Temple Gopurams As Royal Defiance
Most of the tall gopurams we see in South India today were built by Nayaka kings of Telugu origin. Most are three to four centuries old, built during and after the Vijayangar period. Nayaka rulers reimagined Ram and Krishna as political and theological answers to the Islamic and Indo-Persian imperial culture that shaped North and Deccan India. They did this not only through stories, but through massive temple building. The gopuram became their grand statement…















