Baolis of Mehrauli

The baolis in Mehrauli are located in the South district of Delhi. Two of the baolis, Gandhak ki Baoli and Rajon ki Baoli, lie in the Archaeological Park maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India near Qutab Minar. Gandhak ki Baoli (to the south of the Adham Khan's tomb) is at one extremity of the Archaeological Park. Rajon ki Baoli is {{Convert|200|m}} away from this baoli.{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/asi-revives-three-water-bodies-near-qutub-minar/article6472999.ece|title=ASI revives three water bodies near Qutub Minar|date=5 October 2014|access-date=1 November 2015|newspaper=The Hindu}} Anangtal Baoli is in a forest 100 meters (330 ft) west of the Yogmaya Mandir, behind a neighborhood and outside of the Archaeological Park complex. While the baoli built by Emperor Aurangzeb near Zafar Mahal was illegally occupied and destroyed by locals to make residential houses.{{Cite web|last=Aneja|first=Supreet|date=2018-06-23|title=Delhi: Aurangzeb ki Baoli lost in the sands of time|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/delhi/report-delhi-aurangzeb-ki-baoli-lost-in-the-sands-of-time-2628211|access-date=2021-05-14|website=DNA India|language=en}}

The oldest of the three baolis, Anangtal Baoli, was built in the 11th century (1060 AD) by king Anangpal II of the Tomar dynasty in the then capital area of Lalkot of Delhi. Gandhak ki Baoli is believed to have been built during the 13th century when the slave dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate Iltutmish (1211–1236 AD) ruled over Delhi. The Rajon ki Baoli is named after the rajmistries or masons who used it. It was built during the 16th century, by Daulat Khan during the rule of Sikander Lodhi of the Lodhi Dynasty. The Baoli of Aurangzeb was built by Emperor Aurangzeb. It measured 130 feet by 36 feet while the well was 30 feet in diameter, it contained 74 steps and was built in three stage. The Baoli was illegally demolished by local residents to make way for residential apartments. The area of the Baoli is now an uphill road with rows of homes, shops and warehouses on each side.{{Cite journal|last=Paliwal|first=Amita|title=Zafar Mahal: A history of the Late Mughal Monument|url=https://www.academia.edu/16598808|language=en}}

{{anchor |Anangtal | Anangtal Baoli Anangtal baoli | Anangtal Baoli | Anangtal }}

File:Anangtal Baoli.jpg

The Anangtal Baoli (28°31'31.7"N 77°10'53.8"E), the oldest baoli in Delhi, is a single stage step well, built by the Tomara dynasty ruler Anangpal II (r.c.1051 – c.1081). Anangpal II was instrumental in populating Indraprastha and giving it its present name, Delhi. The region was in ruins when he ascended the throne in the 11th century, it was he who built Lal Kot fort and Anangtal Baoli. The Tomar rule over the region is attested by multiple inscriptions and coins, and their ancestry can be traced to the Pandavas (of the Mahabharata)" said BR Mani, former joint director-general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).{{Cite web|date=2021-03-22|title=Explained: The legacy of Tomar king Anangpal II and his connection with Delhi|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/tomar-king-anangpal-ii-legacy-delhi-7237182/|access-date=2021-04-11|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}

Excavations at this site reveal that the well was probably very large; some steps leading to the water are extant. It used the technique of rainwater harvesting for its storage. The baoli is located in a forest behind a neighborhood and is used as a local waste dump and pig farm, with sewage running into it. While it was supposed to be maintained by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the Delhi High Court ordered that the Yogmaya Mandir Welfare and Management Society take over, since the DDA was failing in its duties.{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/dda-fails-hc-gives-private-body-a-chance/|title=DDA fails, HC gives private body a chance|date=2009-05-11|website=The Indian Express|language=en-IN|access-date=2018-12-08}} As of 8 December 2018, the baoli is not maintained and does not have any markers signifying its historical relevance.

On 27 June 2022 Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena directed officials to redevelop Anangtal Baoli within two months to restore Delhi's lost and abandoned heritage. LG Saxena emphasised that the restoration work must be appropriately done, preserving the structure's heritage identity, especially its hidden aspects.{{Cite web |title=The Lost Baoli of Delhi |url=https://www.studywithsam.com/2022/06/the-lost-baoli-of-delhi-Anangtal-.html |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=Study with Sam - History, G.K., English, Science, Math and more |language=en-gb}}

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The Gandhak ki Baoli ({{coord|28.52078|77.18168|format=dms|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline|name=Gandhak ki Baoli}}) is a much larger step well than the Anangtal Baoli. It was built by Sultan Iltutmish in the early 13th century. It has decorative architectural features. As the name Gandhak implies, the water in the step well has sulphur content and hence smells of sulphur fumes, and the water is said to have curative quality. It has a simple plan with five stages or floors at each stage, in taper down fashion, with steps leading to the water surface at the lowest level. The stairway here is about {{Convert|40|m}} long and {{Convert|12|m}} wide. On each floor there are ornate pillared passages. Over the centuries the step well got silted up and recently ASI imitated action to do desilting. the desilting operations carried out by ASI in 2004–05 has resulted in recuperation of the water in the well to a depth of {{Convert|40|ft}}.

