https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=GopuramGopuram - Revision history2026-07-31T06:51:33ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Gopuram&diff=119013&oldid=prev>Saket789 at 09:18, 29 June 20212021-06-29T09:18:17Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{italic title}}<br />
{{short description|Monumental gateway tower to Hindu temple complexes}}<br />
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{{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}}<br />
[[File:Sri Maha Mariamman Koyil Bangkok (Wat Khaek Silom) 2019 03.jpg|thumb|Gopuram of [[Mariamman Temple, Bangkok|Sri Mahamariamman Temple]], a [[South Indian]] [[Koyil]] in [[Bangkok]]]]<br />
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A '''''gopuram''''' or '''''gopura''''' ({{lang-sa|गोपुरम्}}, {{IAST|gopuram}}, [[Tamil language|Tamil]]: கோபுரம், [[Malayalam]]: ഗോപുരം, [[Kannada]]: ಗೋಪುರ, [[Telugu language|Telugu]]: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the [[Entrance Hall|entrance]] of a [[Hindu temple]], in the [[Dravidian architecture]] of the [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Kerala]], [[Karnataka]], and [[Telangana]] states of [[Southern India]].<ref name=britgopuram/><br />
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Ancient and early medieval temples feature smaller ''gopuram'', while in later temples they are a prominent feature of [[Hindu temple architecture|Hindu temples]] of the [[Tamil architecture|Dravidian style]];<ref name=ching2>{{cite book| first= Francis D.K.| last= Ching| year= 2007| title= A Global History of Architecture| publisher= John Wiley and Sons| location= New York| isbn= 978-0-471-26892-5| page= [https://archive.org/details/globalhistoryofa0000chin/page/762 762]| display-authors= etal| url= https://archive.org/details/globalhistoryofa0000chin/page/762}}</ref> or in many cases the temple compound was expanded and new larger gopuram built along the new boundary. They are topped by the ''[[kalasam]]'', a bulbous stone [[finial]]. They function as gateways through the walls that surround the temple complex.<ref name=ching>{{cite book| first=Francis D.K.| last= Ching| year= 1995| title= A Visual Dictionary of Architecture| publisher=John Wiley and Sons| location=New York| isbn= 0-471-28451-3| page= 253}}</ref> Another towering structure located towards the center of the temple is the [[Vimana (architectural feature)|Vimanam]]. Both of them are designed and constructed as per rules given in the texts of [[Vaastu Shastra|Vaastu shastra]].<ref name="Ananth">{{cite book |last1=Ananth |first1=Sashikala |title=Penguin Guide to Vaastu: The Classical Indian Science of Architecture and Design |date=1 January 2000 |publisher=Penguin |location=Mumbai |isbn=014027863X |edition=2 }}</ref><br />
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The gopuram's origins can be traced back to early structures of the [[Pallavas|Pallava]] kings, and relate to the central [[shikhara]] towers of North India. Between the twelfth and sixteenth century, during the [[Pandya]], [[Nayaka dynasties|Nayaka]] and [[Vijayanagara Empire|Vijayanagara]] era when Hindu temples increasingly became a hub of the urban life, these gateways became a dominant feature of a temple's outer appearance, eventually overshadowing the inner sanctuary which became obscured from view by the gopuram's colossal size and courtyards.<ref name=mitchell>{{cite book| last = Michell<br />
| first =George| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=ajgImLs62gwC | title = The Hindu Temple| publisher =University of Chicago Press| year =1988| location =Chicago| pages = 151&ndash;153| isbn = 0-226-53230-5}}</ref> It also dominated the inner sanctum in amount of ornamentation. Often a shrine has more than one gopuram.<ref name=britgopuram>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9037402/gopura|title=gopura|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2008-01-20}}</ref> They also appear in architecture outside India, especially [[Khmer architecture]], as at [[Angkor Wat]].<br />
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A large Dravidian-style temple, or koil, may have multiple gopurams as the openings into successively smaller walled enclosures around the main shrine, with the largest generally at the outer edges. The temple compound is typically square or rectangular with at least the outermost wall having gopuras, often from the four cardinal directions. The multiple storeys of a gopuram typically repeat the lower level features on a rhythmic diminishing scale.<ref name=mitchell/> The inner sanctum and its towering roof (the central deity's shrine) is also called the ''[[Vimana (architectural feature)|Vimanam]]'', although in the south it is typically smaller than the gopurams in large temples.<br />
