People really seem to dig the Elephant-human hybrid as popularized by Ganesh...except it makes no sense because Ganesh was only a bloodthirsty maniac BEFORE the Gods tore his head off out of desperation. When he got his replacement Elephant head, he became just like that animal - docile, peaceable, and above all wise - the God of Wisdom.
I love Hindu mythology. Not just because it's more visually pleasing than other Religions, but more tranquil and open to free thought. Their supreme god, Vishnu, is god of preservation and allowing things to live and grow. Their gods embrace mercy and compassion as well as devotion and sacrifice. Their afterlife is not a choice between eternal feelings of smug self-satisfaction and kotowing or eternal flame, but a chance to continually be reborn and to change and improve.
When Hanuman is sent to torch an entire city, he thinks "I cannot stand to destroy such beautiful things, even if I must". When Krishna's childhood friend is poor, he has only to visit him and treat him as a friend, and recieves great riches and blessing without having once asked. When Yama god of death tests Vishnu's greatest worshipped by pretending to be of the "untouchable" caste, he is told that Vishnu and the potential for life is present in all living things.
From an (admittedly, rambling) atheistic viewpoint? Hinduism kicks Christianity square in the nuts. Especially the Catholics and the Rightwing Extremist groups. If I didn't have anything else to do in life, I'd probably convert to Hinduism and spend my days doing good in poverty-stricken Sri Lanka, where my roots are.