Kosta :ta:கோஷ்டம் (இந்துக் கோயில்) is the outer wall found around the

garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' or ''sannidhanam'' is the '' sanctum sanctorum'', the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu and Jain temples where resides the ''murti'' (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. In Jainism, the main deity is known as the ...

or inner sanctum in the

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hi ...

s. In this kosta, deities are set up as per

Agama (Hinduism) The Agamas (Devanagari: , IAST: ) are a collection of several Tantric literature and scriptures of Hindu schools. Julius Lipner (2004), Hinduism: the way of the banyan, in The Hindu World (Editors: Sushil Mittal and Gene Thursby), Routledge, , ...

tradition. In

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hin ...

temples, sculptures such as Nartana

Vinayaka Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...

, Dakshinamurthy,

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...

, Lingodbhava,

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

Vishnu

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around comb ...

are set up. The komugi through which abisega water which comes out from the sanctum sanctorum is also found here. During the period of kings, in granite temples so many other sculptures are found. The kosta found in the Siva temple is known as Shiva kosta and Shivalaya kosta. "சிவாலய கோஷ்டத்தில் தெற்கு நோக்கி அமர்ந்துள்ள தட்சிணாமூர்த்தியை நாம் தரிசிக்கலாம்." குருவே சரணம் - மும்பை ராமகிருஷ்ணன் 01-07-13

Sakthi temples

In Sakthi temples also known as Amman temples Brahmi, Vaishnavi and other sculptures are found.

Notes

Hindu temple architecture