Zenana Enclosure
A walled compound holding the Lotus Mahal and the elephant stables — the two Hampi buildings where Islamic and Hindu forms are worked together.
Arches in a city of pillars
The ASI lists the Lotus Mahal, the Zenana enclosure and the elephant stables among the monuments of the city, and they are treated as one visit because they share one walled compound. What sets them apart from everything else at Hampi is the shape of the openings. The rest of the capital is built on the pillar and the lintel; here the builders used arches and domes, on plans and bases that remain Hindu. The Lotus Mahal takes its modern name from that arcaded, symmetrical form, and the long row of domed chambers beside it housed the state elephants.
Explore Zenana Enclosure on the map
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What there is to see
Two buildings in one compound, and they are the reason to come.
🪷 Lotus Mahal
- A two-storeyed pavilion of recessed arches, symmetrical on every side
- The arches and the vaulted ceilings are Islamic in form; the plinth and the plan are not
🐘 The elephant stables
- A long row of tall chambers, each domed, built for the state elephants
- The domes vary deliberately down the row rather than repeating
🧱 The enclosure
- Walled, with watchtowers at the corners — a separated compound within the royal centre
Getting there
In the royal centre, on the standard circuit of the southern monuments.
🧭 Position
- Adjacent to the rest of the royal enclosure, a short move from the Hazara Rama temple
When to go
Open ground with almost no shade, like the rest of the site.
☀️ Time of day
- Morning or late afternoon; the compound is exposed and the stables face open ground
Before you go
Two buildings, one compound, and it is quicker than it looks.
🚶 On site
- Both buildings are seen from outside as much as inside — the elevations are the architecture
Close by
The royal centre and the temples beyond it.
Frequently asked
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