Jaipur Abhaneri Step Well

Chand Baori (stepwell) in the Abhaneri village is one of the oldest and most popular attractions in Rajasthan. It was built by King Chanda of the Nikumbha Dynasty in 9th century AD. One of the largest stepwells in the world, Chand Baori was built to conserve water and provide a respite from the intense heat. It was a community gathering place for locals as well as royals. Chand Baori is an architectural wonder with 3,500 perfectly symmetrical, narrow steps.

It is this exquisite geometry that draws local and international visitors to it every year. But Chand Baori is not easy to find, making it one of India’s hidden wonders. The play of light and shadow on the steps is what makes the structure so captivating. The baori narrows as one gets closer to the bottom. A double flight of steps on three sides takes one to the surface of the water below. The fourth side is a three-storeyed pavilion with intricately carved jharokhas (windows), galleries and balconies meant for the royal family to sit in. Adjoining the Chand Baori is the Harshat Mata Temple. This 9th-10th century temple is dedicated to Harshat Mata, who is considered to be the goddess of joy and happiness for the whole village.

History of Chand Baori Abhaneri
The history of Chand Baori even predates the Taj Mahal, The Chola Temples as well as The Khajuraho Temples. The step well was built around 8th or 9th Century CE by King Chand Raja, who belonged to the Pratihara dynasty of the Gurjara- Pratihara clan, which makes the baori around 1200 to 1300 years old. This makes the Chand Baori one of the oldest step wells of the world in literal sense. The King always claimed to have been the descendant of Lakshman, the younger brother of Lord Rama of Ayodhya.

The city, which is called Abhaneri at present, was known as Abha Nagari back then and the step well was named after the King Chand Raja himself. The Archaeological survey evidence point out that the high pavilions, upper arcade and the art galleries were added during the 18th Century when Mughal rule was in prominence. It is not known as to who exactly added them however, the designs of the compound walls depict works that could have been the works of the Mughals.

Architecture of Chand Baori Abhaneri
The architectural masterpiece that it is, Chand Baori is a four- sided structure with the famed 19.5 metres deep geometric steps of the step well covering the Baori from three sides and the fourth side is covered by the prominent corridor building with multi-storeyed pavilions. The top of the pavilions have several jharokhas (windows) to get the view of the well from here. The bottom most part of the pavilions has recesses that hold stone sculptures in them along with religious carvings.

The pavilion houses a grand room with a separate stage that is believed to have been meant for the royals to enjoy performances by artists of the court. There is also a room that appears to be the royal residence. There are galleries that take visitors towards the balconies projecting out, that are supported by pillars and house beautiful sculptures of Goddess Mahishasurmardini and Lord Ganesha. The structure of the palace building was renovated or retouched by the Chauhanas and the Mughals. This is proved by the presence of trabeated arches that were typical architectural style used by the Chauhan rulers and the cusped arches, famous in all structures built by the Mughals. The entry to this part of the corridor is now restricted for tourists.

The major attraction of the baori is the incredibly designed double flight geometric steps descending into the water body. There are 3,500 steps built in 13 levels that finally lead to the well and tapers down as one reaches to the bottom, nearer to the water. It should be noted that the entire structure is built out of porous volcanic rocks and stones. This enables the water to seep through the stones and reach to the bottom of the water pool or the well. As one climbs down towards the end of the steps, the temperature surrounding the area drops by almost 5- 6 degrees as compared to the temperature on top of the baori.

The triangular pattern of the steps makes one climb down sideways and this adds to the aesthetics of the architecture. The other possible reason to build the steps in such fashion is to allow access to more people at one time. A closer look at the bottom of the steps would reveal the presence of concealed shafts that were supposedly used to pull water out from the pool.