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==Etymology==<br />
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| image1 = 1834 sketch of elements in Hindu temple architecture, single storey gopura.jpg<br />
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| image2 = 1834 sketch of elements in Hindu temple architecture, two storey gopura.jpg<br />
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| footer = A gopura is a monumental gate, usually ornate with odd number of ''kalasa'' on top. It may have one or many storeys. Left: Single storey gopura; Right: Two storey gopura.<br />
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The [[Tamil language|Tamil]] derivation is from the two words: கோ (kō) and புறம் (puram) meaning 'king' and 'exterior' respectively.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sellby |first1=Martha A. |title=Tamil geographies: cultural constructions of space and place in South India |year=2008 |publisher=SUNY Press |author2=Indira Viswanathan Peterson}}</ref> It originates from the [[Sangam age]] when it was known as ஓங்கு நிலை வாயில் (ōnggu nilai vāyil) meaning 'imperishable gateway'.<ref>{{cite book|last=S. Sundararajan|title=Ancient Tamil country: its social and economic structure|year=1991|publisher=Navrang}}</ref><br />
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The [[Telugu language|Telugu]] derivation is from the two words : కోపు (Kōpu) and అరం (Araṁ) meaning "Top" and "to exist".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Vaachaspathy|url=http://archive.org/details/bangaru-nanelu|title=Bangaru Nanelu|date=2020-11-09}}</ref><br />
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An alternative derivation is from the [[Sanskrit]] word ''gopuram'', which can be broken down to ''go'' ({{lang-sa|गो}}), which means either 'a city' or 'a cow', and ''[[Pur (Vedic)|puram]]'' ({{lang-sa|पुरम्}}), 'a town', or 'a settlement'.<ref>{{cite book |author = {{nobr|Lienhard S.}}, {{nobr|von Hinèuber O.}} |title = Kleine Schriften: Supplement |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=QUYLAQAAMAAJ |publisher = Harrassowitz Verlag |year = 2007 |pages = 414 |language = fr |isbn = 9783447056199}}</ref><br />
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Dr. Sthapati explains the meaning of the words gopuram and vimanam thus. Vimanam means measure, indicating the number of measures made in the construction and design of that structure. Gopuram consist of two words, gawa and puram, meaning the place from which all the energy that exists in all living beings comes inside.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sthapati |first1=Dr. V |title=Lecture at Brihadeeshwara temple (part 2) |url=http://www.youtube.com |website=You tube}}</ref><br />
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==Architecture==<br />
[[File:Gopuram Madras.jpg|thumb|Detail of a gopuram at [[Chennai]]]]<br />
A gopuram is usually a tapering [[Rectangle|oblong]] in form with ground-level wooden doors, often richly decorated, providing access. Above is the tapering or [[Batter (walls)|"battered"]] gopuram, divided into many storeys (''[[Tala (Hindu architecture)|talas]]''), which diminish in size as the gopuram tower narrows. Usually the tower is topped with a [[barrel vault]]ed roof with a finial.<ref name=mitchell/> The form began rather modestly in the 10th century, as at [[Shore Temple]], [[Mamallapuram]], with the 11th century [[Brihadeeswarar Temple]] in [[Thanjavur]] marking a crucial step forward with two multi-storey gopurams from that period, much larger than any earlier ones, though much smaller than the main tower (vimanam) of the temple. The four gopurams of the [[Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram]] are important early examples, begun in the mid-13th century but completed over a longer period.<ref>Harle, 320-325</ref> Gopurams are exquisitely decorated with sculpture and carvings and painted with a variety of themes derived from the [[Hindu mythology]], particularly those associated with the presiding [[deity]] of the temple where the gopuram is located.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}<br />
