From the Pandya and Vijayanagara periods, monumental gateway towers (gopuram) grew to dominate the South Indian skyline, often exceeding the central shrine in height. Built of stone bases rising into tiered, sculpture-encrusted brick-and-stucco superstructures, they marked the cardinal entrances to successive temple enclosures. Their scale signalled royal patronage and turned the temple complex into the visual and economic anchor of its town.
The gopuram made temple patronage legible at urban scale and fixed the temple as the organising landmark of South Indian cities.
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