Sacred Sculptures and Rituals

Images of religious sculptures and rituals from various cultures, highlighting the rich symbolism and artistic expression in sacred traditions around the world.

Hand of Buddha statue, Wat Sri Chum, Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai, Thailand

South America, Peru, A family shrine to their ancestors in a house in the old part of Ollantaytambo combines Christian and traditional animistic beliefs

The Ramayana is a story as old as time and - at least in the Indian subcontinent and across much of Southeast Asia - of unparalleled popularity. More than two thousand three hundred years ago the scholar-poet Valmiki sat down to write his definitive epic of love and war. The poem Valmiki composed is styled the Ramayana, or 'Romance of Rama' in Sanskrit. In its present form, the Sanskrit version consists of some 24,000 couplets divided into seven books. The Ramakien is the Thai version of this epic and has an important influence on Thai literature, art and drama. It is regarded as the National Epic of Thailand. Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha); full official name Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. It is located within the precincts of the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace served as the official residence of the Kings of Thailand from the 18th century onwards. Construction of the Palace began in 1782, during the reign of Ki

detail of a wooden carved statue of an Indonesian garuda. The Garuda is a large mythical bird; bird-like creature; or humanoid bird that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology. Garuda is the mount (vahana) of the Lord Vishnu. Garuda is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila. The Brahminy kite and Phoenix are considered to be the contemporary representations of Garuda

The Jarai or Jarais are an ethnic group found in Vietnam's Central Highlands (mainly in Gia Lai and Kon Tum Provinces), as well as in Ratanakiri Province in northeast Cambodia. Traditional Jarai tombs are little huts in which the possessions of the deceased are placed. Around the tomb wooden pillars are topped by crude carvings, some of which represent spiritual guardians.

SPAIN - Rincón de Ademuz (district) - Valencia autonomous region - Valencia. Castielfabib (Rincón de Ademuz region); "volteo" "bellriding" at holy week festivity

Japanese tsukubai traditional sculpture of Japanese dragon near the temple entrance with flowing water, the place is used for wash hands before enter Copyright: xZoonar.com/YuryxZapx 9647725

Peru, Cuzco, decoration on house roof

Surma men, Ethiopia

Hindu pilgrimage Amar Nath Yatra - Kashmir

Statues at Khudro Nri-Goshthi Museum, Rangamati, Chittagong Division, Bangladesh.

Laos, Tribal People, Meo Tribe, Meo Shaman Named Chu Yao

10/31/2016. Seville. 10.31.16. Report from the cemetery on the occasion of All Souls' Day. Photo: JMSerrano. Archsev.

An Indian man walks by a wall painted with images of Hindu deities in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Japan, Izumo taisha, shinto shrine, sacred cord,

Gold-thread embroideries by master artist Tiao Nithakhong Somsanith, a descendant of Vang Na, in the line of Viceroys proceeding from the former Luang Prabang monarchy. In Laos, embroidery is a highly-regarded traditional art. Embroidery pieces are prized and used as royal regalia, bridal finery, and nuptial dowry.

Statue of reclining Buddha in a temple, Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar

Traditional hand made Balinese Masks depicting Hindu gods and spirits

Carved faces peer out from a temple in the Angkor Wat temple complex; Siem Reap, Cambodia

Artist's workshop. Wood carver creating a statue of Jesus. Ho Chi Minh city. Vietnam.

Buddhist faithful with wrinkled face

Africa, Namibia, Opuwo. Back of Himba child with traditional jewelry.

Canada, Nunavut, King William Island, Gjoa Haven. Nattlik Heritage Centre, interior. Igloo display.

The 'Hajrha Bhasan' ritual is part of the rural Bengal Gajan festival where at midnight (1:27 AM) a devoted monk would try to escape by jumping to the Jalangi river without safety according to the ritual and the rest of the monks would catch him and take him along the banks of the river and run straight to his destination in the split second. Tehatta, West Bengal, India.

Stand statue of Buddha near the brick wall of temple

The Flight into Egypt James Tissot (1836-1902 French)

Myanmar. Mt Popa. Rhesus macaque resting next to a temple guardian.

Benin, Zou County, Bagon Dovi-Cove, Costumes For The Ceremony Held In Honour Of For The Fetisher « Guelede »

Paris: Over 3,000 Cambodians celebrate Cambodian New Year, with offerings of insense, money, food and candles

Lantern set Egypt

the sandstone Buddha at Wat Dhammachakra Sema Ram in Sung Noen near the city of Khorat in the Province of Nakhon Ratchasima in the Region of Isan in Northeast Thailand in Thailand.

The Offering Sculptural Ensemble, Villa de Guadalupe, Mexico City, Mexico

Asia, China, Jiangsu Province, Suzhou. Buddhist monk reflected in Central Pond of Master of Nets Garden (MR)

Thailand, Khao Lak, Buddhist snake sculpture on a fountain

man making lord ganesh s idol from the root of white madar plant, india Copyright: xMxAmirtham/DinodiaxPhotox

Ganesh statue in a cave; Hampi, Karnataka, India

CRISTO EN MADERA. Location: PRIVATE COLLECTION. MADRID. SPANIEN.

Ruined hindu god statue at the temple of My Son Sanctuary in Quang Nam, Vietnam

Young man praying in Lalibela

The holy Mary Agyptiaca. (Lorenzo di Credi; 1458 Florence Florence-1537)

Man being tortured on a rack, lifelike characters, torture chamber of Loket Castle, Loket, Karlovy Vary Region, Bohemia, Czech Republic, Europe

Indigenous people at a fire place on the coast, depiction with figures, Diorama in the Hong Kong Museum of History, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China, Asia

Mali, Niger Inland Delta. Dwarfed by minarets, the imam of Kotaka Mosque calls the faithful to prayers from the roof of the mosque.

