At the festival of the ancient Mexican sun god Huitzilopochtli, the statue of the god, which was made from beetroot paste and kneaded in human blood and which was identified with the god, was divided into pieces, shared out among the devotees, and eaten.
Ancient Hindu artists were never supposed to sign their names on their work, and temple artists, when creating statues of gods, are always supposed to leave a deliberate imperfection to show that they cannot really represent God.
No clearly identifiable cult statues of gods or goddesses have yet been found.
At the Greco-Roman ruins of Cyrene, almost all the statues of gods have been disfigured.
Statues of gods are not intended to imitate ideal human forms but to express the supernatural.
Statues of gods and royals were modified, sometimes beyond recognition, by successive rulers.
Searchers have found bags of gold coins, diamonds and other jewels and solid-gold statues of gods and goddesses.
As we approach our final stop, Worli Fort, a priest is waving smoke over statues of gods and drums bang.
Exquisitely dressed statues of gods and goddesses line its walls, and during services, music from drums, tambourines, harmonium and brass bells fills the air.
Statues of gods and warriors are preponderant — as are animals, which compose a marvellous bestiary that ranges from hieratic snakes and jaguars to an enormous stone flea.
