Buddhist devotees whisper their New Year wishes into the ear of a giant rat in Thailand.

The bronze rodent is found at a ‘Ganesh’ shrine in the capital Bangkok, where followers have a mixture of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs.

Footage from today (Dec 29) shows how locals give offerings of brightly-coloured beaded necklaces to the statue before telling it their deepest desires and dreams.

It is believed that the animal then conveys the messages to its master, the elephant god Ganesh, also known as Ganesha, who brings good luck and wealth.
Many of the followers at the temple were making wishes for the coming year.

”Ganesh is connected with artists and business people, who are trying to create success,” said one the gurus at the temple.

Thailand is predominantly Buddhist but the country has a long history of Hindu beliefs from when it was part of the great Khmer Empire.

While in the Vaishnavism sect of Hinduism, the historic Buddha or Gautama Buddha, is considered to be an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu.

Many Thais are entwined with the mixture of the two religions.