Mardi Gras is the last day before Lent, the 40-day fast many Christians observe before Easter. Traditionally the fast banned meat, eggs, dairy and alcohol, so people used up those rich foods in the days beforehand. That is why pancakes, which need eggs, milk and butter, became the Shrovetide food, and why pancake breakfasts and races are still held. Churches once rang bells to call people to confession before frying their pancakes. The name Fat Tuesday comes from the same idea: people felt bloated from eating up all the rich food before the season of repentance began.

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.