Archive · 12 Sep 2026
The 1,212-Pillar Temple Corridor Behind Modi-Xi Handshake at BRICS
Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping met at the 2026 BRICS Summit.
They shook hands in front of a picture of a famous temple hallway.
The hallway belongs to the Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu.
It has 1,212 decorated stone pillars.
The pillars are arranged in long rows that seem to get smaller in the distance.
This creates a strong sense of depth, like a tunnel.
The temple is important to Hindu worship and is linked with both Rama and Shiva.
The articles do not say exactly why this image was chosen for the meeting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping shook hands before a projection of the Ramanathaswamy Temple corridor at the 2026 BRICS Summit.
The temple is in Rameswaram on Pamban Island, in Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district.
The outer corridor contains 1,212 carved pillars, each approximately 6.9 metres high.
The temple’s corridors together are commonly described as about 3,850 feet, or 1.17 kilometres, long.
The backdrop’s exact selection is unclear, but the corridor’s symmetry, depth and Dravidian architecture make it visually distinctive.
- Who
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
- What
- They were shown shaking hands before a projection of the 1,212-pillar corridor of the Ramanathaswamy Temple.
- When
- At the 2026 BRICS Summit; one photograph was taken on Saturday, September 12.
- Where
- At the summit, with the backdrop depicting the Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu.
- Why
- The exact reason for choosing the backdrop is unclear, though the corridor is visually recognizable for its depth, symmetry and Dravidian architecture.
- Temple location
- Rameswaram on Pamban Island, in Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district
- Pillars
- 1,212 pillars in the outer corridor
- Pillar height
- Approximately 6.9 metres
- Combined corridor length
- About 3,850 feet, or 1.17 kilometres
- Architectural style
- Dravidian architecture
- Religious status
- One of the 12 jyotirlinga shrines dedicated to Shiva
- Corridor history
- The outer corridor is largely credited to 18th-century ruler Muthuramalinga Sethupathi