Statue of Hindu deity with pilgrims walking 272 steps up to Batu Caves during Hindu Thaipusam Festival, Sri Subramaniyar Swami Temple, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Shiva Mandir temple, Bengaluru (Bangalore), Karnataka state, India, Asia

Local woman praying and meditating in front of offerings in Buddhist temple, Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Ema votive offerings, Fushimi Inari shrine, Kyoto, Japan, Asia

Small torii votive offerings, Fushimi Inari shrine, Kyoto, Japan, Asia

Small torii votive offerings, Fushimi Inari shrine, Kyoto, Japan, Asia

Shrine, Pak Tai Temple, Stanley, Hong Kong, China, Asia

Ong Bon Pagoda in Cholon (Chinatown), Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Heart-shaped ema votive offerings, Kamigamo shrine, Kyoto, Japan, Asia

Pilgrims throwing offerings into holy fire during the Hindu Thaipusam Festival at Sri Subramaniyar Swami Temple, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Buddhist Todai-ji Temple, image of Binzuru - touching it is supposed to cure illness, Nara, Japan

Hindus praying and giving offerings to a giant statue of Vishnu, the only image of this God in NepalBudhanilkantha, near Katmandu, Nepal

Peace Park, Nagasaki, Kyushu Region, Japan, Asia

Votives (Ema prayer tablets) at Toshogu Shrine in Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan, Asia

Horyu-ji Temple Pagoda, Nara, Kansai, Japan

Small torii votive offerings, Fushimi Inari shrine, Kyoto, Japan, Asia

Peace Statue by Seibo Kitamura in the Peace Park, Nagasaki, Kyushu Region, Japan, Asia

Woman with offerings in Highgate Hill Hindu temple, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Buddha statue in earth-touching pose, with offerings, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Atomic Bomb Hypocenter (detonation point), Nagasaki, Kyushu Region, Japan, Asia

Huge incense spirals which burn for hours, Phung Son Tu Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

A boy places offerings to the Buddha, Shwedagon Paya (Shwe Dagon pagoda), Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma), Asia

Coloured fabric tied around trees, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Sake barrels with traditional paintings, at Itsukushima Shrine, Shinto temple, on Miyajima Island, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hiroshima Prefecture, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Sake barrels with traditional paintings, at Itsukushima Shrine, Shinto temple, on Miyajima Island, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hiroshima Prefecture, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Japanese Jizo statue on Miyajima Island, Hiroshima Prefecture, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Hundreds of Jizo in rows, Buddha statues, Zen Buddhism, Yoshino, Nara, Honshu, Japan, Asia

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

Angkor Wat, UNESCO World Heritage Site, a Hindu-Buddhist temple complex near Siem Reap, Cambodia, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Small shrine with money offerings along the Kumano Kodo ancient pilgrimage route near Hongu, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Mother Spirit of Popa Nat Shrine with 37 nat figures, Mount Popa, near Bagan, Central Myanmar, Myanmar (Burma), Asia

A religious offering of colorful petals, paints, powders, and more near a shrine in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Asia

Prayers for the deceased, Funeral ceremony in a Buddhist family, Tan Chau, Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Temple shrine to Shakti, the sun god, daubed by pilgrims with red powder, tree tied with numerous holy Hindu strings, and offerings, Sri Mahabhairab Mandir, Tezpur, Assam, India, Asia

Four-faced towers in Prasat Bayon, Angkor Thom, Angkor, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Little shrine in a volcanic landscape and autumnal colors, Osorezan Bodaiji Temple, Mutsu, Aomori prefecture, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Vishnu shrines with offering placed, Tiruchirappali, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

Vishnu shrines with offering placed, Tiruchirappali, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

Buddha statues, Ayuthaya, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Vishnu shrines with offering placed, Tiruchirappali, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

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

Temple shrine to Ganesh, the elephant god, daubed by pilgrims with red powder, at the entrance to Sri Mahabhairab Mandir, Tezpur, Assam, India, Asia

Christian shrine in wooden box on a street wall, with candle, marigolds and offerings, Colaba back street, Mumbai, India, Asia

Temple shrine to Shakti, the sun god, daubed by pilgrims with red powder, tree tied with numerous holy Hindu strings, and offerings, Sri Mahabhairab Mandir, Tezpur, Assam, India, Asia

Buddhist shrine, Bangkok, Thailand, Asia

China altar with candles in a temple in a village in yunnan province

Big Buddha, Koh Samui, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Formerly built to re-house the spirit from the ficus tree, donations of phallic symbols have resulted in the shrine being dedicated to fertility, Chao Mae Tuptim (Shrine of the Goddess Tuptim), Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Elders' altar, Tu An pagoda, Bonneville, Haute Savoie, France, Europe

Formerly built to re-house the spirit from the ficus tree, donations of phallic symbols have resulted in the shrine being dedicated to fertility, Chao Mae Tuptim (Shrine of the Goddess Tuptim), Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Formerly built to re-house the spirit from the ficus tree, donations of phallic symbols have resulted in the shrine being dedicated to fertility, Chao Mae Tuptim (Shrine of the Goddess Tuptim), Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Formerly built to re-house the spirit from the ficus tree, donations of phallic symbols have resulted in the shrine being dedicated to fertility, Chao Mae Tuptim (Shrine of the Goddess Tuptim), Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Women leaving offerings at Buddhist shrine, Swayambhunath Stupa (Monkey Temple), UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Great vow shrine, Fo Guang Shan temple, the biggest Buddhist temple in Europe, Bussy St. George, Seine et Marne, France, Europe

