Adalaj Stepwell
Encyclopedia
Adalaj Stepwell is a unique Hindu
'water building' in the village of Adalaj
, close to Ahmedabad
town in Gandhinagar district
in the India
n state
of Gujarat. The stepwell
was built in 1499 by Muslim king Mohammed Begda for Queen Rani Roopba, wife of Veer Singh, the Vaghela chieftain. The step well or 'Vav', as it is called in Gujarati
, is intricately carved and is five stories in depth. Such step wells were once integral to the semi arid regions of Gujarat as they provided basic water needs for drinking, washing and bathing. These wells were also venues for colorful festivals and sacred rituals.
Stepwell
s, also called stepped ponds, built between the 5th and 19th centuries, are common in the west of India
; over 120 such wells are reported in the semi-arid region of Gujarat alone, of which the well at Adalaj
is most popular. Stepwells are also found in more arid regions of the subcontinent, extending into Pakistan
, to collect rain water during seasonal monsoons. While many such structures are utilitarian in construction, they sometimes include significant architectural embellishments, as in the Adlaj stepwell, which attracts a large number of tourists. In the past, these stepwells were frequented by travelers and caravans as stopovers along trade routes.
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’).
s of the period from fifth to ninth centuries, during the “High Hindu period”. While the Brahmins were the architects, the builders were artisans of Sompara sect of low–caste Hindus. A wide unbridgable gulf of religious distinction existed between the two groups, with the former getting all the credit.
Before the history of Adalaj Stepwell is stated, it would be informative to mention that the first rock-cut step wells in India are dated from 200 AD to 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
. Between third and second millineum 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 in view 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 in (304.8–609.6 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. By the 11th century, the step well planning and design acquired architectural excellence and the Hindu Stepwells were standardized.
The history of the Adalaj step-well built in 1498 is established by an inscription in Sanskrit 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, wherefater the Muslim king Mohammed Begda of a neighbouring state built it in Indo-Islamic architectural style, in 1499.
The cultural and architectural depiction in the deep wells at various levels are a tribute to the history of step wells, built initially by Hindus and subsequently ornamented and blended with Islamic architecture
during the Muslim
rule.
the stepwell with prayers to God and jumped into the well, thus ending the saga of building the well in tragedy.
The chronology of events that resulted in building of the stepwell is also depicted on the walls of the well. There was no remorseful reaction by Begda as he allowed the well to remain without any defacing.
Another legend narrated is linked to the tombs found near the well. The tombs of six masons who built the well are seen near the Vav. It is said that the Begda asked the Masons if they could build another similar well. But a positive answer from them resulted in a further tragedy as Begda put them to death. Begda was so enamoured of the architectural excellence of the stepwell that he did not want its replica to be built.
Built in sand stone in Indo-Islamic architectural style, the Adlaj stepwell is five stories deep. It is octagonal (8-sided polygon) in plan at the top, built on intricately carved large number of pillars. Each floor is spacious enough to provide for people to congregate. It was dug deep to access ground water at that level, accounting for seasonal fluctuations in water level due to rainfall over the year. The air and light vents in the roofs at various floors and at the landing level are in the form of large openings. From the first story level, three staircases lead to the bottom water level of the well, which is considered a unique feature. Built along a North-South axis, entrance is from the South, the three staircases are from the South, West and East directions leading to the landing, which is on the northern side of the well. Four small rooms with oriel
windows decorated with minutely carved brackets are provided at the landing level, at the four corners. The structural system is typically Indian style with traditional trabeat with horizontal beams and lintels. At the bottom of the well is a square stepped floor in the shape of a funnel extending to the lowest plane. This is chiseled into a circular well. Above the square floor, columns, beams, wall and arched openings spiral around; a feature that continues to the top. The top part of the well, however, is a vertical space open to the sky. The four corners of the square are strengthened with stone beams, set at 45 degrees angle. The motifs of flowers and graphics of Islamic architecture blend very well with the symbols of Hindu and Jain gods carved at various levels of the well. The dominant carvings on the upper floors are of elephants (3 inches (76.2 mm) in size, each of different design). The Islamic architectural style could be attributed to the Muslim king Begda who built it. The walls are carved with women performing daily chores such as churning of buttermilk, adorning themselves, scenes of performance of dancers and musicians, and the King overlooking all these activities.
An interesting depiction carved from a single block of stone is of the Ami Khumbor (symbolic pot of the water of life) and the Kalp Vriksha (a tree of life). Also seen is a fresco of navagraha
or nine planets. These depictions are said to attract villagers for worship during marriage and other ritualistic ceremonies.
It has been implied that the temperature inside the well is about five degrees lower than the outside hot summer temperatures. It is one of the reasons for the ladies who came to fetch water from the well spending considerable time in the cool climes here. They not only collect water but also worship the gods and goddesses depicted at various levels and while away time in good chatter.
