The Baolis of Mehrauli are four stepwells approached through single stage or three stage steps, located in Mehrauli in Delhi, India, in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park mainlined by the Archaeological Survey of India. These are the Anangtal Baoli, the Gandhak Ki Baoli, and the Rajon Ki Baoli. [2] [3] These were built below the ground level as ground water edifices and were built near shrines in medieval times. [4]
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) [4] is at one extremity of the Archaeological Park. [2] Rajon ki Baoli is 200 metres (660 ft) away from this baoli. [5] 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. [6]
The oldest of the three baolis, Anangtal Baoli, was built in the 11th century (1060 AD) [4] 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, [3] [4] by Daulat Khan during the rule of Sikander Lodhi of the Lodhi Dynasty. [3] 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. [6] [7]
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). [8]
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. [9] 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. [10]
The Gandhak ki Baoli ( 28°31′15″N77°10′54″E / 28.52078°N 77.18168°E ) is a much larger step well than the Anangtal Baoli. It was built by Sultan Iltutmish in the early 13th century. [1] 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. [2] [3] The stairway here is about 40 metres (130 ft) long and 12 metres (39 ft) wide. [4] 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. [2] [3] the desilting operations carried out by ASI in 2004–05 has resulted in recuperation of the water in the well to a depth of 40 feet (12 m). [5]
The Rajon ki Baoli ( 28°31′13″N77°11′00″E / 28.52028°N 77.18346°E ), rectangular in plan, is the largest and most ornamented of all the three baolis in Mehrauli. It was built by Sikandar Lodi in 1516. [11] 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. [2] [3] 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 20 feet (6.1 m), 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. [5]
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. [6]
The Qutb Minar complex are monuments and buildings from the Delhi Sultanate at Mehrauli in Delhi, India. Construction of the Qutub Minar "victory tower" in the complex, named after the religious figure Sufi Saint Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, was begun by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who later became the first Sultan of Delhi of the Mamluk dynasty. It was continued by his successor Iltutmish, and finally completed much later by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, a Sultan of Delhi from the Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1412) in 1368 AD. The Qubbat-ul-Islam Mosque, later corrupted into Quwwat-ul Islam, stands next to the Qutb Minar.
The Qutb Minar, also spelled Qutub Minar and Qutab Minar, is a minaret and "victory tower" that forms part of the Qutb complex, which lies at the site of Delhi's oldest fortified city, Lal Kot, founded by the Tomar Rajputs. It consists of 399 steps It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli area of South Delhi, India. It is one of the most visited tourist spots in the city, mostly built between 1199 and 1220.
Mehrauli is a neighbourhood in South Delhi, Delhi, India. It represents a constituency in the legislative assembly of Delhi. The area is close to Gurugram and next to Vasant Kunj.
Quṭb al-Aqṭāb Khwāja Sayyid Muḥammad Bakhtiyār al-Ḥusaynī, Quṭb al-Dīn Bakhtiyār Kākī was a Sunni Muslim Sufi mystic, saint and scholar of the Chishti Order from Delhi, India. He was the disciple and the spiritual successor of Mu'in al-Din Chishti as head of the Chishti order. Before him the Chishti order in India was confined to Ajmer and Nagaur. He played a major role in establishing the order securely in Delhi. His dargah located adjacent to Zafar Mahal in Mehrauli, and the oldest dargah in Delhi, is also the venue of his annual Urs festivities. The Urs was held in high regard by many rulers of Delhi like Iltutmish who built a nearby stepwell, Gandhak ki Baoli for him, Sher Shah Suri who built a grand gateway, Bahadur Shah I who built the Moti Masjid mosque nearby and Farrukhsiyar who added a marble screen and a mosque.
Lal Kot or Qila Rai Pithora is a fortified complex in present-day Delhi, which includes the Qutb Minar complex. It was constructed in the reign of Tomara king Anangpal Tomar between c. 1052 - c.1060 CE. It is termed as the "First city of Delhi". Remains of the fort walls are scattered across South Delhi, visible in present Saket, Mehrauli around Qutb complex, Sanjay Van, Kishangarh and Vasant Kunj areas.
Stepwells are wells, cisterns or ponds with a long corridor of steps that descend to the water level. Stepwells played a significant role in defining subterranean architecture in western India from 7th to 19th century. Some stepwells are multi-storeyed and can be accessed by a Persian wheel which is pulled by a bull to bring 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.
Delhi has been an important political centre of India as the capital of several empires. The recorded history of Delhi begins with the 8th century Tomar Rajputs kingdom. It is considered to be a city built, destroyed and rebuilt several times, as outsiders who successfully invaded the Indian subcontinent would ransack the existing capital city in Delhi, and those who came to conquer and stay would be so impressed by the city's strategic location as to make it their capital and rebuild it in their own way.
Agrasen Ki Baoli is a 60-meter long and 15-meter wide historical stepwell in New Delhi, India.
