Ryan McCourt's sculptures, which have been on display for 10 months, were put up at the Shaw Conference Centre under a corporate-municipal-non-profit partnership programme.

A petition signed by 16 Hindu community leaders and priests, which was delivered on Tuesday to the office of Mayor Stephen Mandel, complained that the sculptures are "a disrespectful treatment of a most beloved and cherished Hindu god." A sculpture depicting an infant Ganesha, decapitated and in the nude, had particularly offended the protestors.

"We are not trying to censor," said Aran Veylan, a spokesman for the petitioners.  "There are private galleries out there for artists. But this art is public and it is supported with tax dollars, so there's a tacit endorsement of this art, which was done in error."

The artist, however, is unrepentant. "I'm so offended by these people who are telling me what Ganesha is," McCourt told the local media. He said that Indian culture is rich with erotic art and according to ancient texts, Lord Ganesha acquired his elephant head after being decapitated by Lord Shiva [Images].

"Erotic art on temple walls or even in the Kama Sutra stands within a spiritual context," Veylan said. "But McCourt's expression stands outside the Hindu tradition," he added.