A tribute paid to the rich underground structures, which are intricately decorated with sculptures, is that they are said to resemble palaces.
city and is situated 18 kilometres (11.2 mi) north of the city. It is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat.
Ahmedabad is well connected by road, rail and air links with the rest of the country. The international airport at Ahmedabad, known as the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport, has flights operating to several countries. Kalupur
is the railway station closest to the stepwell.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
'water building' in the village of Adalaj
Adalaj
Adalaj is a census town in Gandhinagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat.- Geography :Adalaj is located at . It has an average elevation of 68 metres .- Demographics :...
, close to Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
town in Gandhinagar district
Gandhinagar district
Gandhinagar District is an administrative division of Gujarat, India, whose headquarters are at Gandhinagar, the state capital. It has an area of 649 km², and a population of 1,334,455 of which 35.02% were urban . The district includes Gandhinagar with three Suburbs - Chandkheda, Motera,...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Gujarat. The stepwell
Stepwell
Stepwells, also called bawdi or baoli , or vaav are wells or ponds in which the water can be reached by descending a set of steps. They may be covered and protected, and are often of architectural significance...
was built in 1499 by Muslim king Mohammed Begda for Queen Rani Roopba, wife of Veer Singh, the Vaghela chieftain. The step well or 'Vav', as it is called in Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, is intricately carved and is five stories in depth. Such step wells were once integral to the semi arid regions of Gujarat as they provided basic water needs for drinking, washing and bathing. These wells were also venues for colorful festivals and sacred rituals.
Stepwell
Stepwell
Stepwells, also called bawdi or baoli , or vaav are wells or ponds in which the water can be reached by descending a set of steps. They may be covered and protected, and are often of architectural significance...
s, also called stepped ponds, built between the 5th and 19th centuries, are common in the west of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
; over 120 such wells are reported in the semi-arid region of Gujarat alone, of which the well at Adalaj
Adalaj
Adalaj is a census town in Gandhinagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat.- Geography :Adalaj is located at . It has an average elevation of 68 metres .- Demographics :...
is most popular. Stepwells are also found in more arid regions of the subcontinent, extending into Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, to collect rain water during seasonal monsoons. While many such structures are utilitarian in construction, they sometimes include significant architectural embellishments, as in the Adlaj stepwell, which attracts a large number of tourists. In the past, these stepwells were frequented by travelers and caravans as stopovers along trade routes.
Etymology
While in GujaratiGujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
and Marwari language
Marwari language
The Marwari language , also variously Marvari, Marwadi, Marvadi), is spoken in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Marwari is also found in the neighboring state of Gujarat and Haryana and in Eastern Pakistan...
, the stepwell is called a vav, (leading down to the level of water), in other Hindi-speaking regions of North India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
it is known as a baoli (also spelt, ‘bawdi’, ‘bawri’ and ‘bavadi’).
History
A research scholar, who studied the history and architecture of the stepwells in Gujarat under a Fulbright Fellowship, has termed these wells as “High Hindu Stepwells” because of the recorded literature of the BrahminBrahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
s of the period from fifth to ninth centuries, during the “High Hindu period”. While the Brahmins were the architects, the builders were artisans of Sompara sect of low–caste Hindus. A wide unbridgable gulf of religious distinction existed between the two groups, with the former getting all the credit.
Before the history of Adalaj Stepwell is stated, it would be informative to mention that the first rock-cut step wells in India are dated from 200 AD to 400 AD. Subsequently, the wells at Dhank (550-625) and construction of stepped ponds at Bhinmal
Bhinmal
Bhinmal is a town in the Jalore District of Rajasthan, India. It is 72 km south of Jalore town. The name Bhinmal is derived from the word Shrimal.Bhinmal was old capital of the kingdom of the Gurjars during medieval period....
(850-950) took place.
The city of Mohenjo-daro
Mohenjo-daro
Mohenjo-daro is an archeological site situated in what is now the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Built around 2600 BC, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, and one of the world's earliest major urban settlements, existing at the same time as the...
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
Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that was located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, consisting of what is now mainly modern-day Pakistan and northwest India...
. Between third and second millineum 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 in view 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 in (304.8–609.6 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. By the 11th century, the step well planning and design acquired architectural excellence and the Hindu Stepwells were standardized.
The history of the Adalaj step-well built in 1498 is established by an inscription in Sanskrit 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
Vaghela dynasty
The Vaghela dynasty was a short-lived Indian Rajput dynasty who ruled Gujarat at the second half of the 13th century.-History:The Vaghelas were a branch and feudatories of the Solanki dynasty, who ruled Gujarat from the 10th to the 13th centuries. The Solanki went into decline in the thirteenth...
of Dandai Desh. But he was killed in a war, wherefater the Muslim king Mohammed Begda of a neighbouring state built it in Indo-Islamic architectural style, in 1499.
