The Musical Pillars of Hampi
Tap the stone pillars of a 16th-century temple in Hampi, and they ring out musical notes.
What was reported
The Vijaya Vittala temple at Hampi, built under the Vijayanagara empire, has a hall of carved granite pillars. Clusters of slender columns around the main pillars give out clear, distinct notes when tapped, like a set of stone instruments. They are often called the SaReGaMa pillars.
A story told at the temple says that during British rule, two pillars were cut open to find what made them sing, and nothing was found inside. Visitors are no longer allowed to tap them, to protect the stone.
Explanations offered
The sound comes from the stone itself. Each slender column was carved to a particular thickness and length from dense, resonant granite, so it rings at its own pitch when struck, much like a tuning fork. How the builders tuned them so precisely is still admired.
- When
- Temple built in the 1500s
- Where
- Vijaya Vittala temple, Hampi, Karnataka, India
- Witnesses
- Visitors and musicians
- Status
- Mostly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.