Once upon a time there was a demon by the name of Analasura living on earth. He breathed fire from his mouth and would cause havoc everywhere. Wherever he went, people would flee and Analasura would destroy everything that remained. This trouble spread to all the 3 realms and soon the gods were at a loss as to what was to be done. The gods and sages then went to Ganesha for help.
Ganesha smiled and said that he would take care of the problem for them in no time. As Analasura was spreading fire and destruction on earth, Ganesha manifested in front of him. Analasura took a weapon and hurled it towards Ganesha. He then took a weapon and hurled it towards Analasura. Both their weapons clashed midway and destroyed each other. Gajasura was beginning to grow frustrated and he drew out all sorts of weapons and attacked Ganesha with it. Ganesha demonstrated his skill as a warrior and he either dodged or tackled the weapons with expert skill. Now it was Ganesha’s turn and when he retaliated, he thrashed Analasura black and blue with his bare fists and feet. Analasura was on the verge of defeat when he too started to beat Ganesha. A huge fight erupted and all the 3 realms shook with their violence.
Finally Ganesha grew vexed and he grew very large in size. He then picked up Analasura like a toy and swallowed him. But Analasura’s heat spread through the entire body of Ganesha and so he was emanating heat at a very high level. The gods and sages tried to pour water, keep ice and do all sorts of things to reduce the heat, but it was of no use. Finally, one of the sages suggested the use of Darbha grass. So Darbha grass was obtained and placed around Ganesha’s neck and on his head. This immediately cooled Ganesha down and he was normal once again. To this day, the practice continues where a garland made of Darbha grass is placed on a statue of Ganesha in homes and temples.