page_title: Stepwell
section_title: In India
hierarchical_section_title: Stepwell / In India
caption_attribution_description: English: Rani ki vav, Patan, India Français&#160;: Le Rani ki vav, Patan, Inde
context_page_description: Stepwells are wells or ponds in which the water is reached by descending a set of steps to the water level. They may be multi-storied with a bullock turning a water wheel to raise the well water to the first or second floor. They are most common in western India and are also found in the other more arid regions of the Indian subcontinent, extending into Pakistan. The construction of stepwells is mainly utilitarian, though they may include embellishments of architectural significance, and be temple tanks.
  Stepwells are examples of the many types of storage and irrigation tanks that were developed in India, mainly to cope with seasonal fluctuations in water availability. A basic difference between stepwells on the one hand, and tanks and wells on the other, is that stepwells make it easier for people to reach the groundwater and to maintain and manage the well.
  The builders dug deep trenches into the earth for dependable, year-round groundwater. They lined the walls of these trenches with blocks of stone, without mortar, and created stairs leading down to the water. The majority of surviving stepwells originally served a leisure purpose as well as providing water.
context_section_description: A number of surviving stepwells can be found across India, including in North Karnataka (Karnataka), Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. In 2016 a collaborative mapping project, Stepwell Atlas, started to map GPS coordinates and collate information on stepwells. Over 2800 stepwells have so far been mapped. In his book Delhi Heritage: Top 10 Baolis, Vikramjit Singh Rooprai mentions that Delhi alone has 32 stepwells. Out of these, 16 are lost, but their locations can be traced. Of the remaining 16, only 14 are accessible to public and the water level in these keeps varying, while 3 are now permanently dry. 
  Significant stepwells include:
  Agrasen ki Baoli, New Delhi
  Rajon ki baoli, New Delhi
  Chand Baori in Abhaneri near Jaipur, Rajasthan
  Rani ki vav at Patan, Gujarat
  Adalaj ni Vav at Adalaj, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
  Dada Harir Stepwell, Ahmedbad
  Navghan Kuvo and Adi Kadi vav, Uparkot Fort, Junagadh
  Toor Ji Ki Baori, Jodhpur
  Birkha Bawari, Jodhpur
  Shahi Baoli, Lucknow
  Raniji ki Baori in Bundi, Rajasthan; Bundi has over 60 baolis in and around the town.
  Panna Meena ka Kund, Amer, India
  Udoji ki Baori, Mandholi, Rajasthan
  Kalyani, Hulikere
  Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple, Karnataka
  Sree Peralassery Temple, Kerala
caption: The Rani ki vav, Patan, Gujarat
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