According to Hindu rituals, any offering made to the divinities have to first begin with Ganesha. The elephant-headed god is always accompanied by a tiny mouse or a mooshak. Although in some of his avatars he does trade his mouse for another vaahana, his traditional form always has a mooshak by his side. Here are some interesting facts about Ganesha’s rodent friend.

• According to the Ganesha Purana, the gandharva Krauncha was cursed by a sage to turn into a rat, who then went on to serve Ganesha as his vaahana.
• According to another Puranic legend, Gajamukha the demon defeated by Ganesha in battle. He was then turned into a mooshak by Ganesha.
• The mooshak is worshipped on the eleventh day of Ganesh Chaturthi.
• The mooshak symbolises the ego that can nibble away all virtues and must be subdued.
• The mooshak is also a symbol of the minute details of a subject.
• The mooshak represents wisdom, talent and intelligence that Ganesha presides over.