Hey Etsy, this toilet cover stinks.
That’s the message from horrified Hindus, who called for the site to remove a commode cover hand-painted with the sacred image of Hindu deity Lord Ganesha.
The brightly colored “Bathroom Ganesha” shows the elephant god holding combs, mirrors and toothpaste in his many arms.
“Lord Ganesha was highly revered in Hinduism and was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrine . . . not to adorn a toilet,” said Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism in a press release.
The $85 item was reportedly described as a “perfect gift for a birthday, graduation or wedding.”
According to Zed’s press release, “Lord Ganesha is worshipped as the god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking” — which, one could argue, also suits bathroom business.
The seat was reportedly painted by upstate New York artist Debbie Hughes, who also sells toilet covers adorned with Ellen DeGeneres, Rocky Balboa, David Bowie and the crappy Buffalo Bills.
Zed — who said “symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled” — suggested that companies like Etsy send senior executives for sensitivity training to avoid more faith-based gaffes.
The Brooklyn-based Etsy must have heard Zed loud and clear, because the item appears to have been removed from the website.