Gods Belong on the Walls

Gods Belong on the Walls explores a unique practice in Hinduism: the placement of divine figures, tiles, or shrines on walls and pavements in India. These installations serve multiple purposes beyond worship, acting as deterrents to public mischief like spitting or urinating, symbolizing divine guardianship of both physical and bad behaviour. However, this practice goes beyond just its practical usefulness—it reflects deep cultural beliefs in the protective power of the divine.



This phenomenon represents Hinduism's inclusive nature, promoting values of tolerance, love, and shared heritage that transcend societal boundaries. Yet, these symbols also expose the tensions within contemporary India, where religious identity is increasingly politicized. The varied conditions of these installations from well-maintained to neglected, broken figures, mirror the social inequalities and divisions that persist amidst growing religious and political polarization.



Through this series, I invite viewers to confront these contradictions. The images juxtapose divine symbols that have beautiful deeper meanings of love and prosperity with harsh realities of violence and division, sparking introspection about religion’s role in modern India. This work critiques not the faith or the religion itself but those who exploit it for power or claim to represent its "true" values.



Ultimately, the series emphasizes the enduring influence of religion in Indian society. These installations are poignant symbols of unity and division, raising broader questions about identity, coexistence, and the interplay of faith with societal structures. In a country where the gods are omnipresent literally through these symbols and faith yet fragmented along partisan lines, the project challenges us to reevaluate the role of religion in shaping collective humanity and to ask ourselves, are these symbols above humanity and prosperity?