Hampi 09 Kamala Mahal Lotus Mahal ತಾವರೆ ಮಹಲ್ Zanana Enclosure ಅಂತಃಪುರ ಆವರಣ Elephant's Stable Bellary

Hampi Kamala Mahal Lotus Mahal ತಾವರೆ ಮಹಲ್ Zanana Enclosure ಅಂತಃಪುರ ಆವರಣ Elephant's Stable. The Lotus Mahal is otherwise called the Kamal Mahal or Chitragani Mahal.The palace is a two-storied building, well-structured symmetrically. It is surrounded by a rectangular wall and four towers. These towers are also in pyramidal shape giving a lotus-like structure visual. Around 24 pillars are present to support the arched windows and balcony of the palace. The walls and pillars are carved beautifully with patterns like sea creatures and birds.The Lotus Mahal was a part of Zenana enclosure, a place where royal families of Vijayanagara Empire resided. Lotus Mahal designed as a palace for royal ladies of those times to mingle around and enjoy recreational activities. The Mahal also served as a meeting point for the king and his ministers. This place is also referred to as a council chamber.
The structure of the Lotus Mahal is built of brick and mortar with smooth and glossy plaster finishing. Yet, the platform or the basement of the building is built of stone. It has indented outlines with sharp corners, with excellently bedecked moldings at the bottom on all the sides. The structure has two stories.
In the east of the royal centre lies the Gajashala, or elephant stables, which consist of eleven square chambers aligned north-south. The openings to the stables are arched; above ten chambers are alternating fluted and plain domes. In the middle of the stables are stairs to reach the roof.
The enclosure is close to the elephant stables; it was thus named in a Persian memoir whose 19th-century translation was an early introduction to Hampi ruins for many. The enclosure contains the Lotus Mahal, the latter being a two-storeyed pavilion in the royal centre.The Lotus Mahal combines a symmetrical, square, Hindu mandala design with lobed arches, vaults, and domes of the Indo-Islamic style. Its basement and pyramidal towers are based on Hindu temple architecture. Like almost all of the structures in Hampi's royal centre, this monument has no inscriptions nor epigraphs mentioning it and therefore dating it and establishing its function with evidence has been difficult. The Lotus Mahal and other structures in the Hampi urban core, however, were not built with Muslim patronage, unlike the tombs in the various Muslim quarters of the city. These buildings reflect the assimilative approach of the Vijayanagara Hindu rulers. Lotus Mahal looks like a syncretic, congested space and its purpose is unclear. Speculations include it being a council hall.

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