The Ramayana is a story as old as time and - at least in the Indian subcontinent and across much of Southeast Asia - of unparalleled popularity. More than two thousand three hundred years ago the scholar-poet Valmiki sat down to write his definitive epic of love and war. The poem Valmiki composed is styled the Ramayana, or 'Romance of Rama' in Sanskrit. In its present form, the Sanskrit version consists of some 24,000 couplets divided into seven books. The Ramakien is the Thai version of this epic and has an important influence on Thai literature, art and drama. It is regarded as the National Epic of Thailand. Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha); full official name Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. It is located within the precincts of the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace served as the official residence of the Kings of Thailand from the 18th century onwards. Construction of the Palace began in 1782, during the reign of Ki

Shwethalyaung Pagoda with Shwethalyaung Buddha, Pegu, Burma, Myanmar, Asia 1982

High angle view of figurines depicting a nativity scene

Mexico, Chiapas, Naha, Selva Lacandona, North America. Disappearing tribe the Mayan Indians hunt with bow and arrow.

Santuario de Fátima. Fátima, Portugal. Hoguera de exvotos.

Krampus Procession. Laives. Italy

Printing kente cloth, Kumasi, capital of the Ashanti kingdom, Ghana, West Africa, Africa

buddhas little statues many temple

Snake Deity, Maya Culture, Mexico. Artist: Unknown.

Sculptor making goddess Durga Kali sculpture using of clay for Durga Pooja preparation, Rajkot, Gujarat, India Copyright: xMadhusudanxManek/DinodiaxPhotox

El Tio, a satanic idol that miners in the mines in Potosi, Bolivia worship

CORO CANTANDO Y ORGANISTA EN UNA MISA. Location: CATEDRAL DE SANTA MARIA-INTERIOR. GERONA. SPAIN.

Europe, Italy, Venice, Carnivale masks

Africa, Namibia, Damaraland, Himba, Crafts, Carved wooden puppets

A royal procession, Benin, West Africa, 20th century. The Fon kingdom of Dahomey dominated the area that is now Benin from around 250 years until 1894. The king owned all the land, collected taxes from all crops produced and controlled all trade.

MALI, NEAR BANDIAGARA, DOGON COUNTRY, BANDIAGARA ESCARPMENT, IRELI DOGON VILLAGE

Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua. Tomb of St Anthony of Padua. Faithful people touching the grave. Padua. Italy.

Vietnam, Da Nang. Historic village of Hoi An, an important trading port from the 15th-19th century. Japanese Covered Bridge, c. 1593, shrine with dog. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mexico, Chiapas, Metzabok, Selva Lacandona. Lacandon Mayan indian sits below ancient sacred paintings

Town of Ushuaia on Tierra del Fuego in Patagonia. Facade of a tourist attraction with figures from the historical prison. South America, Argentina (Editorial Use Only)

BASILICA ROMANO CRISTIANA-PINTURAS. Location: SANTA EULALIA DE BOVEDA. BEGONTE. LUGO. SPANIEN.

Healing, calm and woman with healer, hands or mantra for inner peace, spiritual or gemstone for chakra. Meditation, shaman or sound therapy with Tibetan singing bowl, vibration or holistic for person

Thailand,Ayutthaya,Ayutthaya Historical Park,Person Taking Picture of Buddha Head in Wat Mahathat

Africa, West Africa, Togo, Voodoo Hospital. Close-up effegy encrusted with offerings in shrine to heal the mentally ill in Togo.

Mexico, Chiapas, Naha, Selva Lacandona, North America. Disappearing tribe the Mayan Indians hunt with bow and arrow.

Guide, Salt Mine, Wieliczka, Poland, Europe

Tibetan child and his grandmother in a Buddhist temple

Usa, Washington State, Seattle, Occidental Park With Totem Pole Tsonqua

French Polynesia, Society Islands, Raiatea. Village chief covered in traditional tattoos. (Editorial Use Only)

Mexico, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Day of the Dead Altar

Assam, India, Holi, The Festival of Colors, Colors of India

Detail of wall mural created by Croatian artist Maxo Vanka of 'Croatian Family At Table' in the sanctuary of St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church in Millvale, PA on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, PA.

sacrificio de pollos, zoco de Marrakech, Morocco, North Africa.

Dragon Water Fountain in Senjo-ji Kannon Temple in Asakusa - Tokyo, Japan Dragon Water Fountain in Senjo-ji Kannon Temple in Asakusa - Tokyo, Japan Copyright: xZoonar.com/BRUNOxSILVAx 22196121

Hamam Cinci Hamami (1645), Çarsi District, Safranbolu (UNESCO World Heritage), Central Anatolia, Turkey.

Shiva sadhu, holy man, rolling his penis on a wooden stick and twisting it for spiritual reasons, at the Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati, during Kumbha Mela festival, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

French Polynesia, Cook Islands, Rarotonga. Polynesian tattoo designs on a man's shoulder and arm.

A monk contemplates his feline friend in his cottage above Thimphu.

Hindu students touching a statue in Daulatabad fort, Maharashtra, India.

Serbian Orthodox priest Father Atanasije visits the grave of his mother. - May not be used in defamation towards Serbia.

Carmona Easter Holy Week Andalusia Spain

Native artist Tommy Joseph carves Tlingit artwork at the Sitka National Historic Park in Sitka, Alaska

31 / 03 / 2006; Kawasaki shi; Kanamara Festival, or the fertility festival its held at Kanamara shrine every march created in the Edo period to pray for sexual safety (specially against syphillis among Kawasakis prostitutes) now helps raise money for HIV and AIDs, japanese couples and gays and lebians joins the festival for a good fertility lucky year.

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