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A gopuram or gopura (Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Malayalam: ഗോപുരം) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South Indian architecture of the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana, [1] and Sri Lanka.
Annamalaiyar Temple East Gopuram (Raja Gopuram) 216.5 [10] 9th century AD; gopuram 16th century Annamalaiyar Temple covers 10 hectares, and is one of the largest temples in India. It is surrounded by four large unpainted gopurams, one facing each cardinal direction. The eastern gopuram rises to 66m, and is called the Raja Gopuram. [12]
Yali in pillars at Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple. Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple was built by Pandyan Emperor Sadayavarman Kulasekaran I (1190 CE–1205 CE). He built the main portions of the three-storeyed Gopuram at the entrance of Sundareswarar Shrine and the central portion of the Goddess Meenakshi Shrine, which are some of the earliest surviving parts of the temple.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple dedicated to Maha Vishnu located in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, India has the largest temple compound in India and one of the largest religious complexes in the world. [ 8 ] [ 9 ] Some of these structures have been renovated, expanded and rebuilt over the centuries as a living temple.
The temple has nine gopurams, 80 vimanas, twelve temple walls, 13 halls, fifteen large temple water bodies, three gardens, and three large precincts. The major gopuram of the temple is seven-tiered and raises to a height of 36 m (118 ft). [15] The two main shrines of the temple are for Vanmikinathar and Thyagarajar.
The temple town lies on an islet formed by the rivers Kaveri and Kollidam. [4] The southern gopuram of the temple, called the Rajagopuram, is 239.5 feet tall and, as of 2016, is the tallest in Asia. The construction of the Rajagopuram began during the reign of Achyuta Deva Raya of the Vijayanagara empire.
[11] [12] [10] Many extant pieces of Sangam Tamil literature and poetry as well as later works of the 9th century of Tamil poet–saints like Nammalwar refer to the temple and the city as having walls of pure gold. [13] Both the temple and the entire city are often eulogised as being made of gold and the temple as heaven. [13] [14]
On 26 September 2010 (Big Temple's fifth day of millennium celebrations), as a recognition of Big Temple's contribution to the country's cultural, architectural, epigraphical history, a special ₹ 5 postage stamp featuring the 66 metres (216 ft) tall giant Raja Gopuram was released by India Post.