Article Written By EIH Researcher And writer
Nandita
Through ancient times humans have attempted to contain water by constructing artificial reservoirs, traces of which can be found as early as 4500 years ago during the Indus valley civilization where the great bath was used as a reservoir. Later this technique was transformed and came to be known as a baoli, vav, vapika, bawadi, pushkarni or in simple words a stepwell. Baolis or stepwells are simply a flight of stairs leading to a reservoir connected to a well and act as a medium to access underground water by villagers, travelers, and animals. Water has a significant presence in our culture. Popularly regarded as a sacred component in all religious rites, and thought to be the home of spirits, moreover, it was regarded as an integral part of life “jeevanam sarva jeevanam”. Baolis were always considered to be a communal site, found along historic roadways, crossroads, near a hamlet, dargah, or fort. They were used not only for drinking or bathing purposes but rather due to its proximity to a mosque or temple, it was seen as a place of spirituality or even said to have healing properties. As far as this saying goes “ panch gav barabar ek vav” which signifies that constructing a baoli was an expensive task so the majority of baoli’s were erected to demonstrate the authority of affluent merchants and rulers, although some were even commissioned by women. It is fascinating to know that baolis were viewed as ‘women spaces’ used not only to fetch water but a place of social gathering. It worked as a perfect spot to spend some quality time, for taking a refreshing bath, resting in those cool arched rooms, and using water to cure illnesses. It almost looked like a path to some magical water.
These step-wells are an example of exceptional architectural ornamentation, with carvings of deities, animals, and plant themes. One can identify a baoli through its basic architectural features which comprises a well shaft and a complex of varandas, rooms, and stair leading down to the water. These rooms, also known as chambers were built to provide structural strength to the side walls as well as used as a shelter by the visitors and animals during summer times.
Evidences for baolis are majorly recorded from the northern states of gujarat, delhi and rajasthan.while baolis with religious significance are mostly found in gujarat, on the other hand in delhi they were mostly used for drinking and bathing purposes. There were more than 100 baolis in Delhi that were lost throughout time, of which just 15 are under the archaeological survey of India and only 12 have been restored and rehabilitated in recent years. In this article we will be looking at three important baolis and their distinctive features.
1. Ugrasaen Ki Baoli, Hailey Road
Starting with Ugrasen ki baoli, situated near hailey road connaught place, lies a rectangular shaped baoli, which has a long stretch of 108 narrowing steps and a massive wall like structure towards the north which separates the stepwell from the main well shaft and it has been beautified by tughlaq era arches. Made of rubble masonry and dressed hard stone,it is a three level chamber which has arched niches on the opposite walls with pathways leading to the side rooms According to some legends it is said to be built by king Agrasen during the time of mahabharata, however there is no evidence to support it. Later it was repaired by a wealthy aggarwal community which is said to be the descendents of raja agrasen. Although it was built by a hindu community we still find an old mosque on the western side of the baoli which makes the whole situation questionable. This stepwell is popular through its appearance in many superhit movies such as Pk and Sultan and hence became a major tourist spot.
2. Kotla Feroz Shah Baoli, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
Another is the city’s only circular baoli, built by Firoz shah tughlaq in 1354 near river yamuna situated inside feroz shah kotla citadel covering an area of 876.13 square meters which makes it the largest baoli in delhi. It is a two-story stepwell with walls adorned with arched niches, a half broken chhatri on the roof and pavilions that could have been used for leisure purposes. One of the primary distinctive features is that it does not have steps down to its bottom; instead, a pulley system was employed to draw water. It has a short passageway that leads to the lower level of the baoli. Currently water from this stepwell is pumped out to irrigate the grounds of Firoz Shah Kotla Fort.
3. Red Fort Baoli, Netaji Subash Chandra Marg
Lastly, red fort L- shaped baoli which was built 327 years before the construction of red fort during tughlaq era and is said to be a part of Salimgarh fort of Salim suri, son of Sher shah suri. Architecturally it has two perpendicular flights of stairs leading to an octangal shaft. It has thick walls surrounded by arched chambers that serve as a temple on the southern side and a burial on the eastern side. These arched rooms were formerly used to imprison great nationalist heroes as captives. Starting from 1857 condition of this baoli has been deteriorated firstly by britishers who used it as a cantonment area and later as a dump yard for many years until restored by ASI. Baolis, the city’s most neglected landmark, tells us of a period when mankind sought water via more delicate and simple ways. But with time even these historical sites are becoming a victim of growing urbanization and industrialization. Making it is hard to preserve such historically relevant places, though projects are being undertaken to improve the conditions of baoli but still many of them are either dried up or used as a dumping ground.
References
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