Stepwell Stepwells (also known as vavs or baori) are wells or ponds with a long corridor of steps that descend to the water level. Stepwells played a significant role in defining subterranean architecture in western India from 7th to 19th century. So ...

s are wells in which the water is reached by steps. They are most commonly found in

western India Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of its western part. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative division includes the states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra along with the Union ...

especially

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

where over 120 such wells are reported. The origin of the stepwell may be traced to reservoirs of the cities of the Indus Valley civilization such as

Dholavira Dholavira ( gu, ધોળાવીરા) is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District, in the state of Gujarat in western India, which has taken its name from a modern-day village south of it. This village is ...

and

Mohenjo-daro Mohenjo-daro (; sd, موئن جو دڙو'', ''meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men';Veda upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

s and the steps to reach the water level in artificially construed reservoirs can be found in the sites of Indus Valley civilization such as

and

Mohenjo-daro Mohenjo-daro (; sd, موئن جو دڙو'', ''meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men'; Adi Kadi Vav 03

The earliest example of a bath-like pond reached by steps is found at the Uparkot caves in

Junagadh Junagadh () is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located at the foot of the Girnar hills, southwest of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar (the state capital), it is the seventh largest city in the state. Literally ...

. These caves have been dated to the fourth century.

Navghan Kuvo Navghan Kuvo is a stepwell in Uparkot Fort, Junagadh, Gujarat, India. History Navghan Kuvo is named after the Chudasama king Ra Navaghana. The forecourt to reach the well was probably built during his reign in 11th century. It is believed to have ...

, a well with circular staircase, in the vicinity, is another example. It was possibly built in the

Western Satrap The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas (Brahmi:, ''Mahakṣatrapa'', "Great Satraps") were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central part of India ( Saurashtra and Malwa: modern Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh ...

(200-400 AD) or

Maitraka The Maitraka dynasty ruled western India (now Gujarat) from approximately 475 to approximately 776 CE from their capital at Vallabhi. With the sole exception of Dharapaṭṭa (the fifth king in the dynasty), who followed the Mithraic mysteries, ...

(600-700 AD) period though some place it as late as the 11th century. The nearby

Adi Kadi Vav Adi Kadi Vav or Adi Chadi Vav is a stepwell in Uparkot Fort, Junagadh, Gujarat, India. The date of its construction is uncertain. History According to Junagadh district administration website, the stepwell was constructed in 15th century. Other ...

is constructed either in the second half of the 10th century or 15th century. The earliest stepwells are found at Dhank in

Rajkot district Rajkot district is one of the 33 districts of the Indian state of Gujarat. Located in Saurashtra peninsula, Rajkot city is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is the third-most advanced district in Gujarat and the fourth most po ...

of Gujarat; they are dated to the pre-Chalukyan period. The nearby Bochavdi stepwell near Bochavdi Nes in Alech hills is slightly earlier than two other stepwells in Dhank. These are the Jhilani stepwell dated to 600 AD and the Manjushri stepwell dated to the early seventh century based on their Saurastra style architecture.

10th-12th century

The stepwell as a form of artistic architecture started during the Chaulukya period. The stepwell situated west of ''kund'' of Modhera Sun Temple may belong to the 11th century whereas the ''mandapa'' above ground is from the 10th century. The Rani ki vav (the Queen's stepwell) of Patan was constructed around 1050 AD. Ankol Mata stepwell at Davad and

Mata Bhavani's Stepwell Mata Bhavani's Stepwell or Mata Bhavani ni Vav is a stepwell in Asarwa area of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. History and architecture Mata Bhavani's stepwell was built in the 11th century during Chaulukya dynasty rule in Gujarat. It is one of the e ...

in Ahmedabad belonged to the third quarter of the 11th century. Several stepwells are ascribed to Minaldevi, the mother of Chaulukya ruler

Jayasimha Siddharaja Jayasiṃha ( ), who assumed the title Siddharāja (), was an Indian king who ruled western parts of India. He was a member of the Chaulukya (also called Solanki) dynasty. Jayasimha's capital was located at Anahilapataka (modern Patan) in pres ...

