspicious to place the image or statue of Lord Ganesha with his back towards their home. So, they place another image on the inside of the entrance. In this way, the position of Sarvapratham Pujaniya Lord Ganesha is reduced to that of a merely dwarpal (gatekeeper). Moreover, by placing his images both inside and outside they unknowingly have to face his back whenever they enter or leave the building. This practise must be avoided at any cost since it brings about abject poverty (daaridrya) to the occupants of such building.
Interestingly, this tradition had started in Rajasthan about 250 years ago. This region, which used to be in ancient times one of the most prosperous regions in the country, today has been branded a bimar rajya or a sick state, officially by the government.
There is another reason behind not displaying Lord Ganesha’s image at the entrance. According to the tale mentioned in the Hindu scriptures, Goddess Parvati had asked Lord Ganesha to guard the entrance while she was busy inside. Following her instructions, Lord Ganesha did not allow anybody in, even stopping her husband Lord Shiva at the door. This enraged Lord Shiva and a severe clash happened between the two. Since then, the belief has prevailed that Lord Ganesha should not be placed at the entrance.
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