Ganesha's vahana is a rat and though he is usually depicted either riding it or accompanied by it, he is in this life-sized model seen as the passenger of his chariot pulled by rats and with a rat as charioteer. When riding his mount, Ganesha is also referred to as Akhuratha.

This epithet literally means ‘rat-chariot’ or ‘mouse-chariot’, yet it is usually translated as ‘one who has a mouse (or rat) as his charioteer’ (fig.).