 "A stepwell in Abhaneri, Rajasthan")
Gujarat and Rajasthan, which have low rainfall and have faced droughts, have many stepwells, and the ancient water storage methods can still be useful today. Considered to be a fine example of Gujarati architecture, Vav or stepwell is not only an ancient site but also has a cultural tradition associated with it.
Amritalingam's book 'Ecological Traditions of India' states: "Wells and stepwells have played a very important role in the history of Indian architecture.
"Even in the ruins of the cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, the existence of Vav and wells could be seen. Vav is also mentioned in the Vedas and is believed to be the God of water and a form of blessing, as it provides water in times of drought. As mentioned in the book, it is estimated that the step wells existed in the western-eastern regions of India since 600 BC.
"Eight hundred years ago, a beautiful and magnificent Vav was built. The tradition continued even during the Mughal period and the British era. Since Vav is mostly formed in areas with low rainfall, it is more abundant in Rajasthan and Gujarat."
Purnima Mehta Bhatt, in her book 'Her Space, Her Story - Exploring the Stepwells of Gujarat', writes: "Women who were usually busy with household chores could go out on the pretext of drawing water and experiencing freedom. They could interact with the outside world. And could feel at peace in the artistic and cool environment."
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"Centuries ago in the water-scarce Gujarat region, life and agriculture survived and flourished due to such water storages. The role of women is important in creating a system that binds together the three types of worlds -- earthly, subterranean, and divine. Usually a vav was built in memory of a wife, mother, local Goddess, or lover. It is a place for women to gather and show the interrelationship of women, water, architecture and religion."
Kapil Thacker, a history and architecture lover of Ahmedabad, has taken up the challenge of restoring these places to their former glory and importance. He has been running a magazine called 'Atulya Varso' on water body tradition and architecture for a long time with a special focus on architecture and culture. Thacker, founder of Atulya Varaso, recently adopted a stepwell and a well. He spoke to IANS about this.
He said, "we have adopted Vav in Uwarasad near Gandhinagar and Halisa Lake near Dehgam. In 2018, we adopted the stepwell of Uwarasad village. Then it was redeveloped by funding with the help of the government. It was renovated in 2019 and we did various activities there. In 2021 we handed over this site to Uwarasad Gram Panchayat. But if there is no public participation and people are not proud of the architecture of their village, even after repairs, the architecture cannot be maintained. For that purpose we have again adopted this Vav. This time our project is 2022-25. We also have plans to start our Stepwell Interpretation Center and Stepwell Museum. Since these sites come under the Gram Panchayat, the adoption process is easy. Otherwise it would have been tough for us if the sites were under ASI. We met with the village panchayat president and members and explained to them that we do not give or take money".
About the idea of adopting a historical monument, Thacker said, "Our priority is to recharge the wells and vavs. Can't we recharge the architectures that were built thousands of years ago in the 22nd century? But no such attempt has been made. It is still possible in villages. If the wells are recharged, the groundwater level will also rise. We want to plan a long-term plan where locals can connect with and take pride in this architecture, rather than just the development of the surrounding area. So, we organised various programmes together with the villagers in Uwarasad's Vav. Also we started village walks.
"A programme has been started in which students from the city visit the village to understand the culture of the village and also visit the stepwell. Such efforts will keep the architecture like Vav alive and also increase their pride among the locals. Villagers will maintain these places only if they see their benefit. We can see almost 60 percent change in the perspective of Uvarsad's people. Last year 15,000-20,000 people including students, researchers and photographers visited the place."
--IANS
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