Antique Indian Hand Carved Stone Wall Shrine

Antique Indian hand carved stone temple wall niche. Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. 19th century or earlier. Sandstone and layered light lilac paint. Traces of black soot from the burning of votive candles or oil lamps.

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 inside of this niche holds many layers of lilac coloured weathered plaint. In the desert cities of Jaipur and Jodhpur, blue and lilac are considered cooling colours and are believed to repel mosquitoes.

One of our largest pieces, with a lovely deep niche, 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 14 cm

Inside dimensions of useable space inside niche - height 11.5 cm at back, 12 cm at front, width 11.5 cm, depth 8 cm

Note that this piece leans back significantly, and while it stands alone comfortably, it could do with levelling or propping up at the rear edge.