Gopuram

A gopuram or gopura is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the Dravidian architecture of South India, and Sri Lanka. In temples in other parts of India, they might be present but are more modest, while they are often the highest parts of the temple in the south. They also appear in architecture outside India such as the Khmer architecture in South East Asia.

The gopurams often function as gateways to the temple complex. They might be multi-storeyed and the higher levels typically repeat the lower level features on a rhythmic diminishing scale. They may consist of various sculptures and ornamentation. They are topped by one or more kalasams, which are a type of bulbous metal or stone finials. The gopurams are designed and constructed as per rules given in the texts of Vaastu Shastra.

Ancient and early medieval temples feature smaller gopurams, while they became a prominent feature of the Hindu temple architecture since the later Middle Age. The gopuram's origins can be traced back to the Pallavas. As temples were expanded between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries CE, during the reign of the Pandyas, Vijayanagara, and Nayakas, larger gopurams were built along the boundary walls.

The tallest gopuras are of the Murdeshwara temple, at 249 ft (76 m), completed in 2008, and the rajagopuram of the Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam at 239.5 ft (73.0 m), completed in 1987.