Antique Indian Hand Carved Stone Wall Shrine

Antique Indian hand carved stone temple wall niche. Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. 19th century or earlier. Pink sandstone, remnants of layered blue and cream paint.

These small shrines or temples are typically found embedded in the garden walls of large estate houses, palaces and havellis. They were used to house small deity statues or other venerated objects. An oil or butter lamp was often placed in front of the statue, or  small offerings of rice, puja colour and flowers.

The front face of this temple holds layers of blue and cream weathered plaint. In the desert cities of Jaipur and Jodhpur, blue is considered a cooling colour and is believed to repel mosquitoes.

Our wall temple would make a lovely interior design piece and would look equally beautiful in a garden or on a terrace. The plain and simple decoration of this shrine also means that it will not overshadow objects displayed inside. It is also suitable for venerable objects from different cultures because it does not immediately identify (for example) as Hindu or Buddhist.

No two of these antique stone shrines are identical. However, we have seen several similar items sell on sites such as 1st Dibs for over AU$600 each.

Measurements:

Outside dimensions - height 24 cm, width 22 cm, depth 12 cm

Inside dimensions of useable space inside niche - height 7 cm at back, 12 cm at front, width 12 cm, depth 5.5 cm