Chand Baori!

What Is Chand Baori?

At 100 feet in depth, Chand Baori is the world’s deepest stepwell!

What Makes It Historical?

In the heat of the Thar Desert, water is a precious commodity, and with fast-draining soil, the residents of Rajasthan needed a way to keep that water accessible through the summer! The Rajasthani solution was the stepwell, a huge collection pond built with symmetrical steps so many different folks could access that water at once!

This stepwell, or baori, gets its name from its builder: King Chanda of the Nikhumba Dynasty, who had all 3,500 steps installed here between 800 and 900 AD! The royal family enjoyed a private bathing area in a haveli style pavilion at the north end of the baori, while everyone else could enjoy a 9-11˚F drop in temperature at the bottom of the well! Later Mughal leaders added the arched arcade around the well, and folks continued to enjoy Chand Baori all the way until the British Raj declared them unsanitary and banned their use in the late 1800s!

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!