<P> A Gopuram or gopura (Sanskrit: गोपुरम्, gopuram) is a monumental gatehouse tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the Dravidian architecture of the Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana states of Southern India . Ancient and early medieval temples feature smaller gopuram, while in later temples they are a prominent feature of Hindu temples of the Dravidian style; or in many cases the temple compound was expanded and new larger gopuram built along the new boundary . They are topped by the kalasam, a bulbous stone finial . They function as gateways through the walls that surround the temple complex . </P> <P> The gopuram's origins can be traced back to early structures of the Pallava kings, and relate to the central shikhara towers of North India . Between the twelfth and sixteenth century, during the Pandya, Nayaka and Vijayanagara 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 in amount of ornamentation . Often a shrine has more than one gopuram . They also appear in architecture outside India, especially Khmer architecture, as at Angkor Wat . </P>

The mighty gateway found at the temples of south india are called