Among other things, Delhi has always
held an important place in the world heritage. The city’s transition from
ancient to medieval and medieval to modern period is evident from its
magnificent architecture and amazing monuments. To explore the medieval
brilliance of this city I recently visited a place called ‘Agrasen ki Baori’,
located in the city’s heart near Connaught Place.
Though there are no known historical records about who
built it, it is assumed that it was built by the legendary king Agrasen during
the Mahabharta era and rebuilt by the agarwal community later. Though
the word baoli confused me, it is well known among the local people of Delhi who
have spent their childhoods in this monument, and I was soon told what this
monument was.
‘Baoli’ is a Hindi word meaning a step
well. When I was told that, the first picture I had of this ancient step well
conserved overtime, was from the movie ‘the ring’. I got Goosebumps and this
left me with this unbelievable curiosity to explore the place. Though I soon
realize that building step wells is an ancient tradition of Indian societies, specially
in Rajasthan and Gujarat to store water, from the time of Indus valley itself.
As soon as you enter, you are
surrounded by the gurgling sound of hundreds of pigeons, and on one side of the
structure is a mosque, which is a monument in itself. The more you climb down
the steps, the gurgling goes soft, the silence deepens and gradually the city
skyline disappears. This 60meter long and 15 meter wide historical step well is
a craze amongst the people, especially youth as a place for fun and gossip. The
beauty of this place forces every visitor to pick up a camera and become an
amateur photographer. The place is also very easy to locate and visit as it is
on walking distance from Barakhamba metro station, near KG Marg, Hailey Road,
Connaught Place and has a ticketless entry, open all days from 9am to 5pm.
After visiting this ‘baoli’ you can also explore the inner and outer circles of
Connaught Place to treat your taste buds and relax at various lounges and cafes
and if you love to shop, then there is Janpath, a fabulous flee market to stuff
your bags with jewellery, electronics clothes etc.
Want to discover more....
One of the most Famous Baoli "Abhaneri" in India is in Abhaneri Village on Jaipur-Agra route. We would write about Abaneri in our next blog. One more famous Baori in Delhi is in Mehrauli, near Qutab Minar.
-Nalini Prasad
