Dvimukha Ganapati, Two Faced Ganesha
Dwimukha Ganapati is the twenty seventh of the 32 forms of Lord Ganapati. Lord Ganesha is one of the most popular Hindu God worshipped in India and is believed to be the remover of all obstacles in the lives of his devotees.
In this form, the Lord is seen with two faces and four arms which symbolically represents that the Lord sees in all directions. He wears a bejeweled crown and holds a noose, goad, his tusk and a pot of gems. He is also called the Janus by the Romans due to his two faced image.
Dwimukha Ganapati Mantra and its translation:
svadamtapashamkusharatnapatram
karairdadhano harinilagatrah
ratnamshuko ratnakiritamali
bhutyai sada bhavatu me dvimuko ganeshah
He holds in his hands his own tusk, a noose, a hook and a pot full of gems. His body complexion is greenish blue and he is wearing a red colored robe. A gem studded crown embellishes his head.
There are no particular temples attached to this form of Lord Ganapati. However the paintings of the 32 forms of Ganapati can be seen in Thiruvananthapuram in South India. Also the temples in Chamarajanagar and Nanjangud in Mysore have all the 32 forms of Ganesha sculptures.
In this form of two faces, it is not the physical aspect of the Lord having two faces and seeing in both directions, it is rather a symbolic way of describing him as the one who can see both the inner and outer aspects of the whole world.
Dwimukha Ganapati Dhyana Mantra