The city of Hampi is in the Indian state of Karnataka, and its ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Five hundred years ago, Hampi was the biggest city in India, and the second largest city in the world, but today relatively few people outside of India are familiar with it. One of its stone ruins is pictured above- what kind of building was this? It's magnificently ornate, and huge. Check the size of the people standing in front. Why were these entrances so big, and why were there so many of them? Make your guess before you read the next paragraph.
This structure was built by a ruler of the powerful Karnata Kingdom as a literal barn. It's the stable where the kingdom's war elephants were kept. That explains why the openings are so large and numerous, but the stone architecture and the ornate decorations speak to a deliberate declaration of power and wealth. When the kingdom was defeated and Hampi burned to the ground in 1565, only the sturdiest stone structures survived. Read up on the Hampi elephant stable and see plenty of pictures at Kuriositas.
(Image credit: Arun Shetty)
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