5/5 bharath k. 10 months ago on Google
While
in
Gujarati
and
Marwari
language,
the
stepwell
is
called
a
vav
(leading
down
to
the
level
of
water),
in
other
Hindi-speaking
regions
of
North
India,
it
is
known
as
a
baoli
(also
spelt,
'bawdi',
'bawri'
and
'bavadi')
Step
wells
like
the
one
in
Adalaj
were
once
integral
to
the
semi-arid
regions
of
Gujarat,
as
they
provided
water
for
drinking,
washing,
and
bathing.
These
wells
were
also
venues
for
colorful
festivals
and
sacred
rituals.
Stepwells,
also
called
stepped
ponds,
built
between
the
5th
and
19th
centuries,
are
common
in
Western
India;
over
120
such
wells
are
reported
in
the
semi-arid
region
of
Gujarat
alone,
of
which
the
well
at
Adalaj
is
one
of
the
most
popular.
Stepwells
are
also
found
in
more
arid
regions
of
the
Indian
subcontinent,
extending
into
Pakistan
to
collect
rainwater
during
seasonal
monsoons.
While
many
such
structures
are
utilitarian
in
construction,
they
sometimes
include
significant
architectural
embellishments,
as
in
the
Adalaj
stepwell,
which
attracts
many
tourists.
In
the
past,
these
stepwells
were
frequented
by
travelers
and
caravans
as
stopovers
along
trade
routes.[2][4][5][6]
India's
first
rock-cut
stepwells
are
dated
from
200-400
AD.
Subsequently,
the
wells
at
Dhank
(550-625)
and
construction
of
stepped
ponds
at
Bhinmal
(850-950)
took
place
The
city
of
Mohenjo-daro
has
wells,
which
may
be
the
predecessor
of
the
step
well;
as
many
as
700
wells
have
been
discovered
in
just
one
section
of
the
city,
leading
scholars
to
believe
that
cylindrical
brick
lined
wells
were
invented
by
the
people
of
the
Indus
Valley
civilization.[2][4][8]
Between
third
and
second
millennium
BC,
at
the
"Great
Bath",
at
the
site
of
Mohenjodaro
of
the
Harappan
civilization,
filling
of
water
was
achieved
from
a
large
well
located
in
one
of
the
rooms
in
front
of
the
open
courtyard
of
the
building–complex.
While
early
stepwells
were
made
of
stone,
later
step
wells
were
made
of
mortar,
stucco,
rubble,
and
laminar
stones.
The
well
cylinder
was
the
basic
form
used
to
deepen
the
wells.
It
is
also
inferred
that
the
Stepwells
in
Gujarat
have
survived
so
long
because
of
the
builder's
knowledge
of
the
soil
conditions
and
the
earthquake
proneness
of
the
region.
The
well
size
recommended,
based
on
considerations
of
stability,
was
of
four
to
thirteen
hasta
('hasta'
a
Sanskrit
word,
which
means
"forearm"
of
size
varying
from
12–24
inches
(300–610
mm)),
A
size
of
eight
hasta
was
considered
ideal,
and
a
13
hasta
well
was
considered
dangerous.
However,
the
well
thickness
from
top
to
bottom
remained
generally
uniform.[11]
By
the
11th
century,
the
stepwell
planning
and
design
acquired
architectural
excellence
and
the
Hindu
Stepwells
were
standardized
The
Adalaj
stepwell
or
'Vav',
as
it
is
called
in
Gujarati,
is
intricately
carved
and
is
five
stories
deep.
It
was
built
in
1498.
An
inscription
in
Sanskrit
establishes
the
history
of
the
Adalaj
stepwell
found
on
a
marble
slab
positioned
in
a
recess
on
the
first
floor,
from
the
eastern
entry
to
the
well.
Its
construction
was
started
by
Rana
Veer
Singh
of
the
Vaghela
dynasty
of
Dandai
Desh.
But
he
was
killed
in
a
war,
whereafter
the
Muslim
king
Mahmud
Begada
of
a
neighboring
state
built
it
in
Indo-Islamic
architectural
style,
in
1499
