Ganesha might be the all-powerful Hindu god but his spiritual prowess was no match for Thailand's notorious overhead cables - his crown was firmly stuck on the wires.

The 12 hight elephant deity - worshipped as the remover of obstacles - was being paraded at the Ganesh Chaturthi festival last Sunday (22/09) in Bangkok, Thailand.

But on the way out of the Wat Dan temple the Hindu god's lauded golden crown snagged on a mess of thick black cables and held up the celebrations for more than five minutes.

Worshippers standing on tip-toes and using long wooden poles eventually freed the elephant so the flat-bed truck could continue on its pilgrimage, to the relief and cheers of the assembled worshippers.

Onlooker Thida Manuson, 26, said: ''I'm surprised they hadn't planned the route a bit more carefully and thought about how tall the statue was.

''Ganesh made it though in the end so everybody was happy. But it didn't look safe the way they were standing on the float and using big sticks to push away the cables.

''There had also been a problem inside the temple with the elephant getting caught on a banner and someone had to stand on a step ladder. It's lucky that Ganesh wasn't knocked over, but I suppose he's too strong for that. After all, he can make miracles happen so a few cables shouldn't keep him back for too long.''

The problem of hanging cables in developing countries was highlighted by Microsoft boss Bill Gates in June 2016 who said of them that ''people have illegally tapped into the grid on their own to get the power they need—at great personal risk''.