Chand Baori At Abhaneri
Chand Baori at Abhaneri Village in Rajasthan is the most photogenic step well of India. When you stand next to this 13 story deep step well with symmetric triangular steps leading to the water at the bottom, you cannot but be mesmerized. You, of course, understand that in the desert of Rajasthan, it is a practical water management solution. It also serves as a natural cooler in summer months. But, what inspired the people of those days to build it so beautifully. Were all the public spaces so beautiful in 9th CE? I wonder how India would have looked then.
History of Abhaneri Step Well -
With its history dating back to the 8th Century, Abhaneri Step Well was built by Raja Chanda. Raja Chanda belonged to the Nikhumba Dynasty which ruled the region for almost 400 years.
Raja Chanda had his faith in Harshat Mata, the goddess of joy and happiness. To please Harshat Mata and help the people in his kingdom, Raja Chanda built this step well. Also, there was a temple attached to the stepwell dedicated to Harshat Mata.
It was partially razed in the 10th century but with time, the temple was repaired. Due to its geographical setting and climatic resolutions, the region often faced water scarcity.
To cope up with this problem, Raja Chanda started the construction of the stepwell. In its original setting,
Abhaneri Step Well was only a step well with steps leading to the bottom. In the 18th century when the Mughals invaded the region, they rebuilt the stepwell and constructed walls and built some galleries around the well.
Abhaneri Step Well houses the annual Abhaneri festival which occurs before the Sharad Navratri. The festival is celebrated to embrace and thank Goddess Harshat Mata in a period of 3-days.
During the festival, a diving competition is conducted where the young men of the village participate. Also, the step well is very popular globally that it attracts more international visitors than national.
The Harshat Temple near the stepwell is older than the stepwell and was built around the 7th century. The name of the village, Abhaneri is said to be originated from the blessings of Harshat Mata who endowed to spread brightness (abha) in the lives of the people.
The Architecture of Abhaneri Step Well -
The geometrical setting of the step well is so unique that this setting cannot be seen in modern times. Abhaneri Step Well is 100 ft deep and takes around 3,500 steps to go the bottom. The stepwell has steep steps on its three sides and the fourth side consists of galleries on two floors.
The total 3,500 steps are built sideways and not straight on all three sides. The fourth side, which faces the stepwell houses some idols of Lord Ganesh and Mahisasurmardini and acts like a pavilion comprising of some wonderfully carved jharokhas.
The 3,500 steps of the stepwell make it look like a magical structure and if viewed from a particular distance, they look like an optical illusion. With shadow falling on the steps and sunlight playing its game, the steps of Abhaneri Step Well give a very mystic look.
In ancient times, the step well was more than a step well. At a period in history, the stepwell housed an upper palace and the small palace thing had a few rooms. Though with the years gone by, the palace of the stepwell began to deteriorate and now only a section of it can be seen.
The step well had the ancient water system and the water was used for several purposes. This ancient form of the water storage system was disregarded by the Britishers and citing the reason that the water in Abhaneri Step Well is used for drinking as well as other reasons like bathing and washing, they installed the system of pipes and tanks. This led to the fall of the old-fashion water system in the Abhaneri village.
