India, Mumbai, statue of Lord Ganesha is immersed in ocean by devotees

October 2002. A statue of Lord Ganesha is immersed in the ocean by devotees October 2002 in Mumbai, India. The elephant god is enormously popular in India and plays an important role in Hindu religious life. There are now less than 50,000 Asian elephants, both living in the wild and in captivity; a tiny number compared to their 600,000-strong African cousins. Some of the region's elephants still labour in jungle logging camps, alongside mahouts whose craft has been handed down through the generations. But with most nations having banned timber-felling, thousands of other beasts and their handlers have had to find another way to earn their living.