The word "gOpuram"

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

A good friend and member of this group has written to

me asking me about the etymology of the Sanskrit word

"gOpuram" -- temple-tower. It's a very intriguing

question indeed.

 

Honestly, I do not know the exact linguistic origin of

the word. I am only speculating wildly when I say that

"gOpuram" comes from "gO puram" where "gO" probably

refers to cows or cow-shed, "gO shAla", and "puram"

means "city", "neighbourhood" or "residence". In

ancient days, temples in India did have separate

quarters inside the temple precincts to house many

cow-sheds. Often these cowsheds were built abutting

the temple tower (as can be seen even now in the

Kanchi Varadaraja temple), giving hence the

temple-tower its unique name of "gO puram" -- the

"residence of cows".

 

My other guess is that the "gO" in the word might

refer to God's "tirUnAma" of "gOvinda" or "gOpAla".

Since the temple is a residence ('puram') of Govinda

or Gopala, its great tower was probably given the

distinctive name of "gO puram". I'm however a little

uneasy with this explanation, because when I look at a

Shiva or Shakthi temple in India I find the tower

there too being called "gOpuram" and I know that the

word "gO" is not used to designate or otherwise

associated with the deities, Shiva or Amba.

 

Between the two theories above, I personally prefer

the 'cows' & 'cowsheds' one. Cows or "gO" are said to

be utterly and completely 'sAttvic' creatures and are

the natural favourites of the Almighty. That is why

Vedic adepts have said that if one has a problem

finding a suitable place to perform a Vedic "yagnya"

(rite of sacrifice) like "agni-hOtra" or daily

"owpAsana", one need look no further than the nearest

'gO shAla'. It is easily the second-best place for

'yagnyA-karma' next to a properly sanctified

'yagnya-shAla'.

 

I have another observation to make here.

 

The very soil inside a temple is said to be supremely

sacrosanct. We should ask ourselves why it is so. If

there are indeed any "gO shAla-s" within a temple and

the herds are often led about, here and there, within

the precincts, then the soil they trample upon is said

to become "gO dhULi" -- the dust thrown up by

cow-hoofs. This fine dust blown off the hoofs of cows

is held to be sacred since in the 'Krisha-avatAr', the

Lord as a simple cow-herd at Brindavan lovingly tended

these blessed creatures and, in the process, was

perennially being peppered by the dust and grime they

kicked up as they went around grazing. Krishna of

Brindavan must have been a real sight indeed covered

as He was, all the time, in hoof-dust! This is the

reason why it is said that of all the names or

"tirUnAma" given to Krishna, the one he cherished most

as being the aptest one for him was -- "gOvindan".

 

Now, whenever a pilgrim in India enters into the

portals or the "gOpuram" of any temple, he is expected

to mentally re-live the scenes of the "krishnAvatAra"

and imagine too, as well, the "gO dhULi" spread fine

all across the cowherd, Krishna's person. The soil

upon the temple-grounds is to be regarded as the same

dust that came off the hoofs of those blessed cows at

Brindavan. Why? Because those cows of Krishna's times

are to be reverentially regarded as the ancestors of

the cows now being witnessed by the pilgrim in the 'go

shAla' of the temple.

 

Thus, the long and short of it all is this:

 

The tower that guards the sacred, "sAttvic" soil of

"gO dhULi" strewn and spread all across the temple

grounds -- such a tower, quite appropriately, gets the

name "gO puram".

 

**************

 

These are just a few of my unschooled thoughts.

Sanskrit is such a bewitchingly beautiful language it

is always a delight to theorize with licence upon its

ancient linguistic roots.

 

I now request real scholars of Sanskrit on this list

to please throw more linguistic light on the etymology

of the word "gOpuram".

 

Thanks and regards,

 

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

 

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