prakara

Straight enclosure wall surrounding the shrine and other structures, and demarcating pathways around them, in Dravida-style temples of South India. Prakaras, or prakarams, characterised Dravida temple architecture from the fourteenth century, being more elaborate and numerous than in other Hindu temple styles. A temple may have up to seven concentric prakaras. The outermost prakara typically features the main gopurams or gateways, with smaller gopurams along the inner prakaras; today it is painted with a recognisable vertical red-and-white striped pattern in most temples. Pillared, covered corridors for circumambulation run along the inside of the prakaras, connecting various parts of the complex and leading to the garbhagriha or sanctum, sometimes punctuated by subsidiary shrines. The outer faces of the prakaras often feature niches for icons, typically flanking the gopurams. The original purpose of prakaras — such as marking or guarding ritual space, or serving defensive military use — remains speculated, though historical evidence for the latter is scarce.