But perhaps the most impressive features are the intricate decorative sculptures that embellish many stepwells, showing activities from fighting and dancing to everyday acts such as women combing their hair and churning butter.ĭown the centuries, thousands of wells were constructed throughout northwestern India, but the majority have now fallen into disuse many are derelict and dry, as groundwater has been diverted for industrial use and the wells no longer reach the water table. Built from stone and supported by pillars, they also included pavilions that sheltered visitors from the relentless heat. Others are more elaborate, with long stepped passages leading to the water via several storeys. Some wells are vast, open craters with hundreds of steps paving each sloping side, often in tiers. When the water level was high, the user needed only to descend a few steps to reach it when it was low, several levels would have to be negotiated. Some were located in or near villages as public spaces for the community others were positioned beside roads as resting places for travellers.Īs their name suggests, stepwells comprise a series of stone steps descending from ground level to the water source (normally an underground aquifer) as it recedes following the rains. Most stepwells are found dotted around the desert areas of Gujarat (where they are called vav) and Rajasthan (where they are known as baori), while a few also survive in Delhi. During their heyday, they were places of gathering, of leisure, of relaxation and of worship for villagers of all but the lowest castes. Unique to the region, stepwells are often architecturally complex and vary widely in size and shape. However, the significance of this invention – the stepwell – goes beyond its utilitarian application.
Richard Cox travelled to north-western India to document these spectacular monuments from a bygone era.ĭuring the sixth and seventh centuries, the inhabitants of the modern-day states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in North-western India developed a method of gaining access to clean, fresh groundwater during the dry season for drinking, bathing, watering animals and irrigation. Although many have been neglected, recent restoration has returned them to their former glory. You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.Ī millennium ago, stepwells were fundamental to life in the driest parts of India.
0 kommentar(er)
