I was fascinated by the Christian way-side shrines scattered along the roads in Kerala on my last trip there about 4 years ago. This time I took a number of photos to see how each was different. Some of them strangely resemble Islamic minarets, and are also reminiscent of Hindu road-side temples - quite 
a concoction. They are usually three to four-story brick and concrete structures exhibit amongst others, statues of Jesus, St. Francis, St. Sebastian, St. George, The Virgin Mary and Joseph protected by a glass casing or grills. Some designs are amazingly modern such as this Pieta, some have Gothic references. I wonder what the origin of these structures is. Or is this a purely an Indian invention? An interesting inversion is that some Hindu gods are now displayed in a similar fashion, albeit on a smaller scale.
I also find an interesting parallel between fast-food and these wayside shrines (both Hindu and Christian for that matter.) Just as you drive by a McDonalds for a burger or fries to fill you stomach, during one's hectic day you can easily get a little bit of prayer in on the way home or to work, to satiate your soul.
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