Offerings of kagami-mochi (mirror rice cakes) at the Meiji Jingu shrine in Tokyo, Japan, Asia

Ancestors' Hall, Kun Iam Temple, Macau, China, Asia

Woman giving offerings at a shrine, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Japan, Tokyo, Asakusa Shinto Shrine, Tori No Ichi (New Year Festival), Arrows Offerings

Cambodia woman praying in front of statue in front of a catholic church, at a vietnamese-cambodia community in kampong cham long

Japan, Kyoto, Shinto Shrine, Offerings Device, Papers Offerings

Erawan Shrine, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Man praying at Erawan Shrine, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

School girls make an offering at a Hindu temple in Durbar Square, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Man praying at Erawan Shrine, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

People praying and making offerings at the Erawan Shrine, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

A typical small temple close to the Jim Thompson house, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Japan, Kyoto, Shinto Shrine, Offerings (O-Mikuji) To The Gods

A Hindu shrine in Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Erawan Shrine with offerings in foreground, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia

Wax body parts votive offerings at the Lourdes Grotto in the Convent of the Concepcionistas, a 1925 scale reproduction of the French grotto. Viveiro, Lugo Province, Galicia, Spain, Europe Galicia, Spain, Europe

Wishing plates at Fushimi Inari-Taisha sanctuary,Kyoto, Japan

Wishing plates at Fushimi Inari-Taisha sanctuary,Kyoto, Japan

Religious statue and donation at Popa Taung Kalat Temple, Mount Popa, near Bagan, Myanmar, (Burma)

Bamboo to hold, at its top, baskets with offerings, in Panch Ganga Ghat, Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Reclining Buddha, Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda, Yangon, (Rangoon), Myanmar, (Burma)

Monk blessing women, in Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), also called Wat Bangmakok Noek, Bangkok, Thailand

Invocations to the fortune at Fushimi Inari-Taisha sanctuary,Kyoto, Japan

Wishing plates at Fushimi Inari-Taisha sanctuary,Kyoto, Japan

Reclining Buddha, Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda, Yangon, (Rangoon), Myanmar, (Burma)

seller of religious offerings, souvenirs and wardrobe for shoes, entry to Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, Delhi, India

Replica of the grotto at the Lady of the Lourdes shrine in the Convent of the Concepcionistas. Viveiro, Lugo, Galicia, Spain, Europe

Donation to monks, Wat Suan Dok temple, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Offerings, in Wat Suan Dok, Chiang Mai, Thailand

The Daibutsu (bronze Great Buddha). Kotoku-in Temple, Kamakura, Japan

Wat Si Chum, in Sukhothai historical park, Sukhothai, Thailand

Deity and offerings, in Wat Phan Tao temple, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Offerings, in Wat Suan Dok, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Monks, religious ceremony, in Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), also called Wat Bangmakok Noek, Bangkok, Thailand

Persons praying, Monks statue, in Wat Phra Singh temple, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Believers praying, in Wat Phra Singh temple, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Shrine next to Thousand stone steps stairway, Buddha statue, candles and incense in stone altar, Buddhist Island of Putuo Shan near Shanghai, Zhejiang Province, East China Sea, China, Asia

Prayers and offering from religious followers, Azure Clouds Temple, Mount Tai, Tai Shan, Shandong province, World Heritage, UNESCO, China

A LAotian-American female monk with shaved head makes an offering of rice during worship as the Laotian American community celebrates the Buddhist new year by gathering at a property in suburban East Hartford Connecticut on April 28, 2007. Several shrines are set up on the property. The celebrants leave offerings of food, flowers and money, pray, dance, and feast for a day. Immigrants from Laos, including the Hmong people, are refugees from the Vietnam War era, when they helped United States in the war.

Day Of The Dead Celebrations, Oaxaca, Mexico

Worshiper at Thien Hau Temple; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Shrine at Angkor Wat Temple; Siem Reap, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Bayon Temple in the Angkor Wat complex; Siem Reap, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Thien Hau Temple; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Thien Hau Temple; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Thanksgiving plaques on a shrine at the Difunta Correa Sanctuary, Vallecito, San Juan, Argentina. La Difunta Correa is the most popular of Argentina's folk saints. She was a woman whose husband was forcibly recruited around the year 1840, during the Argentine civil wars. Becoming sick, he was then abandoned by partisans. In an attempt to reach her sick husband, Deolinda took her baby and followed the tracks of the partisans through the desert of San Juan Province. When her supplies ran out, she died. Her body was found days later by gauchos, however they found the baby still alive, feeding from the deceased woman's miraculously ever-full breast. Once the folk tale became known, her devout followers believe her to perform miracles and intercede for the living. Cattle keepers and truck drivers create small altars throughout Argentina and leave bottles of water as votive offerings.