. The lake in

Viramgam Viramgam is a town and former princely state in the Indian state of Gujarat. The town is located in the Ahmedabad district, which contains the city of Ahmedabad, the state's largest city. Gateway Distriparks notably flagged off the first export ...

and a stepwell in Nadiad are ascribed to her. The Minal stepwell in Balej village in

Sabarkantha district Sabarkantha district is one of the 33 districts of Gujarat state of India and is located in the northeastern part of the state. The administrative headquarters of the district are located in Himatnagar. Geography Sabarkantha District is bounded ...

is ascribed to her and was built in 1095 AD (Samvat 1152). Another Minaldevi Vav in Virpur in

is also ascribed to her and has stylistic affinities to Chaulukya architecture. Asapuri stepwell of Ahmedabad and the stepwell of Jhinjhuwada are of the 12th century. The Chaumukhi stepwell of Chobari in Surendranagar district depicts religious figures similar to nearby temples. The stepwell in Dhandhalpur is ascribed to Jayasimha Siddharaja. During the reign of Kumarapala in the 12th century, several stepwells were constructed. The stepwell at Vayad near Patan was built during this time. Ganga stepwell at Wadhwan has been dated to 1169 AD (Samvat 1225). During the later years of the Chaulukya period, construction slowed down due to political unrest. The Vikia and Jetha stepwells near Navlakha Temple, Ghumli near the Barda hills belonged to the 13th century. The Gyan stepwell near Visavada village in the Barda hills is ascribed to the time of Bhima II. The ruined stepwell of nearby Keshav village is of the same period.

12th-13th century

The Ra Khengar stepwell between

Vanthali Vamansthli (Vanthli)is a city and a municipality in Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Demographics India census, Vanthali had a population of 21,891. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Vanthali has an avera ...

and

is stated to be constructed by Tejapala of the

Vastupala Vastupāla (died 1240 CE) was a prime minister of the Vāghelā king Vīradhavala and his successor Vīsaladeva, who ruled in present-day Gujarat region of India, in the early 13th century. Although he served in an administrative and military ca ...

-Tejapala, the brother-ministers in Vaghela court. It belongs to the early Vaghela period. Visaldev of

Vaghela dynasty The Vaghela dynasty were an offshoot vassal clan connected to the Chaulukya (Solanki) dynasty, ruling Gujarat in the 13th century CE. Their capital was Dholka. They were the last Hindu dynasty to rule Gujarat before the Muslim conquest of ...

built the stepwell along with gates and temples at Dabhoi, completed in 1255. The Satmukhi stepwell in Dabhoi is a temple built over a tank with seven wells ascribed to him. The Madhavav in Wadhwan was built in 1294 AD (Vikram Samvat 1350) by Nagar Brahmin Madha and Keshav, the ministers in court of the last Vaghela ruler

Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic '' Mahābhārata''. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti (mother of the ...

. The Batris Kotha stepwell in Kapadvanj may have belonged to the 13th century due to its similarity with the Madha and Vikia stepwells.

14th-15th century

A large number of stepwells were constructed in the 14th century. Sodhali stepwell in Mangrol was built in 1319 AD (V. S. 1375) by Vali Sodhala of Modha caste. The Brahma Vav near the Brahma temple of Khedbrahma belonged to the 14th century judged by its style. The Suda stepwell in Mahuva (1381 AD), Hani stepwell in Dhandhusar (1389–1333 AD) and Siddhnath Mahadev stepwell in Dholka were built during Tughluq rule in Gujarat. The stepwell of Sampa near Ahmedabad was built in 1328 AD. The Rajba stepwell of Rampura near Wadhwan and the Wadhwani stepwell in

Khambhat Khambhat (, ), also known as Cambay, is a city and the surrounding urban agglomeration in Anand district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was once an important trading center, but its harbour gradually silted up, and the maritime trade moved ...

