Rediscovering the role of stepwells in the Deccan Premium

Discover the forgotten stepwells of Telangana & their role in the cultural & social fabric of the region in this book by HDF & Yeshwant Ramamurthy.

The Forgotten Stepwells of Telangana is a timely documentation of the wells that have been part of the cultural and social fabric of the region. The book by Hyderabad Design Forum (HDF) led by Yeshwant Ramamurthy is a fitting tribute to the role of wells before the advent of borewells and piped water supply. Drawing information from religion, mythology and lore, it places the role of stepwells in perspective in the arid dry landscape of Deccan.

“From unravelling scriptural building codes, hydrology, geology, construction techniques, iconography, history and folklore, the book aspires to resurrect the hitherto undocumented heritage of subterranean water architecture in Telangana,” says author Yeshwant Ramamurthy in the preface. True to the goal, the book unravels some of the lesser-known aspects of the stepwells and the reason for their existence. 

The book has contributions by various authors, most of whom are practising architects. It begins with Sneha Parthasarathy’s extensively researched essay ‘An Ode to Water’ that tries to capture the role of water in human civilisation, imagination, theology, mythology, across religions and cultures.  

The book is born out of an MoU signed by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority with the HDF. After decades of neglect where these water bodies were filled up to create real estate, the stepwells are being restored in a meaningful ways by different organisations.  

Not many societies can say that a movie has been made about a well. But it is true in Hyderabad. Narsaiyyah Ki Bavdi is a short story by Jeelani Bano which has been made into a movie by Shyam Benegal about a missing well. Call them bavdi, baoli, bavi or bai, the small waterbodies in the middle of habitations have never been far from imagination in Telangana. The cultural landscape of Telangana is defined by wells. Deep stepwells where women reach for Bathukamma festival or sit down for a chat on hot summer afternoons. The village life revolves around wells and lakes. 

This book brings to life the intimate relationship that the wells have with the geology, landscape, and environment of the Deccan. As architects are the drivers of the book, there is an architectural perspective to the stepwells with information about the design styles, motifs, symbolism, and embellishments.  

Some of the wells in the book had to be literally hunted from archival maps drawn up by Leonard Munn, lore and word of mouth. In the process, the State has discovered a facet of its socio-cultural life. The circle of civilisation which began on the banks of rivers somehow feels complete.