1000 Year-Old Water Management System in Hampi, India
Hampi or Hampe, also known as the Hampi Group of Monuments, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in India's east-central state of Karnataka.
Hampi predates the Vijayanagara Empire. In the 14th century, Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire.
Reservoir system in Hampi, India, dating from the Hindu empire of ancient Vijayanagra, circa 1000AD, that had supported a population of half a million (five lakhs) people for hundreds of years despite very little rainfall.
Inside the Vittala temple complex the largest in Hampi is the Pushkarini, or stepped tank. After several days of pumping, archaeologists were perplexed when they were unable to fully drain the pushkarini. They wondered how such a huge tank might have been fed when there was no visible source of water nearby. Archaeologists discovered several small ponds in the dry and rocky surrounding hills when searching for a response. Surface run-off water was collected in a series of filtration pits by the reservoirs, which were strategically positioned. The filtered rainwater was then guided into the pushkarini through channels.
During the city's heyday, tanks like this could accommodate up to half a million people.
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