Ashtalakshmi Temple, Chennai

The Ashtalakshmi Temple in Chennai is dedicated to the eight forms of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity. Each form stands for a different kind of abundance, and devotees move from one to the next, praying to the form linked with the part of life they want help with.

The building combines traditional South Indian temple design with modern touches, and its walls and ceilings carry detailed carvings and bright murals. Its main sanctum holds idols of all eight forms of the goddess together, an arrangement found in only a handful of temples in India.