Wayside shrine

Imagine you are walking through your neighborhood and you come across a small house-like structure with a little roof and a statue or picture of a holy person inside. This is called a wayside shrine.

Long, long ago, people used to travel from place to place and they would often get tired, lost, or sick on the way. They would need a place to rest or pray for help, but there were no hospitals or hotels around. That's when the people in the community decided to build these little shrines along the roads to help those who were travelling.

It was a nice way to show kindness to strangers and to honor holy people like saints, who helped people in need. People visiting the shrine would stop, say a prayer, maybe leave a flower or a coin as a sign of respect. The shrines became a special place for people to come together and find comfort, especially on long and sometimes dangerous journeys.

Today, many of these wayside shrines can be seen in different parts of the world. They might not be as popular as they were before, but they still remind us to be kind, helpful and respect religion, and offer a little bit of light and hope to those who need it.