subject: The Significance Of bawadis In Rajasthan [print this page] The significance of Bawadis in Rajasthan The significance of Bawadis in Rajasthan
The cultural heritage of Rajasthan abides in the glory of Rajput kings, architectural forts, enchanting festivals and pleasing courtesy of people. Most of the tourists who select Rajasthan as a picnic spot are unaware of the importance and beauty of Bawadis there, so they rarely visit the Bawadis. The article provides the details of some of the picturesque and historic Bawadis in Rajasthan.
The term Bawadi in Hindi means step wells. To save life we need to save water, is an adage followed from ancient days until now. The step wells in Rajasthan showcase the importance of preserving water. Step wells are artificial water backlogs to preserve water. Some reservoirs in Rajasthan hold a history of more than 100 years of water management. Most of the step wells are still providing water for the needs of the locale.
Many of the districts in Rajasthan are arid, and women had to travel a long distance to fetch their pots or pitchers. The water crisis in Rajasthan at summers was consistent. To preserve water and to save people from crisis, kings initiated the construction of step wells. According to the history the architects started constructing the Bawadis from 1730 onwards. Many of these step wells were ruined due to the lack of care and some are still maintained in the same structure. Bawadis in Rajasthan are exquisite in design and the visitors will find it worthy, if they add these to their selected India tour packages.
The historic step wells in the Bundi district of Rajasthan are magnificent to watch. The walls of the wells have the carvings of leaves, flowers and birds. They have an image of Lord Ganesha carved on the one side and goddess Saraswati on the other. The water in the wells reflects the beauty of these two images. The Nagar Sagar Kund is an artificial lake dedicated to God of Water, Varuna in the heart of Bundi. There is a shrine in the centre of the lake and the 200 feet deep step well near the lake named Rani- ji- ki- baori is amazing in all ways.
The twin step wells in Nagar Sagar Kund are also visible from Taragarh Fort. According to the history, the queen of Raja Anirudh Singh constructed more than 20 step wells at Bundi. The oldest of all the Bawadis in Rajasthan is the one near Udaipur district, better known as Maa Ji Ki Bawadi. It is close to Jagdish Chowk area, holding a history of 300 years. The 70 feet deep step well is left abandoned for 40 years, now the people realized its importance and the renovation process are being done by Jagdish Mandir Seva Samiti. Municipal Corporation of Udaipur is taking all the possible steps to clean up the Bawadi along with the Samiti.
Besides providing water for the public, the step wells served as a place for the women to assemble together and spend their time in interacting. So the step wells remained an integral part of the social life in Rajasthan until the pipeline system of water supply was introduced; hence some of them in Bundi and Udaipur are still preserved without losing its historic value.
