• Jan 25 2016
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Octagonal Stepwell

There are more than 3,000 stepwells built between the 7th and mid-19th centuries which dot the semi-arid landscape of Gujarat and Rajasthan in western India, and several are located along trade routes that carry into Central Asia. These elaborate architectural wonders, usually from three to nine levels deep , mark the invisible landscape of underground water, providing life and sustenance to villages and communities as well as cool shade for weary travellers. 

The gift of water in India is considered a pious act; consequently, many stepwells were funded by women and men of means (wealth) – kings, queens, merchants, and traders – often to honour a deceased relative or a deity - typically a female goddess. Indeed, water is largely associated with the feminine in India and stepwells were also special spaces for women, to fetch water, meet friends, and spend time away from the confines of home and domestic work. 

Most stepwells were sites of rites and rituals, prayers for health and fertility, offerings, and blessings sought for newly married couples. However, patterns of social differentiation marked access to many stepwells due to the caste system. Often well-diggers and water diviners came from socio-economic groups that were denied access to the community water assets they had helped build.