''Koil'' or ''Koyil'' or ''Kovil'', (meaning: residence of GodThe modern Tamil word for Hindu temple is ''kōvil'' ( ta, கோவில்) meaning "the residence of God". In ancient Tamil Nadu, the king (, ''Kō'') was considered to be a ‘representative of God on earth' and lived in a ''kōvil'', which also means "king’s house". Old words for king like ''Kō'' ( "King"), ''Iṟai'' ( "Emperor") and ''Āṇṭavan'' ( "Conqueror") are now primarily used to refer to God.) is the

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

term for a distinct style of

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...

with

Dravidian architecture Dravidian architecture, or the South Indian temple style, is an architectural idiom in Hindu temple architecture that emerged from South India, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century. It is seen in Hindu temples, and the most distinc ...

. Both the terms ''koyil'' (, ''kōyil'') and ''kovil'' (, ''kōvil'') are used interchangeably. In Tamil, ( wikt:ta:கோவில்) is the word derived, according to the rules of Tamil grammar."உடம்படுமெய்ப் புணர்ச்சி" என்ற தமிழ் இலக்கண விதிப்படி, "வ்" வரும், கோ + இல் = கோவில். உடம்படு மெய்: நிலைமொழியில் இ, ஈ, ஐ, இருந்தால் "ய்" யும்; ஏனைய உயிர்கள் (அ, ஆ, உ, ஊ, ஓ) இருந்தால் "வ்"வும்; "ஏ' இருந்தால் இரண்டும் (ஏதாவது ஒன்று) உடம்படு மெய்யாக வரும்.

Description

In contemporary Tamil, the term kōvil''' is also used to refer to "Place of Worship". In modern formal speech, ''kōvil'' is also referred to as ''aalayam'', ''dheva sthaanam'' by many Hindus. ''Ambalam'' is another term used by devotees of the 19th century Tamil monk

Vallalar Thiruvarutprakasa Vallalār Chidambaram Ramalingam (5 October 1823 – 30 January 1874), commonly known in India and across the world as Vallalār, Ramalinga Swamigal and Ramalinga Adigal, was one of the most famous Tamil Saints and also one of t ...

. Another term is 'Thali', () Metraleeswar temple, Kanchipuram. மேற்கு தளி, மெற்றாளி. which also means temple. To

Shaivites Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

, the foremost ''kōvil''s are

Chidambaram temple Thillai Nataraja Temple, also referred as the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Nataraja, the form of Shiva as the lord of dance. This temple is located in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. This temple has ancient ro ...

and Koneswaram temple while for

Vaishnavites Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

Sri Ranganathaswamy temple, Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ranganatha (a form of Vishnu), located in Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. Constructed in the Hindu architectural style, the temple is glorified by Alvars in their Naalay ...

and

Tirumala Venkateswara temple Sri Venkateswara Swami Vaari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared ...

Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is re ...

are viewed as important. The ''kōvil''s in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

and the ''kōvil''s of Sri Lanka have long histories and have always been associated with the ruler of the time. Most kings patronised temple building in their kingdom, and attached water tanks and villages to the shrine to administer. Mylapore Kapaleeshwarar temple facade

There are over 36,488 Temples in Tamil Nadu alone as registered by Hindu Aranilaya Thurai. The Sangam literature scripted

before the common era Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...

, refers to some of the temples the early kings of

Tamilagam Tamiḻakam (Tamil: தமிழகம்; Malayalam: തമിഴകം), refers to the geographical region inhabited by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam covered today's Tamil Nad ...

had erected. The songs of the revered

Shaiva Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

Nayanars The Nayanars (or Nayanmars; ta, நாயன்மார், translit=Nāyaṉmār, translit-std=ISO, lit=hounds of Siva, and later 'teachers of Shiva ) were a group of 63 Tamil Hindu saints living during the 6th to 8th centuries CE who were d ...

and the

Vaishnava Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

Alvar An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prair ...

saints that date back to the period 6th to the 9th century CE, provide ample references to the temples of that period. Stone inscriptions found in most temples describe the patronage extended to them by the various rulers. The most ancient temples were built of wood as well as brick and mort

Up to about 700 CE temples were mostly of the rock-cut type. The Pallava dynasty, Pallava kings were great builders of temples in stone. The

Chola dynasty The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE ...

(850-1279 CE) left a number of monuments to their credit such as the Brihadeeswarar Temple in

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...

. The Cholas added many ornate mandpams or halls to temples and constructed large towers. The Pandya style (until 1350 CE) saw the emergence of huge towers, high wall enclosures and enormous towered gateways (Gopurams). The

Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () was the capital city of the historic Vijayanagara Empire. Located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, it spread over a large area and included the modern era Group of Monuments at Hampi site in Vijayanagara district, Bell ...

Style (1350 - 1560 CE) is famous for the intricacy and beauty especially for the decorated monolithic pillars. The Nayak style (1600 - 1750 CE) is noted for the addition of large ''

prakaram A prakaram (प्राकारः in Sanskrit), also spelled pragaram or pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer part around the Hindu temple sanctum. They may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the innermost prakaram. As ...

'' (outer courtyard) (circum-ambulatory paths) and pillared halls.

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External links

*{{Commons category-inline, Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu by district, position= Hindu temple architecture Tamil Nadu

Description

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