were built in 1483 and 1482 respectively based on the earlier Madha stepwell of Wadhwan. The Dada Harir Stepwell was built in 1499 by the ''harem'' lady of Mahmud Begada. The two stepwells in Kaleshwari-Ni Nal near Lunawada belongs to 14-15th century but the iconography in it belongs to 10th century. During this period, the religious aspect of stepwells lost its significance. The stepwell of Sodali village near Mahemdavad and the stepwell in Mahemdavad itself, both of which belonged to the 15th century rule of Mahmud Begada, are its example. The two stepwells found in and around

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capita ...

are of the 15th century; one is near Sewasi village (V. S. 1537) and the other is the Navalakhi stepwell (1405 AD) of

Laxmi Vilas Palace The Lakshmi Vilas Palace in Vadodara, Gujarat, India, was constructed by the Gaekwad family, a prominent Maratha family, who ruled the Baroda State. Major Charles Mant was credited to be the main architect of the palace. Lakshmi Vilas Palace ...

. The

Adalaj Stepwell Adalaj Stepwell or Rudabai Stepwell is a stepwell located in the village of Adalaj, close to Gandhinagar city in Gandhinagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat, and considered a fine example of Indian architecture work. It was built i ...

was constructed by Rudabai in 1499 AD. A nearby stepwell in Chhatral also belongs to the same period.

16th-18th century

The Nagabawa stepwell in Dhrangdhra (1525 AD) and Jiva Mehta stepwell in

Morbi Morbi or Morvi is a city in the Morbi district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is situated on the Kathiawar peninsula. , the city's population was determined to be 194,947. The city is on the Machhu River, from the sea and from Rajkot. Hi ...

are of the same style and period. The stepwell of Roho (1560 AD) was built by Champa, the wife of Raja Shri Nanaji and her daughter. There are also important stepwells in Palanpur and Jhinjhuwada. Several stepwells are plain in design without any ornamentation which makes it difficult to ascertain their period, but they may belong to the 16th or 17th century. Such stepwells are in Hampur and Idar, as well as the Matri stepwell in Kankavati and Gyaneshwari stepwell in

Modhera Modhera is a village in Mehsana district of Gujarat, India. The town is well known for the Sun Temple of Chaulukya era. The town is located on the bank of Pushpavati river. History The town was known as Dharmaranya during Puranic age. It is be ...

. The stepwell of

Mandva Mandva (also spelled Mandwa) is a small village and former princely state in present-day Gujarat state, western India. History The petty princely state covered . It ceased to exist on 10 June 1948 by accession to newly independent India's B ...

in north Gujarat is similar to that of Mahemdavad so may belong to that period. The Sindhvai Mata stepwell in Patan has an inscription dating to 1633 AD. The Ravli stepwell of Mangrol is of the 17th century. The stepwell in Limboi near Idar has Chaulukya style ornamentation and has been dated to 1629 AD. The Amritavarshini Vav in Ahmedabad, completed in 1723, is L-shaped.

19th-20th century

The authorities during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

found the hygiene of the stepwells less than desirable and installed pipe and pump systems to replace their purpose. Jethabhai's Stepwell in Isanpur, Ahmedabad was completed in the 1860s for irrigation. The stepwell of Wankaner palace was built by erstwhile rulers in the 1930s as a cool place of retreat for the royal family. It was built in white sandstone and is the last monument of its kind. Due to waterpumps and pipe-systems, the stepwells lost their significance and due to economic cost, they were not constructed thereafter.

References

Bibliography

* {{cite book, author=Jutta Jain-Neubauer, title=The Stepwells of Gujarat: In Art-historical Perspective, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=61fSwBF4bbYC, year=1981, publisher=Abhinav Publications, isbn=978-0-391-02284-3, pages=19–24, ref={{sfnref , The Stepwells of Gujarat: In Art-historical Perspective, 1981 * Cultural history of Gujarat Indian architectural history