The 12th-century Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, served as the visual backdrop and cultural centerpiece when Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed world leaders at Bharat Mandapam for the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on Saturday, highlighting India’s civilisational history to the Global South.

It was against this backdrop that the day’s first handshake happened between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the two leaders spending some time looking at the 3D backdrop, and PM Modi explaining the site to the Chinese President. Tamil Nadu is also where Modi had hosted Xi during his last India visit in 2019.

The temple in Rameswaram is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and is counted among the 12 sacred Jyotirlingas in the Hindu belief system. Its outer corridor — which was displayed in the image at Bharat Mandapam — is the longest among all temples in India, featuring over 1,200 intricately carved stone pillars.

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As dignitaries walked the red carpet to the spot where PM Modi welcomed them, there were murals depicting ‘yogasanas’.  At the summit venue, artists from BRICS member countries have created ‘Sangam’ – a mural depicting the Summit logo at the centre, with the image of the iconic Hawa Mahal of Jaipur, flanked by a pair of elephants.

According to a Tamil Nadu government website, the Ramanathaswamy Temple was under the care of a monk up to the 10th century. In the 12th century, Parakiramabaghu, the King of Ceylon, built the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Three hundred years later, Ramanathapuram King Udayan Sethupathi and a Vaisya from Nagoore built its western tower and compound walls.

Subsequently, between 1897 and 1904, the 126-foot-high nine-tiered East Rajagopuram was completed by the family of Nattukkottai. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Ram consecrated the shivalingam here after returning from Lanka.

Earlier, during India’s G20 Presidency in 2023, a replica of the Konark Wheel from Odisha’s Sun Temple served as the primary backdrop for Modi’s welcome handshakes with global leaders. It was chosen to represent India’s ancient heritage, wisdom, and advanced civilisation, with Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam as the G20 theme.

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In fact, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, India’s theme for the G20 Presidency, is a phrase originating from the ancient Sanskrit text Hitopadesha and roughly translates to ‘the whole earth is one family’.