gopura


go·pu·ram

G5206150 (gō′po͝or-əm) also go·pu·ra (-po͝or-ə)n.1. An entrance building to a Hindu temple in southern India, often topped by a tiered tower of massive proportions and intricate decoration.2. 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.
[Hindi gopuram, alteration (probably influenced by Hindi go 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).]

gopura

(ˈɡəʊpʊrə) n (Architecture) a gateway tower of an Indian temple