'Our Culture Isn’t Your Aesthetic': Indians Slam Rihanna For Wearing Ganesha Pendent in Topless Snap

A large number of Indians have taken great offence after Rihanna, who is known for her bold fashion sense, shared a topless picture on Twitter and Instagram, sporting a long silver chain weighed down by a ‘Ganesha’ pendant, combined with a pair of purple shorts.

​Lord Ganesha is worshipped by millions of Hindus worldwide. With the head of an elephant and the body of a human, Lord Ganesha is believed to be someone who ends all miseries, according to Hindu mythology.

Now, the 32 year-old-singer is being called out by religiously-sensitive netizens, insisting that their deity is not a decorative jewellery item to be worn so “inappropriately”.

​The controversial picture of Rihanna comes just four days after model Jhardan Reign posted some pictures of herself wearing lingerie and red wings in front of what appears to be a white Hindu ‘mandir’ (temple). In the now-deleted images, the model was shooting for Rihanna's make-up brand Fenty Beauty.

​Previously, the singer has been called out for inking a misspelled Sanskrit quote from the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism's most revered scriptures, going down her right hip. Made in 2007, the Sanskrit tattoo was intended to translate into “forgiveness, honesty, suppression and control”.

Last week, Rihanna re-tweeted a news story on the internet shutdows in several areas of Delhi after a clash between farmer protesters and police officials turned violent on 26 January. 

While some netizens applauded the music icon for supporting Indian farmers, India’s Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, suggested foreign individuals should stay out of the country's internal matters.