nature & planet·Grist
El Niño usually boosts rain in the southern US, and recent Southwest flooding previews what could come. The link between ocean warming and winter storms is worth understanding.
history·Wikipedia·classic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India
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.
The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.
Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.
The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0
Image: Wikimedia Commons
politics·short·CNA·2:01