A lone warabe Jizo statue standing serenely amidst the verdant moss and foliage near Sanzen-in Temple in Ohara, Kyoto, Honshu, Japan

Terracotta horses, each a votive offering to village guardian deity, Ayyanar, at the Solai Andavar shrine, Palathur, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

Spring cherry blossoms and Jizo statues, guardian deities of children, Zojoji Temple, Tokyo, Japan, Asia

Terracotta horses, each a votive offering to village guardian deity, Ayyanar, at the Solai Andavar shrine, Palathur, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

Giant statue of the Buddha and guardian, Koh Samui, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Entrance to Huyen Khong cave, protective deities, guardian figures, Marble Mountains, Ngu Hanh Son, Thuy Son, Da Nang, Vietnam, Asia

Statue of Hermes, patron god of travellers and merchants, Romanushaus, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, Europe

Guardian figure, patron deity, Huyen Khong Grotto, Marble Mountains, Ngu Hanh Son, Thuy Son, Da Nang, Vietnam, Asia

Guardian figure, patron deity, Huyen Khong cave, Marble Mountains or Ngu Hanh Son, Thuy Son, Da Nang, Vietnam, Asia

Tutelary deity, guardian figure, Phuoc Duyen Tower, Thien Mu Pagoda, Pagoda of the Heavenly Woman, Hue, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vietnam, Asia

Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan with Yaksha Guardian Statues at the entrance to Ordination Hall, illuminated at dusk, Bangkok, Bangkok Yai District, Thailand

Ankor Wat, a 12th century historic Khmer temple and UNESCO world heritage site. Busts and statues of deities and guardian figures along a path to a stupa and entrance arch, Angkor Wat, Cambodia