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The two tallest gopuras are both modern, at least in part. The [[Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam]], [[Tamil Nadu]], has 21 ''[[gopurams]]'' (tower gateways), including the towering {{convert|239.5|ft|m|adj=on}} ''Rajagopuram'' (shrine of the main gateway), which is claimed as the tallest temple tower in Asia. The {{convert|73|m|ft|adj=on}}-tall 13-tiered ''Rajagopuram'' was completed in 1987 and dominates the landscape for kilometers around, while the remaining 20 gopurams were built between the 14th and 17th centuries.<ref>[https://srirangam.org/towers/ "Towers" on temple website]; [http://tamilwebworld.in/tallest-temple-tamil-nadu-odisha/ Tamilwebworld]</ref> Competing for the title of "tallest" is the twenty storey {{convert|249|ft|m|adj=on}} gopura at the modern [[Murdeshwar]] Temple, which, unusually, is provided with a [[elevator|lift]].<ref>[http://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay.aspx?newsID=45696 "Murudeshwar Temple Now Tallest Gopuram in Asia", April 2008]</ref><br />
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<gallery mode="packed" heights="149" perrow="5"><br />
File:Sri Kailasanathar Temple gopuram in Tharamangalam, Tamil Nadu, India.jpg|Sri Kailasanathar Temple gopuram in Tharamangalam, Tamil Nadu, India<br />
File:Nataraja Temple gopuram artwork in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu.jpg|Nataraja Temple gopuram artwork in [[Chidambaram]], Tamil Nadu<br />
File:Thiruvannamalai Annamalaiyar Temple Gopurams.jpg|Thiruvannamalai Annamalaiyar Temple Gopurams<br />
File:View over Arunchaleshvara Temple from the Red Mountain - Tiruvannamalai - India 01.JPG|[[Annamalaiyar Temple]], [[Thiruvannamalai]]<br />
File:Murdeshwar temple gopuram.jpg|[[Murdeshwar]]<br />
File:Srirangam Temple Gopuram (767010404).jpg|[[Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam]]<br />
File:Andal Temple.jpg|[[Srivilliputhur]]<br />
File:Pariyur.jpg|[[Pariyur]]<br />
File:Vadakkumnathan Temple.jpg|[[Thrissur Vadakkunnathan Temple|Vadakkunnathan]], [[Thrissur]]<br />
File:Thiruchendur Temple Rajagopuram.JPG|[[Tiruchendur]]<br />
File:West Tower.jpg|[[Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram]]<br />
File:Ekambareshwarar5.jpg|[[Kancheepuram]]<br />
File:Karnataka Hampi IMG 0730.jpg|[[Hampi]]<br />
File:Tirumala temple.JPG|[[Tirumala]]<br />
File:Sri Mahamariamman temple-Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.jpg|[[Kuala Lumpur]]<br />
File:AnnavaramTemple.jpg|[[Annavaram]]<br />
File:Simhachalam Gopuram Night.jpg|[[Simhachalam Temple|Simhachalam]]<br />
File:Aathikoneswaram.jpg|[[Ati Konanayakar|Athi Koneswaram]]<br />
File:Gopuram Madurai.jpg|[[Madurai]]<br />
File:Nanjangud Temple at Night.jpg|[[Nanjangud]]<br />
File:Subhramanya Swamy Temple in Biccavole.jpg|[[Biccavolu]]<br />
File:Chebrolu Temple.jpg|[[Chebrolu, Guntur district|Chebrolu]]<br />
File:Besakih02.jpg|[[Besakih]], [[Bali]]<br />
File:Sringeri Temple of Toronto.jpg|[[Toronto]]<br />
File:Iraivan dsc8361.jpg|On left is a gopuram, to the right above the sanctum is [[Vimana (architectural feature)|vimana]]<br />
File:Padmanabhaswamy-temple-1.jpg|[[Padmanabhaswamy Temple|Thiruvananthapuram]]<br />
</gallery><br />
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==See also==<br />
* [[List of tallest Gopurams]]<br />
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==Notes==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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==References==<br />
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{{cite book|last=Dallapiccola|first=Anna L.|title=Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend|year=2002|publisher=Thames & Hudson|location=London|isbn=0-500-51088-1|title-link=Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend}}<br />
*Harle, J.C., ''The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent'', 2nd edn. 1994, Yale University Press Pelican History of Art, {{ISBN|0300062176}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
{{wiktionary}}<br />
{{commons category|Gopurams}}<br />
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[[Category:Hindu temple architecture]]<br />
[[Category:Types of gates]]<br />
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[[ta:கோபுரம்]]<br />
[[Category:Hindu temples]]<br />
[[Category:Hindu architecture]]</div>>Saket789