Stepwells

Steps to Water by Morna Livingstone
Stepped into the bowels of the earth, some five to six storeys in height, stepwells were designed to bring the people and Gods together, to leave their homes for a cool drink of water - the elixir of life. An increadibly practical idea, the stepwell lost out with the advent of British Raj who installed pipes and pumps. The stepwell was also a place to socialise and gather for religious ceremonies. Women were usually associated with these wells, for it was they who collected the water, also prayed to the Goddess of the well for her blessings and offered votive gifts. Awareness about the importance of water has increased over the past decade particularly now when many villages and towns are facing scarcity of rain and water. Special construction of these wells during those days encouraged percolation of rainwater into it. These have also withstood the earthquakes in the range of 7.6 on the Richter scale - the large flat stones joined superbly are hard to move.