Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The 18th BRICS Summit offered visiting world leaders a striking glimpse of South India’s architectural heritage, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcoming delegations at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi against the backdrop of a grand corridor replicating the Rameswaram temple, built in the distinctive Dravidian architectural style.
Tamil Nadu’s celebrated Ramanathaswamy Temple, on which the showcased corridor draws its design inspiration, is one of the four sites that make up the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit and is dedicated to Devadidev Mahadev, making its presence at a gathering of major world leaders a deliberate nod to one of South India’s most revered religious and architectural landmarks.
The choice echoes a pattern Modi has followed at previous major international gatherings hosted by India. During the G20 Summit held in New Delhi in 2023, the Prime Minister had similarly used the venue’s design to introduce visiting leaders to the architectural artistry of the Konark Temple in Odisha, using India’s presidency of major multilateral forums as an occasion to showcase the country’s diverse regional heritage to a global audience. The Rameswaram corridor at this year’s BRICS Summit continues that pattern, offering the visiting leaders from all eleven BRICS member nations a visual introduction to South India’s temple architecture even as substantive discussions on economic and strategic cooperation unfolded around them.