File:Rajon_ki_Baoli's_baoli.jpg

The Rajon ki Baoli ({{coord|28.52028|77.18346|format=dms|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline|name=Rajon ki Baoli}}), rectangular in plan, is the largest and most ornamented of all the three baolis in Mehrauli. It was built by Sikandar Lodi in 1516.{{cite book |last1=Sahai |first1=Surendra |title=Indian Architecture: Islamic Period, 1192-1857 |date=2004 |publisher=Prakash Books, India |isbn=978-81-7234-057-5 |page=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pUnqAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA37 |language=en|quote="Rajon ki baoli ( 1516 ) is one of the major public welfare projects of Sikandar Lodi ." }} It has a series of steps forming four stages, each in descending size, with floors at each stage, leading to the water level from the surrounding ground level. Its appearance is like a courtyard of the medieval period with passages marked by stylized carved symmetrical arches spanning the columns in North Indian architectural style, which form the three sides of the baoli. There are rooms at each floor which once provided a cool resting place for people. With its incised plaster work, the baoli is an elegant architectural edifice. When built the water used to reach up to the third stage. Over the centuries the well got silted up. It has since been desilted. The Archaeological Survey of India has carried out desilting operations of the well which was silted to a depth of {{Convert|20|ft}}, during 2004–05. As a result, the water level has risen by 20 ft and 60 steps in the well lead to the surface of water.

{{anchor | Aurangzeb}}

Situated to the west of Zafar Mahal, near the Dargah of Khwaja Qutub-uddin Bakhtiyar Kaki in Mehrauli it was built by Emperor Aurangzeb in imitation of Gandhak ki Baoli and Rajon Ki Baoli. It measured 130 feet by 36 feet while the well was 30 feet in diameter, it contained 74 steps and was built in three stage. The Baoli was destroyed to make residential houses. The area of the Baoli is now an uphill road with rows of homes, shops and warehouses on each side.

{{anchor | Stepwell | Stepwells}}

• Delhi

• Baolis of Mehrauli, group of 4 stepwells
• Anangtal ki Baoli, built in 11th century by the Tomara dynasty ruler Anangpal II (r.c.1051 – c.1081), is the oldest stepwell in Delhi area and it is a single stage stepwell.

• Gandhak ki Baoli near Qutub Minar and south of Tomb of Adham Khan, early 13th century: built by Sultan Iltutmish (r. 1211–1236),{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Ronald Vivian |title=The Delhi that No-one Knows |date=2005 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-81-8028-020-7 |page=12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cN7-8ZwviRgC&pg=PA12 |language=en}} with {{Convert|40|m}} long and {{Convert|12|m}} wide stairway.

• Rajon Ki Baoli near Qutub Minar and 200 m from Gandhak ki Baoli, built in 1516 CE by Sikandar Lodi.{{cite book |last1=Sahai |first1=Surendra |title=Indian Architecture: Islamic Period, 1192-1857 |date=2004 |publisher=Prakash Books, India |isbn=978-81-7234-057-5 |page=37 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pUnqAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA37 |language=en|quote="Rajon ki baoli ( 1516 ) is one of the major public welfare projects of Sikandar Lodi ." }}

• Aurangzeb ki Baoli in Mehrauli west of Zafar Mahal, near the Dargah of Khwaja Qutub-uddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, built in a late 17th or early 18th century by Emperor Aurangzeb (r. 1658-1707 CE), it is 130 feet by 36 feet with 30 feet diameter well and 74 steps in three stage.{{Cite web|last=Aneja|first=Supreet|date=2018-06-23|title=Delhi: Aurangzeb ki Baoli lost in the sands of time|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/delhi/report-delhi-aurangzeb-ki-baoli-lost-in-the-sands-of-time-2628211|access-date=2021-05-14|website=DNA India|language=en}}

• Agrasen Ki Baolivnear Connaught Place and Jantar Mantar, 14th century or earlier: literally Stepwell of Agrasen,[https://web.archive.org/web/20121021030000/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-01-03/delhi/27142365_1_baoli-asi-official-groundwater-level Agrasen ki Baoli gets new lease of life]. The Times of India, 2 January 2002. . though some of the architectural features are from the 14th century Tughlaq or Lodi period of Delhi Sultanate. This 60-meter long and 15-meter wide stepwell is located on Hailey Road which connects Kasturba Gandhi Road and Barakhamba Road. It opens from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

• Hazrat Nizamuddin Ki Baoli near Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, 14th century: built by Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia during Gyasuddin Tughlaq's reign.{{Cite web |date=2009-04-24 |title=Hidden for over 800 yrs,wonders of Nizamuddin ki Baoli out in the open |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/hidden-for-over-800-yrs-wonders-of-nizamuddin-ki-baoli-out-in-the-open/ |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}

