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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
151:
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. It also dominated the inner sanctum
163:
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
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was completed in 1987 and dominates the landscape for kilometers around, while the remaining 20 gopurams were built between the 14th and 17th centuries. Competing for the title of "tallest" is the twenty storey 249-foot (76 m) gopura at the modern
164:
gopuras, often from the four cardinal directions. The multiple storeys of a gopuram typically repeat the lower level features on a rhythmic diminishing scale. The inner sanctum and its towering roof (the central deity's shrine) is also called the
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are important early examples, begun in the mid-13th century but completed over a longer period. Gopurams are exquisitely decorated with sculpture and carvings and painted with a variety of themes derived from the
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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
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120:. They function as gateways through the walls that surround the temple complex. Another towering structure located towards the center of the temple is the
96:. In other areas of India they are much more modest, while in Southern Indian temples they are very often by far the highest part of the temple.
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in amount of ornamentation. Often a shrine has more than one gopuram. They also appear in architecture outside India, especially
356:(shrine of the main gateway), which is claimed as the tallest temple tower in Asia. The 73-metre (240 ft)-tall 13-tiered
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derivation is from the two words: கோ (kō) and புறம் (puram) meaning 'king' and 'exterior' respectively. It originates from the
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110:; in many cases the temple compound was expanded and new larger gopuram built along the new boundary. They are topped by the
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in form with ground-level wooden doors, often richly decorated, providing access. Above is the tapering or
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derivation is from the two words : కోపు (Kōpu) and అరం (Araṁ) meaning "Top" and "to exist".
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on top. It may have one or many storeys. Left: Single storey gopura; Right: Two storey gopura.
627:
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301:), which diminish in size as the gopuram tower narrows. Usually the tower is topped with a
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when it was known as ஓங்கு நிலை வாயில் (ōnggu nilai vāyil) meaning 'imperishable gateway'.
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Penguin Guide to Vaastu: The
Classical Indian Science of Architecture and Design
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124:. Both of them are designed and constructed as per rules given in the texts of
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roof with a finial. The form began rather modestly in the 10th century, as at
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751:, greater gateways to inner and more sacred areas in Indonesian Hindu temples
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towers of North India. Between the twelfth and sixteenth century, during the
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Tamil geographies: cultural constructions of space and place in South India
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The gopuram's origins can be traced back to early structures of the
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352:(tower gateways), including the towering 239.5-foot (73.0 m)
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A gopura is a monumental gate, usually ornate with odd number of
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53:
1015:
56:: ಗೋಪುರ) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the
1077:, 2nd edn. 1994, Yale University Press Pelican History of Art,
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The two tallest gopuras are both modern, at least in part. The
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1038:"Murudeshwar Temple Now Tallest Gopuram in Asia", April 2008
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886:. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 151–153.
103:, while in later temples they are a prominent feature of
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Ancient Tamil country: its social and economic structure
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On left is a gopuram, to the right above the sanctum is
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331:, particularly those associated with the presiding
99:Ancient and early medieval temples feature smaller
27:Monumental gateway tower to Hindu temple complexes
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512:Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram
967:(in French). Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 414.
921:
249:), which means either 'a city' or 'a cow', and
829:. New York: John Wiley and Sons. p. 253.
767:
765:
745:, split gateways for Indonesian Hindu temples
365:Temple, which, unusually, is provided with a
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335:of the temple where the gopuram is located.
990:"Lecture at Brihadeeshwara temple (part 2)"
875:
873:
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800:. New York: John Wiley and Sons. p.
794:Ching, Francis D.K.; et al. (2007).
274:
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396:Varadharaja Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram
382:Ulagalantha Perumal Temple, Tirukoyilur
14:
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229:An alternative derivation is from the
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850:Ananth, Sashikala (1 January 2000).
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526:Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
324:Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
295:gopuram, divided into many storeys (
1056:Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend
827:A Visual Dictionary of Architecture
24:
410:Rajagopalaswamy Temple, Mannargudi
25:
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456:Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam
340:Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam
135:kings, and relate to the central
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1059:. London: Thames & Hudson.
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854:(2 ed.). Mumbai: Penguin.
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825:Ching, Francis D.K. (1995).
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1016:"Towers" on temple website
540:Yathothkari Perumal Temple
279:Detail in gopuram showing
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775:. Encyclopædia Britannica
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66:South Indian architecture
1021:21 December 2022 at the
922:S. Sundararajan (1991).
880:Michell, George (1988).
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738:List of tallest Gopurams
313:, with the 11th century
283:measuring earth and sky
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628:Koodal Azhagar temple
315:Brihadeeswarar Temple
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267:beings comes inside.
710:Betrayaswamy Temple
424:Annamalaiyar Temple
1118:Hindu architecture
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154:Khmer architecture
116:, a bulbous stone
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777:. Retrieved
743:Candi bentar
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586:Kuala Lumpur
544:Kancheepuram
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307:Shore Temple
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600:Simhachalam
498:Tiruchendur
358:Rajagopuram
354:Rajagopuram
52:: గోపురం,
48:: கோபுரம்,
1097:Categories
1083:0300062176
1047:References
926:. Navrang.
861:014027863X
779:20 January
442:Murdeshwar
363:Murdeshwar
344:Tamil Nadu
293:"battered"
217:Sangam age
158:Angkor Wat
74:Tamil Nadu
72:states of
749:Paduraksa
664:Biccavolu
346:, has 21
319:Thanjavur
174:Etymology
94:Sri Lanka
90:Telangana
86:Karnataka
64:, in the
1019:Archived
994:You tube
961:(2007).
773:"gopura"
732:See also
678:Chebrolu
572:Tirumala
349:gopurams
257:Sanskrit
243:Sanskrit
231:Sanskrit
156:, as at
137:shikhara
58:entrance
18:Gopurams
692:Besakih
632:Madurai
484:Pariyur
235:gopuram
167:Vimanam
133:Pallava
122:Vimanam
113:kalasam
101:gopuram
68:of the
54:Kannada
35:gopuram
1081:
1063:
971:
890:
858:
833:
808:
725:vimana
289:oblong
281:Vamana
224:Telugu
203:kalasa
145:Nayaka
141:Pandya
118:finial
92:, and
88:, and
82:Kerala
50:Telugu
41:gopura
756:Notes
558:Hampi
333:deity
298:talas
261:पुरम्
252:puram
233:word
222:The
213:Tamil
105:Hindu
60:of a
46:Tamil
1079:ISBN
1061:ISBN
969:ISBN
888:ISBN
856:ISBN
831:ISBN
806:ISBN
781:2008
696:Bali
367:lift
211:The
147:and
802:762
317:in
38:or
1099::
1025:;
992:.
957:,
870:^
804:.
764:^
694:,
648:,
630:,
542:,
426:,
369:.
342:,
309:,
259::
247:गो
245::
239:go
160:.
143:,
128:.
84:,
80:,
76:,
32:A
1069:.
996:.
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896:.
864:.
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783:.
255:(
241:(
44:(
20:)
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