Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An entrance building to a Hindu temple in southern India, often topped by a tiered tower of massive proportions and intricate decoration.
  • noun A similar entrance to a Cambodian Hindu and Buddhist temple from the period of the Khmer empire, often of cruciform shape and topped by a small central tower.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A monumental tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a temple, especially in Southern India.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Hindi gopuram, alteration (probably influenced by Hindi go and Sanskrit gauḥ, go-, cow) of Tamil kōpuram, gopuram : , king + puram, fortress (from Sanskrit puram, from pūr, pur-, rampart, fortress; see pelə- in Indo-European roots).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Sanskrit गोपुर (gó-pura).

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Examples

  • The dome just before the gopuram is where all the preparations for pooja are done.

    Archive 2009-05-01 Anjali 2009

  • The dome just before the gopuram is where all the preparations for pooja are done.

    Cauliflower Dum Biryani Anjali 2009

  • The chariot was drawn by the devotees from the main 'gopuram' of the temple to Nandi circle and back.

    The Hindu - Front Page 2010

  • The chariot was drawn by the devotees from the main 'gopuram' of the temple to Nandi circle and back.

    The Hindu - Front Page 2010

  • The chariot was drawn by the devotees from the main 'gopuram' of the temple to Nandi circle and back.

    The Hindu - Front Page 2010

  • Each gopuram has beautifully carved out wooden pillars and wooden bracket figures.

    Archive 2008-01-01 Jan 2008

  • The Hindu temples in particular are remarkably beautiful from the outside, with intricate carvings of the major deities on the gopuram rising tower at the entrance of a temple.

    singapore observations: a running series jlundberg 2007

  • Indian gopuram divided into two parts by a sharp, clean cut in the middle and tradition quotes in explanation the story of a king who was refused entrance to heaven but cleft a passage through the portal with his sword.

    Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3 Charles Eliot 1896

  • A thin crack that developed 25 years ago eventually worsened into a deep vertical fissure right on its face and ended up in the collapse of the gopuram recently.

    The Hindu - Front Page 2010

  • Surmounting the sanctum, is a gopuram of gold, with numerous sculptures of the presiding deity, Kartikeya, and gods and goddesses attendant upon him.

    TravelPod.com TravelStream™ — Recent Entries at TravelPod.com 2010

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