Now how did people fulfill their water needs in the dry and arid regions? In Indian sub-continent at least, one can see a plethora of ancient reservoirs of water since the time of Dholavira or Mohenjadaro. Be its capital Delhi or the neighboring dry regions, one can see step wells (or Baolis) across the northwestern parts of India. Agrasen or Ugrasen’s Baoli is one of the most beautiful structures and today, it is a popular destination for youngsters.
Most of these water storage structures date back to different periods with some going back to 9th and 10th century or Tugluk days. Living in Delhi, it never struck me to look for them or even glanced at them. They can be found in so many places across this city which has seen the rule of seven dynasties. Red Fort was a place that is only remembered for its massive throne room or the ‘light and sound show’ or the fort serving as a beautiful place for hoisting the national flag on Independence Day. Here too, there was a stepwell but it hardly held any interest for me.
Even the stepwell at Firoz Shah Kotla or the Purana Quila did not attract me much. But after many decades, the Agrasen Ki Baoli did spark an interest after seeing it in a Bollywood movie. Traveling last year from Bengaluru to Delhi, I made it a point to see this ancient stepwell built maybe in the 10th century and later rebuilt by some merchants in the 14th century.
Although the Baoli is situated right in the middle of the city, finding it became a pain as even the autorickshaw driver did not know the place. Going all around in Connaught Place and asking many people on Hailey Road, we could not find it. People were even curious and questioned us about the reasons for searching for an old stepwell. However, after some time, I spotted a couple and asked them and they easily showed us the way.
The Agrasen Ki Baoli is hidden amid the towering skyscrapers of New Delhi. It is now a meeting place for many couples who have an ideal place to chat and pour their hearts out to one another. And once you enter this arched, stone studded structure, you can see how couples are seated right and left from top till the middle of the ancient step well.
One has to go down 108 steps to reach the bottom of the stepwell. A local guide informed me that during monsoons, the stepwell fills up otherwise most of the time, it is dry. Like other step wells in northern India, even this U-shaped structure is multi-level (three levels) and each level has arched niches on both sides. But the bottom ones have places to sit and maybe provided accommodation for travelers in the olden days. There are some passages which lead to rooms but now they are all barricaded.
On the western side of the Baoli, is a tiny mosque and is in a dilapidated condition. It does not seem to have any connection with the stepwell as it may have been built in a different time period. Also, the columns of the mosque are carved with Buddhist motifs. The mosque is very unusual as it may have come upon another existing structure.
Going down the steps and stopping at each level is an experience in itself as one gets to see the stepwell in a different perspective. As I go down the heavy and wide steps, you feel the presence of people who may have trudged along this path, chatting among themselves and spent long hours looking around when it was not surrounded by skyscrapers. It is said women used to frequent this Baoli in the olden days for holding poojas, meditation and some ceremonial occasions and festivities.
One old woman sitting amid the second level told me the place was haunted and one should visit the place in the night. Strange noises can be heard, she informed. But the place is closed after 6 pm. The only sound that I could hear was of the birds while the Baoli itself is home to many families of bats and rock pigeons.
How To Reach There:
It is located in the heart of Delhi that is Connaught Place and is on Hailey Road, near Kasturba Gandhi Marg and a 10-minute walk from Jantar Mantar.
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