ABSTRACT
The most common icons found in almost every Muslim household are the images of two famed Arab shrines, the Ka'ba, a cubical structure draped in black and situated in Mecca, and the Gumbad-e khizra, the green dome in Medina over the mausoleum of Prophet Muhammad. Even if the theme of an image is localised, the iconic Mecca and Medina are often inserted in the top corners. The objects and memories brought by Indian pilgrims returning from Arabia could certainly have been a significant vehicle for the arrival of Mecca's image in the country. Many calendars combine the image of Mecca and Medina with local themes, such as native Sufi shrines, talisman designs, Karbala folklore, calligraphy, and stereotypical images of praying women and babies drawn next to the picture of the Ka'ba and the dome at Medina. Thus, with time, the multiple local interpretations of Mecca’s image of the past are getting as sanitised as the shrines themselves in Saudi Arabia.
