On September 13, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, positioning the historic Ramanathaswamy Temple corridor from Rameswaram as the visual backdrop for the diplomatic gathering.
Modi received Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el‑Sisi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with Xi examining the temple image as Modi explained its significance; Modi also presented Putin with a Russian translation of the Tamil classic Thirukkural.
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The featured corridor, famed for its 1,212 intricately carved granite pillars, stretches roughly 197 metres east‑west and 133 metres north‑south, representing one of the world’s most remarkable examples of Tamil temple architecture and forming part of the living sacred space of the Ramanathaswamy Temple, a Jyotirlinga and Char Dham pilgrimage centre linked to the Ramayana narrative.
By foregrounding this centuries‑old structure, India projected a message that its modern diplomatic and economic engagements are anchored in a continuous civilisational identity, using Tamil heritage to reinforce soft‑power appeal and signal confidence on the global stage.
