Saddi Dilli has kept a secret in its heart since the 14th century and it is none other than the famous Agrasen Ki Baoli. This iconic step-well was rebuilt in the 14th century by the Agarwal community; it however is supposed to be from the Mahabharat era. It is located amidst a jungle of business towers and residential apartments in Connaught Place. This place truly is a blast from the past.
Agrasen ki Baoli is flanked on both sides by niches, chambers, passageways and little cordoned window-like structures, the 104 stone steps, descending into the well’s dried bottom, have three levels. It is not certain about who built this step-well, through some people credit a king called Agrasen and hence the name. As one starts to descend into the step well, it gets cooler and darker. Trust me I can’t climb down these stairs at night, it scares the s**t out of me. And so, I don’t recommend the same to the faint hearted. One can hear the pigeons during the day and the whoosh of the wind at night in this baoli.
At one time, thousands of these step wells dotted the landscape of northern India, offering not only a means of obtaining fresh water for drinking and cooking, but also a place to escape from the burning heat. Although some wells remained simple in design, with a single flight of steps leading to the exposed water, many were developed with spaces which were either used as temples or were inhabited by people who use to live there.
This historical step-well ‘Agrasen Ki Baoli’ is protected by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) under the Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958. The irony of this place though is that despite being in the center of Saddi Dilli, being an ancient monument, being ticket free it still lies unvisited and ignored all the time. Located on the Hailey Road near Jantar Mantar, it is just a 10 minute walk from the N-block of Connaught Place. The place is open from 9 AM to 5 PM everyday for visitors. Care to join me sometime……
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