Ramanathaswamy Temple Corridors Feature as Backdrop as PM Modi Welcomes BRICS Leaders at 18th Summit in New Delhi

Key facts

• India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi under its 2026 chairship, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcoming visiting BRICS leaders against a backdrop of the Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu.
• The image of PM Modi alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping in the temple's famed pillared corridor brought the Shaivite temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, into the global spotlight.
• The temple's outer corridor is widely recognised as the longest temple corridor in the world, extending roughly 1,200 metres, with about 1,212 sculpted pillars.
• The temple's Third Corridor measures about 197 metres from east to west and 133 metres from north to south, per the Tamil Nadu government's Ramanathapuram district website.
• Tradition holds that Lord Rama worshipped Shiva at Rameswaram before proceeding towards Lanka, and the name Ramanathaswamy means 'Lord of Rama'.
• The temple's development spanned centuries, with contributions from the Pandya period and later expansions under the Nayak and Sethupathi rulers, who built its monumental corridors.
• The temple complex features 22 theerthams, or sacred water sources, forming an important part of the traditional Rameswaram pilgrimage.