A photograph of a South Indian stone temple tower (gopuram or vimana) with dense carved tiers of figures and niches under a cloudy sky. Metal railings lead up a stepped side staircase at left, and a columned pavilion stands at right. Two small figures in white clothing stand near the right-hand columns, and the stone surface shows weathered sculpture of deities and animals. - Nithyanandapedia

Nithyanandapedia

A photograph of a South Indian stone temple tower (gopuram or vimana) with dense carved tiers of figures and niches under a cloudy sky. Metal railings lead up a stepped side staircase at left, and a columned pavilion stands at right. Two small figures in white clothing stand near the right-hand columns, and the stone surface shows weathered sculpture of deities and animals.

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Exterior of a stone temple with a tiered, richly carved gopuram-style tower topped by a rounded kalasha-like finial, its walls covered in sculpted deities and figures in niches. Metal handrails and stairs lead up a side platform at left, and a pillared pavilion with a few small figures stands at right. Overcast sky.

Photograph of an ornate stone temple at dusk, with carved granite walls, pillared niches, and a tall tiered gopuram with sculpted tiers and a domed shikhara in the background. In the right foreground, a group of about five people in white and saffron-orange clothing walk along the temple's paved courtyard, one in orange extending an arm toward the temple. A figure in yellow stands in the doorway of a lower shrine entrance.

A photograph of a tall, ornately carved South Indian stone temple gopuram tower rising under a blue sky with scattered clouds. Its tiers are densely covered with sculpted figures, pillars and niches, topped by a finial. In the foreground, a few people walk along the base: a man in a white shirt and white dhoti, and figures in orange or saffron clothing near the bottom edge. A low colonnaded hall with a flat roof extends at the right.

A photograph of a tall, ornately carved stone temple gopuram at Dharapuram, Tamil Nadu, rising in tiers covered with sculpted deities, pillars and niches under a pale sky. Several people walk in the courtyard at its base: a man in a white shirt and trousers on the left, a woman in an orange sari near the centre, and a child in front of her. No a person candidate is visible, and the figures are too small and distant to attribute any ritual activity to them.

September 18 2006

Photograph of a tall, tiered stone temple gopuram densely carved with sculpted figures, set in a courtyard with a pillared colonnade on the right. In the foreground a group of about eight men walk together; several wear white shirts and white dhotis with saffron-orange shawls draped over their shoulders and rudraksha-style beaded necklaces. A man in a white shirt and a man in a plaid shirt stand at the left and right edges. One figure in the centre wears an orange robe and is visibly distinct from the white-clad group.

Photograph of a carved stone temple exterior at Dharapuram, Tamil Nadu, with a tiered vimana-style shrine tower on the left and a densely sculpted sandstone wall of deities and figures on the right. A stone stairway leads up to a pillared mandapa entrance. The courtyard is paved and no people are visible.

A group of about seven men stands in the courtyard before a tall, richly carved stone temple gopuram with tiered sculpted levels and a dome-topped summit under a pale sky. Most wear white dhotis and shirts with orange saffron shawls draped over their shoulders, and several wear white beaded necklaces or mala strands. The man at far left in orange with long dark hair stands out in an orange wrap and ornate clothing. To the right, a man in a checked shirt and grey trousers stands apart near the stone pillars of a colonnade. Pillared stone halls and carved reliefs of the temple complex surround the scene.

September 18 2006

A photograph of a tall, richly carved stone temple gopuram tiered with sculpted figures and niches under a blue sky with clouds. In the foreground a group of about a dozen men walk across an open stone courtyard toward the viewer: several wear white dhotis and shirts with orange or saffron shawls draped over their shoulders, and some wear rudraksha-style beaded necklaces. One man in the front-left wears an orange robe and carries nothing visible, and another man in a white shirt stands at the left edge, while a man in a checked shirt walks at the right. A stone colonnade extends along the right side.

Photograph of a carved stone temple complex with a tall tiered gopuram tower and ornate sculpted walls, shrines and pillars. In the foreground at right, a group of people in white ritual clothes stand on a stone path; one figure in a saffron-orange garment and long dark hair points toward the temple with an outstretched arm. Others in white and orange cloth stand nearby, and a person in yellow is visible in the temple doorway. Steps lead up to the shrine entrance. The scene suggests a temple inspection visit.

September 18 2006