Menstrual pain has been recorded since ancient Egypt, where the Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus, dated to around 1800 BCE, described dysmenorrhea. For centuries, however, doctors often explained it as psychological, a punishment for not becoming pregnant, or the wandering womb, a belief that the uterus could move around the body and cause illness. In the 19th century, women's complaints were widely treated as hysteria, and doctors who relied on objective measurements could not see the pain. Endometriosis, a major cause of severe period pain, was not named until 1921.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.