Baolis of New Delhi

     For our first post we wanted to write about the Baolis of New Delhi, as they are relatively lesser known than the " more spoken about" monuments present here. A baoli or step well is a beautifully constructed water reservoir in which the water can be reached by a descending  set of stairs. These baolis can be multi-storied, with floors having arched entrances and pillared corridors.

       All forms of the step-well may be considered to be particular examples of the many types of storage and irrigation tanks that were developed in India ( mostly western India), mainly to cope with seasonal fluctuations in water availability. A basic difference between step-wells and tanks & wells was to make it easier for people to reach the ground water, and to maintain and manage the well. Baolis can be mainly found in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi,  Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

We visited three baolis in Delhi:

 The first was Ugrasen ki  Baoli, which is believed to be originally built by the legendary king Agrasen during the Mahabharata epic era and rebuilt in the 14th century by the Agrawal community, which traces it's origin to Maharaja Agrasen. It's located on the Hailey Road near Connaught Place, a short walk from Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. On entering the Baoli, one is shocked and awed by the grandness of the well. It's very

well hidden a midst a residential area and one can easily miss the narrow road leading to it.  It is a relatively simple structure, consisting of single flight of 103 steps that culminate in a now dry water tank.  The stone walls of the well are stark yet beautiful, forming a 60 x 15 meter rectangle made up of a series of superimposed arcades.

    Rajon ki Baoli built by Daulat Khan during the reign of Sikandar Lodi in 1516 is completely different from Ugrasen's baoli. It's located in the Meherauli Archaeological Park very close to Qutub Minar. It's wider, more squarish,  three storey well with a single flight of stairs leading to the now dry bottom. To the eastern side there is a small mosque with traces of a beautiful blue plaster.  Unlike other baolis, there is in fact a deep cylindrical well on the northern side of the baoli which is flanked by two staircases leading to the different stories of the baoli.

    Gandhak ki Baoli, which is very similar to Ugrasen ki Baoli, fortunately still has some water in it. It was built by the slave ruler Iltutmish in the 13th century, and was perhaps used by local residents of that time for sporting purposes like diving. It's named so as the water smelled of sulphur (gandhak). This baoli is just outside the Meherauli Archaeological Park and is still used by the locals, especially the kids, for bathing.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikul-delhi/
Click on the above link to view some more pictures of this edition.

All pictures have been taken by Malavika Chatterjee and Radhapriya.