Shrines in India

Everywhere I went in India there were shrines, not only Hindu ones but also Christian with pictures of Jesus hung up etc. There were usually flowers and insense as well as candles next to a picture (painting) or statue of the sacred thing of worship. I am really insterested in this because for my make-believe animal I want to reflect Homo sapien dominance (or their relationship with) the make believe animal. Animal worship is a huge part of Homo sapien history and relevent today particularly in the Hindu faith! These shrines were amazing to see, particularly as people in England rarely make such an obvious attempt at depicting their faith, particularly in their businesses! I will be creating my own shrine to depict my make believe animal using the Indian ones I saw on my trip as inspiration. Below are a few photographs of some of the shrines or flower garnishes I saw no matter how posh or random the place was... 

A flower garnish in Fabindia by the till. 

A Ganesha sculpture at the entrance of a really posh hotel at the 'tip of India'. Ganesha (Elephant) is known as the gate keeper. 

Ganesh, known for protecting entrances, is a bit like the gargoyles seen outside buildings but this animal headed god is so much more. Here he has been placed/built into a wall and covered with flower garlands. 

Here is an example of the shrines found in a normal shop. This was in an Indian sweet desert shop at the Tamil Nadu border. 

Sometimes the shrines also include photographs of respected or deceased family members. This is all to show respect and constant attention to family and religion which is a huge part of the Indian culture; this is not as obviously prevalent in English culture. Personally I think its a really beautiful way to commemorate them. 

This is in the corner of the sculpture shop that I mentioned in the last blog post. This shrine was really good because the white walls show the marks from the incense and oils that are used in the shrine.

This Ganesha was on the bar top of a restaurant. 

This flower display was actually for Diwali but it was so beautiful and nice to see these all around the homes and local businesses in Kovalam.

I am not sure what these were for, or even if they were just for an unreligious and just decorative purpose, but I included it here because of the scary weird monster/dog face hanging in the middle. This is an example of how animals have been used to add something to the shop - either to draw customers in or warn trespassers against it!