The cultural and architectural depiction in the deep wells at various levels are a tribute to the history of step wells, built initially by Hindus and subsequently ornamented and blended with Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the foundation of Islam to the present day, influencing the design and construction of buildings and structures in Islamic culture....
during the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
rule.
Legend
There is an interesting legend related to the building of this stepwell. In the 15th century, Rana Veer Singh of the Vaghela dynasty, a Hindu ruler, reigned over this territory, then known as Dandai Desh. His kingdom was attacked by Mohammed Begda, the Muslim ruler of a neighboring kingdom. The battle resulted in the Rana king getting killed. Consequently his territory was occupied by the invader. Rana Veer Singh’s widow, a beautiful lady known by the name Rani Roopba, though in deep grief at the death of her husband, agreed to a marriage proposal made by Mohammed Begda on the condition that he would first complete the building of the stepwell. The Muslim king who was deeply enamoured of the queen’s beauty agreed to the proposal and then built the well in quick time, and with great interest. Once the well was completed, Begda reminded the queen of her promise to marry him. But the queen who had achieved her ambition of completing the stepwell started by her husband, decided to end her life, as mark of devotion to her husband. She circumambulatedCircumambulation
Circumambulation is the act of moving around a sacred object.Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu ritual. It is also practised in Buddhism. In Islam, circumambulation is performed around the Kaaba in Mecca, in a counter-clockwise direction...
the stepwell with prayers to God and jumped into the well, thus ending the saga of building the well in tragedy.
The chronology of events that resulted in building of the stepwell is also depicted on the walls of the well. There was no remorseful reaction by Begda as he allowed the well to remain without any defacing.
Another legend narrated is linked to the tombs found near the well. The tombs of six masons who built the well are seen near the Vav. It is said that the Begda asked the Masons if they could build another similar well. But a positive answer from them resulted in a further tragedy as Begda put them to death. Begda was so enamoured of the architectural excellence of the stepwell that he did not want its replica to be built.
Structure
Oriel window
Oriel windows are a form of bay window commonly found in Gothic architecture, which project from the main wall of the building but do not reach to the ground. Corbels or brackets are often used to support this kind of window. They are seen in combination with the Tudor arch. This type of window was...
windows decorated with minutely carved brackets are provided at the landing level, at the four corners. The structural system is typically Indian style with traditional trabeat with horizontal beams and lintels. At the bottom of the well is a square stepped floor in the shape of a funnel extending to the lowest plane. This is chiseled into a circular well. Above the square floor, columns, beams, wall and arched openings spiral around; a feature that continues to the top. The top part of the well, however, is a vertical space open to the sky. The four corners of the square are strengthened with stone beams, set at 45 degrees angle. The motifs of flowers and graphics of Islamic architecture blend very well with the symbols of Hindu and Jain gods carved at various levels of the well. The dominant carvings on the upper floors are of elephants (3 inches (76.2 mm) in size, each of different design). The Islamic architectural style could be attributed to the Muslim king Begda who built it. The walls are carved with women performing daily chores such as churning of buttermilk, adorning themselves, scenes of performance of dancers and musicians, and the King overlooking all these activities.
An interesting depiction carved from a single block of stone is of the Ami Khumbor (symbolic pot of the water of life) and the Kalp Vriksha (a tree of life). Also seen is a fresco of navagraha
Navagraha
Graha is a 'cosmic influencer' on the living beings of mother Bhumidevi . In Hindu astrology, the Navagraha are some of these major influencers.All the navagraha have relative movement with respect to the background of fixed stars in the zodiac...
or nine planets. These depictions are said to attract villagers for worship during marriage and other ritualistic ceremonies.
It has been implied that the temperature inside the well is about five degrees lower than the outside hot summer temperatures. It is one of the reasons for the ladies who came to fetch water from the well spending considerable time in the cool climes here. They not only collect water but also worship the gods and goddesses depicted at various levels and while away time in good chatter.
A tribute paid to the rich underground structures, which are intricately decorated with sculptures, is that they are said to resemble palaces.
Visitor information
The Adalaj step-well is a popular tourist attraction of the AhmedabadAhmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
city and is situated 18 kilometres (11.2 mi) north of the city. It is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat.
Ahmedabad is well connected by road, rail and air links with the rest of the country. The international airport at Ahmedabad, known as the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport, has flights operating to several countries. Kalupur
Kalupur
-Location:Kalupur is the central part of Ahmedabad city. Kalupur Bus Station runs buses to all major destinations in Ahmedabad city. The station is operated by Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service .Ahmedabad railway station is also at Kalupur....
is the railway station closest to the stepwell.