Surajkund is an ancient reservoir of the 10th century located on Southern Delhi Ridge of Aravalli range in Faridabad city of Haryana state about 8 km from South Delhi. Surajkund is an artificial Kund built in the backdrop of the Aravalli hills with an amphitheatre shaped embankment constructed in semicircular form. It is said to have been built by the king Surajpal of the Tomara Rajputs in the 10th century. Tomar, a younger son of Anangpal Tomar – the Rajput ruler of Delhi, was a sun worshipper and he had therefore built a Sun temple on its western bank. Surajkund is known for its annual fair "Surajkund International Craft Mela", 2015 edition of this fair was visited by 1.2 million visitors including 160,000 foreigners with more than 20 countries participating in it.
Yogmaya Temple, also Jogmaya temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Yogmaya, also considered to be a sister of Krishna as she took avatar as Vindhyavasini, and situated in Mehrauli, New Delhi, India, close to the Qutb complex. According to local priests and native records, this is one of those 27 temples destroyed by Mamluks and it is the only surviving temple belonging to pre-sultanate period which is still in use. Hindu king Samrat Vikramaditya Hemu reconstructed the temple and brought back the temple from ruins. During Aurangzeb's reign a rectangular Islamic Style hall was added to the temple. Though its original architecture could never be restored after its destruction by Islamic rulers, but its reconstruction had been carried out repetitively by the locals.
Metcalfe House is the name given to two residential houses built in the 19th century in Delhi; one is near Old Delhi Civil Lines and the other is in Mehrauli, South Delhi. These were built by Sir Thomas Metcalfe (1795–1853), a civil servant, when he was the Governor General's last British resident (agent) at the Mughal court of Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.
Zafar Mahal, in Mehrauli village, in South Delhi, India, is considered as the last monumental structure built as a summer palace during the fading years of the Mughal era. The building has two components namely, the Mahal or the palace, which was built first by Akbar Shah II in the 18th century, and the entrance gate that was reconstructed in the 19th century by Bahadur Shah Zafar II, popularly known as "Zafar" meaning ‘Victory’. It has a forlorn history because Bahadur Shah Zafar, who wished to be buried in the precincts of the Zafar Mahal (palace) and the famous Dargah of Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki in Mehrauli, Delhi, was deported by the British to Rangoon, after the First War of Indian Independence in 1857, where he died of old age. The monument today is in a neglected and ruined state, locals play cricket and gamble freely inside the protected monument. The 18th-century palace has been all but subsumed by unauthorised constructions.
The Anangpur Dam is an Indian hydraulic engineering structure built during the reign of the King Anangpal I of the Tomara Rajputs in the 8th century. It is located near the Anangpur village in Faridabad district, Haryana, India.
Badshapur is one of the 4 sub-division of Gurugram district of Haryana state, situated on the Gurugram-Sohna road (NH-248A). It is named after the Badshahpur Fort, which in turn was the abode of the wife of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. Badshahpur is a part of Badshahpur assembly constituency of Haryana having majority of Rao Sahabs/Ahirs.
Rajon ki Baoli also referred as Rajon ki Bain is a famous stepwell in Mehrauli Archaeological Park of Delhi, India.
Anangpal II, popularly known as Anangpal Tomar, was an Indian ruler from the Tomara dynasty. He is known to have established and populated Delhi in the 11th century. He is often confused with Anangpal I, the founder of Tomar Dynasty of Delhi, who had reigned during the 8th century. He traced the lineage to Chandravanshi Kshatriya kings, namely Arjuna from the epic Mahabharata.
Dwarka Baoli is a historical stepwell recently discovered in Dwarka Sub City, in south west New Delhi, India. It was constructed for the residents of Loharehri village by the Sultans of the Lodi Dynasty in the early 16th century. Dwarka now stands where the Loharehri village once stood. Located in a barren stretch of land between a residential society and a private school on Azad Hind Fauj Marg, Sector 12, Dwarka, at 28-35-58.95 degree North and 77-02-38.67 degree East. It was hidden by a large group of Peepal trees and covered by a thick undergrowth which seems to have aided in its relative obscurity. It is mentioned in Maulvi Zafar Hasan's 1910 Monuments list which says it was not very deep and had 22 steps. It is under restoration by the State archeological department and work will be taken up by INTACH Delhi Chapter.
The Feroz Shah Kotla or Kotla was a fortress built circa 1354 by Feroz Shah Tughlaq to house his version of Delhi city called Firozabad.
Mehrauli Archaeological Park is an archaeological area spread over 200 acre in the Mehrauli neighbourhood of the South Delhi district of Delhi, India, adjacent to the Qutub Minar and the Qutb complex. It consists of over 100 historically significant monuments. It is the only area in Delhi known for 1,000 years of continuous occupation, and includes the ruins of Lal Kot built by Tomar Rajputs in 1060 CE, making it the oldest extant fort of Delhi, and architectural relics of subsequent period, rule of Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, Lodhi dynasty of Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, and the British Raj.
Persian Inscriptions on Indian Monuments is a book written in Persian by Dr Ali Asghar Hekmat E Shirazi and published in 1956 and 1958 and 2013. New edition contains the Persian texts of more than 200 epigraphical inscriptions found on historical monuments in India, many of which are currently listed as national heritage sites or registered as UNESCO world heritage, published in Persian; an English edition is also being printed.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)Rajon ki baoli ( 1516 ) is one of the major public welfare projects of Sikandar Lodi .
Rajon ki baoli ( 1516 ) is one of the major public welfare projects of Sikandar Lodi .
Page 100: Suraj Kund lies about 3 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 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
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