The Zenana Quarters, Hampi

In this article we would explore the monuments in the Zenana Quarters of Hampi – the Lotus Mahal, the watch towers, Jal Mahal, Queen’s residence and the treasury.

From the Guards room we move towards the Zenana complex of Hampi, a structural complex with walled enclosure having two entrances; one towards the North and the other towards the North-East.

Lotus Mahal in Zenana Quarters, Hampi

We enter in from the North-East direction and here one monument stands out, immediately drawing our attention. It is the Lotus Mahal; the most photographed monument of the complex.

This double story building, carrying a blend of Indo-Islamic architecture, dominates the area.

This Garden-Palace is build over an adhistana; a molded raised square platform and has symmetrical projections on all its four sides.

Nine-pyramidal towers of varying height crowns the structure like shikharas of the temple; with central shikhar being the tallest. These towers are protected by double curved eaves.

The space over the door-arches is carved with Keerti-Mukhas with intricate geometric patterns flowing from their mouth. These features are inspired by the South-Indian temple architecture style.

On the other hand, recessed foliated arches with lime-plaster and stucco ornamentation, interior domes and vaults, carry the Islamic architectural influences.

As this monument is well-preserved and also carry over the elements of Islamic architecture, some people speculate that probably it was built after the reign of Rayas; a speculation that is discarded by the experts.

This building is in-fact a celebration of the innovative blend of two architectural styles creating an iconic courtly structure of the Vijayanagara period.

The upper portion of the building is supported on twenty-four pillars. The access to the first floor is through a concealed staircase in one corner. The first floor has a number of balconies and windows with beautiful arches.

Lotus Mahal / Chitrangani Mahal?

The Lotus Mahal is also known as Chitrangani Mahal. There is a belief that this was a pleasure pavilion where the queens spent their time taking refuge from the scorching heat outside.

There are hooks like structures on the windows of the top-floor that might have been used to hang curtains and probably water was dripped from the channels above to air-cool the building.

Even now, when I am standing close to this structure, this well cross-ventilated structures and its surroundings are cooler than other places.

Lotus Mahal in Literary works

A newly discovered literary work ‘Svaramela-Kalanidhi’ written by Ramayamatya Todarmala in 1549 identifies the lotus Mahal as Ratanakuta, a building where the Rayas liked to spend time in the company of the scholars of the art, music, literature and also listened to the discourses of the religious gurus.

Monkey Menace in Zenana Quarters

These days tourists are not allowed to climb-up the platform to protect it from any sort-of vandalism. Parents of a toddler has raised her on to the platform and she is running all around, enthusing life in the monument.

I am busy clicking the monument, suddenly a group of monkeys come from nowhere and occupy the monument and its surroundings. Some of them have entered in a near-by rose garden and started plucking the roses and enjoying its petals; we decide to move forth, leaving behind this ancestral property to our evolutionary ancestors.

Watch Towers of the Zenana Quarters, Hampi

The other monuments in the area that draw our attention are the three watch-towers in the East, South-East and the North directions. Interestingly all these three watch towers are different in shape and are thus unique – Square, Rectangular and Octagonal. These watch-towers are not part of the enclosure wall and so the belief is that their need was felt afterwards and they were constructed sometime later.

The structure looks inviting enough to spend a few moments living the life of an attentive loyal guard of the empire; but the scarcity of time forces me to abandon the idea. There is no-one on the top too; may be the tourists are not allowed to climb over.

Although these structures are called watch-towers and might be used for that purpose only. However, the architecture style of these monuments also suggests that they could have been used as pleasure resort by the ladies of the Zenana, from where they could safely watch events taking place outside the Zenana quarters without exposing themselves.

Jal Mahal in Zenana Quarters, Hampi

Towards the west of the Lotus Mahal is Jal-Mahal. This East facing Water-Palace in the middle of a rectangular tank was connected by a bridge towards the South. The bridge does not exist now, only five free-standing pillars can be seen here.

Even the winter-heat in Hampi is so harsh that I realize that these water bodies and the structures like Jal-Mahal provided much needed solace from the fierce sun.

Queen’s Residence in Zenana Quarters, Hampi

From here we move towards an excavated palace structure believed to be the Queen’s residence; a claim refuted by some folks, who don’t know what chivalry is and claims it to be Ramaraya’s (the king’s or the Raya’s) residence. I am a firm believer in the cohabitation of husband and wives and see no contradictions in the two claims 🙂

Looking at its plan and elevation, this building was probably the largest in the capital. As the overall complex is enclosed with fortified walls and there are watch-towers as well, so the whole complex seems as an ideal place for Queen’s residence and so in my opinion, rightly identified as Zenana Quarters.

Life in Zenana Quarters as described by the Portuguese travelers

The Portuguese travelers wrote in detail about the life in Zenana Quarters.

“Around four thousand women live in this enclosure. Some of them are dancing girls, and some other are palaki bearers who carry King’s Palanquin on their shoulder.

The King’s palace is large and there are open spaces between one house and the other, so he needs women porters to carry him over.

The king have women in the complex who wrestles, and others who are astrologers and soothsayers. He has women who keep account of all the expenses incurred inside the enclosure and compare them with the accounts from outside. He has women who are good in music and play instruments and sing too.

Even the queens are well-versed in music. The king has women employed for cooking service too. He has ten female cooks for his personal service and others for the time he organizes banquet.

He has a eunuch guarding the gates of kitchen who never allows anyone inside except for the cooks, because of the fear of poison.”

Fear of poison was the reason that the meal-time for any king used to be a closely guarded and monitored affair. Even before he took even a single bite, the food had to be tested and tasted, in front of him, from his utensils to ensure that it is safe for his consumption.

Archaeology Store in Zenana Quarters, Hampi

Towards the North of the Zenana complex lies a long low oblong building with a single door and a series of ventilators. This building is covered with a vaulted roof. It is currently used as an archaeological store. But there are many claims about its possible usage, this building being the royal treasury, an armory, gymnasium and the women guard’s quarter.

This end our tour of the Zenana quarters and we come out from its Northern entrance.

After the exit, we realize that it was a ticketed complex. Tanmay starts laughing about it and suggests me to buy tickets to be ethically right. I remain in dilemma, should I buy tickets as the kid suggests at the cost of appearing naive and stupid.

Click Here to read about the Imperial Harem of Fatehpur Sikri

Click here to read about the literature of the Vijayanagara Empire

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