Both Hindus and Buddhists revere the elephant, and in fact use its likeness in many of their representations of gods.

Both Hindus and Buddhists revere the elephant, and in fact use its likeness in many of their representations of gods. It isn’t the animal that they’re worshiping so much as the qualities they wish to emulate. Elephants are a powerful role model for the spiritual lifestyle; they’re obedient to their leader, calm, nearly unstoppable when set on a path, and have large ears to hear more than speak. In short: the perfect disciple. Buddhism and Hinduism differ only in the fact that Buddhists don’t use imagery in the same way. Many of the Hindu gods are simply a personification of these attributes. This is especially the case with Ganesha, Shivas son and the lord his troops, with the elephant head. His large head symbolizes knowledge, intelligence and thinking power. His trunk represents grasping power, while his large ears denote his attentiveness.

In Buddhism, the elephant has spiritual significance. When Buddha’s mother became pregnant with him, she had a dream of a pure white elephant. The elephant gave her a white lotus from his trunk and circled around her three times, entering her womb. She knew immediately upon waking that this was a divine omen. So even at its inception, Buddha was intricately linked to the elephant.

Monkeys also enjoy a prominent place in public perception because of their association with lord Rama and Lord Hanuman. In the Ramayana they played a prominent role in assisting Rama in searching Maa Sita, who was held in captivity by Ravana and rescue her. They helped him to cross the ocean by building a bridge across the waters and participate in a war under his command against the demon’s army. Because of their association with Rama, Hindus treat monkeys with compassion and respect. Symbolically, they personify such positive qualities as obedience, loyalty, duty, divinity, righteousness, courage, and selflessness. Bhagwad purana compares the instability of the mind to monkeys who are easily distracted and prone to mischief. Hanuman ji is one of the most popular deities of Hinduism who exemplifies exemplary courage, immense strength, humility and the highest devotion.! ✨🐒🕉🐘🌀🎨🙏🏻