Maha Devi Temple, Bangkok, Thailand

If you are ever walking down Silom Road, Bangkok's financial center, be ready for a shock. Sharing the street with major corporation headquarters is the wonderful Uma Devi Temple. Prepared to be overwhelmed by the clouds of incense smoke and scent of fragrant flowers used as offerings to the Hindu deities. If you are around in October, you may get trampled by the crowd as they parade holy images from the temple around the streets of the Thai capital.

This is an image of Maha Uma Devi, to whom the temple is dedicated, and her likeness adorns the roof of the temple. It is believed that as Lord Shiva's consort, she has three different forms as the goddesses Durga, Kali, and Parvati. When they appear combined as one, such as in the image above, she is considered the Hindu Goddess of Mercy. This Temple is also known as Maha Devi Temple, or more commonly as Wat Khaek, which simply means "Indian Temple."