The Dravida temple is enclosed by a compound wall, with its front wall featuring a central entrance gateway known as a gopuram.
In Tamil Nadu, the main temple tower, called the vimana, has a stepped pyramidal shape that rises in a geometric progression.
The term shikhara specifically refers to the crowning element at the top of the temple, typically shaped like a small stupika or an octagonal cupola, equivalent to the amlak and kalasha found in North Indian temples.
A large water reservoir or temple tank is commonly enclosed within the temple complex.
Subsidiary shrines may either be integrated within the main temple tower or built as separate, smaller structures alongside the main temple.
These structures typically come in five distinct shapes:
Square, commonly known as kuta or caturasra
Rectangular, referred to as shala or ayatasra
Elliptical, called gaja-prishta (elephant-backed) or vrittayata, inspired by the wagon-vaulted design of apsidal chaityas, which often feature a horse-shoe-shaped entrance facade known as a nasi
Circular, known as vritta
Octagonal, referred to as ashtasra