• Dwarka Baoli in Dwarka, 16th century: built in 16th century by the sultans of Lodi Dynasty.{{cite news|last1=Verma|first1=Richi|title=Forgotten Lodi era baoli discovered in busy Dwarka|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Forgotten-Lodi-era-baoli-discovered-in-busy-Dwarka/articleshow/9018659.cms?referral=PM|access-date=8 October 2016|work=timesofindia.indiatimes.com|agency=TNN|publisher=The Times of India|date=28 June 2011}}

• Haryana
• Faridabad: Surajkund built in 10th century located on Southern Delhi Ridge of Aravalli range in Faridabad 8 km (5{{nbsp}}mi) from South Delhi.{{Cite book |last=Sharma |first=Y.D |title=Delhi and its Neighbourhood |page=100 in 161 |work=Surjakund and Anagpur Dam |access-date=2009-09-05 |publisher=Archaeological Survey of India |location=New Delhi |year=2001 |url=http://www.indiaclub.com/Shop/SearchResults.asp?ProdStock=8780 |quote=Page 100: Suraj Kund lies about 3{{nbsp}}km south-east of Tughlaqabad in district Gurgaon---The reservoir is believed to have been constructed in the tenth century by King Surjapal of Tomar dynasty. Page 101: About 2{{nbsp}}km south-west of Surajkund, close to the village of Anagpur (also called Arangpur) is a dam ascribed to Anagpal of the Tomar Dynasty, who is also credited with building the Lal Kot |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050831215230/http://www.indiaclub.com/shop/SearchResults.asp?ProdStock=8780 |archive-date=31 August 2005 |df=dmy-all }}

• Gurugram: Badshahpur group of stepwells has 3 stepwells,
• Badshahpur Mohanlal Stepwell built in 1905 by Mohan Lal and currently owned by his grandson Ved Prakash Mangla (c. 2018), is a stepwell on sector road near Sohna Road in Badshahpur in Gurugram.[http://www.hindustantimes.com/gurgaon/intach-writes-to-state-seeks-preservation-of-100-year-old-stepwell/story-BnNN31JhcG1TDUBHGamD0J.html Intach writes to state, seeks preservation of 100-year-old stepwell], Hindustan Times, 20 January 2018.

• Akhara Stepwell on the same road as Mohanlal Stepwell in Badshahpur, built in 18th-20th centuries in mixed Ahir-Rajput-Jat-Mughal architectural style of 18th-20th centuries.[https://www.hindustantimes.com/gurugram/forgotten-stepwells-fine-examples-of-our-heritage/story-CyzWpFJ78ZsGL7Msu9Z5zI.html Forgotten stepwells fine examples of our heritage], Hindustan Times, 16 September 2019. Both baolis in Badhshapur are nased on the square plan with three side steps and a rectangular single steps to move down into the baoli. A stepped pond was usually built near a temple and the stepped well was built on travel routes or the outskirts of towns by nobles, queens, rich traders and philanthropists of the community to provide drinking water to the passers-by.

• Dhumaspur Stepwell in Djumaspur village near Badshahpur, built in early 19th century.[https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=hi&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jagran.com%2Fharyana%2Fgurgaon-civic-17341839.html The allegations of the ancient Bawdi disappearing on church management], [https://www.jagran.com/haryana/gurgaon-civic-17341839.html Dainik Jagran], 11 January 2018.

• Baoli Ghaus Ali Shah in Farrukhnagar on Farrukhnagar-Jhajjar road near old gate of Farrukhnagar city, 16th century: built by Ghaus Ali Shah, a local chief during the reign of Mughal emperor Farrukh Siyar.[https://haryanatourism.gov.in/Destination/baoli-ghaus-ali-shah Baoli Ghaus Ali Shah], Haryana Tourism, accessed 19th January 2024.

• Rohtak: Choron ki baoli or Shahjahan ki baoli in Maham, built in 1658-59 CE by Saidu Kala, a local vassal of Emperor Shah Jahan (r. 1628-58 CE) on NH-9 Delhi-Rohtak-Meham-Hisar Road.{{Cite web |url=http://www.haryanatourism.gov.in/Destination/shahjahan-ki-baoli |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103014300/http://www.haryanatourism.gov.in/Destination/shahjahan-ki-baoli |archive-date=2018-11-03 |title=Shahjahan ki Baoli |website=Haryana Tourism |language=en-IN |access-date=2018-11-05}}

• History of Delhi
• Paleolithic sites in & around Delhi
• Forts and palaces of Delhi used as the capital
• Stepwells of Delhi

• Stepwell, the following are UNESCO heritage listed
• Chand Baori
• Rani ki vav

• History of water supply and sanitation
• Water supply and sanitation in the Indus-Saraswati Valley Civilisation
• Ancient water conservation techniques
• Ghats
• Johad
• Taanka

==References==

{{Reflist}}

Category:Mehrauli

Category:Stepwells in Delhi

Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century

Category:Monuments of National Importance in Delhi

Category:Stepwells in India