Gopuram

History

The origin of the gopurams can be traced back to the Pallavas, who constructed the group of monuments at Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram. The Cholas later developed this feature further, as seen in the 11th-century Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur and the slightly later temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram; They feature multi-storey gopurams that were significantly larger than earlier examples, though were still dwarfed by the central vimana over the garbagriha (sanctum). These vimanas were in the form of pyramids with four sides of equal length. Both these temples were new foundations on empty sites; where existing temples were being ambitiously extended it was preferred to add one or more large gate-towers than to replace the vimana, which was often regarded as very ancient and sacred. For these a form that kept two long faces over the gateway, with the two end or side faces much shorter, was practical, and extended the shape of existing gatehouses. The tapering shape, reducing in size with each additional storey, became normal.

By the time of Pandya rule in the 12th century, these gateways had become the tallest and dominant element of a temple's exterior. The gopurams of the Thillai Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram are amongst the earliest examples of the large gopurams that emerged in the mid-13th century.

As temples complexes expanded between the 12th and 16th centuries under the Vijayanagara Empire, and Nayakas, increasingly massive gopurams were constructed along the outer enclosure walls. While gopurams originally served as secondary entrance markers, they eventually became the defining visual feature of the South Indian temples. Their colossal scale and surrounding courtyards ultimately overshadowed the inner vimana, obstructing them from outside view.

Architecture

The gopurams are designed and constructed according to principles of Vaastu Shastra texts. They are usually tapering oblong structures with ground-level, often richly decorated wooden doors that provide access. Above the entrance rises the tapering or "battered" gopuram tower, divided into multiple storeys (talas) that diminish in scale as they ascend. The tower is usually topped with a barrel-vaulted roof crowned with finials (kalasam). Their surfaces are often exquisitely decorated with brightly-painted sculptures and carvings, with themes and scenes derived from Hindu mythology—particularly those associated with the temple's presiding deity.

Gopurams function as gateways to the temple complex, and their interiors are essentially empty, though they may be used for storage. A temple may have multiple gopurams over the entrances of successively smaller walled enclosures, with the largest generally positioned on the outermost perimeter. The temple compound is typically square or rectangular, with gopurams built over the entrances on the enclosure walls, often facing any or all of the four cardinal directions.