Water have always played an important role in deciding the fate of human settlements. In India water have played an integral part in the lives starting from Birth till the last rites are performed. Being an agrarian economy, life always revolved around the availability of water, and hence the water resources were always preserved , sometimes in novice ways.
With a weather, where the maximum rainfall is concentrated in two months of the year, it was acutely necessary to conserve water in these two months, so that the needs for the rest of the years can be met. Stepwells also called Baori/Baoli in Hindi, Vav in Gujarati are of the indigenous way developed to conserve water in the western part of medieval India. Baori's over the time, have meant more than just a deep well which conserved water, but have been converted into beautiful monuments displaying their practical but amazingly beautiful architecture.
Most of the baoris(stepwells) acted as the lifeline of many a cities but over the years, with the westernised development and easy access to the ground waters courtesy electrified motors, these baolis became neglected and many of them died their natural death. However the remnants of some are still preserved giving an insight to the Old world architectural achievements, the most famous of the are the Agrasen Ki Baoli in Delhi, Chand Baoli at Abahneri, the Adalaj Vav in Ahmedabad, Rani Ka Vav at Patan etc, but the largest of them is Chand Baoli at Abhaneri.
Chand Baori is located in Abha Nagri or city of Brightness, now known as Abhaneri ( the result of distorted pronunciation) in Duasa district of Rajasthan, in between the two famous tourist cities of Agra and Jaipur. Located 95 kms from Jaipur, Abhaneri got its name from the fact that it was abode of Goddess Harshat Mata , who always adorned Abha, hence the name Abha Nagri. Although the village is in tatters but still the Harshat Mata Temple and The Chand Baori have survived and have turned into a great tourist attraction.
Aructebhaneri Village is believed to be established in 9th century A.D. by Raja Chand (believed to Gurjar King Bhoja who ruled the area in 09th Century). Chand Baori (stepwell) along with Harshat Mata Temple dedicated to the Goddess of Joy - Harshat Mata was constructed in 10th century itself.Chand Baori is about 20 metres deep, contains about 3500 steps across 13 stories. The mesmerizing view of steps arranged in geometrical pattern in a pyramidal form with ever narrowing the bottom. The dance of light and shade and the geometrical pattern gives you a mesmerizing view of the Baoli. The stairs are on the three sides while on one side of Chand baoli , there is a three storied pavilion with beautiful carved jharokhas, the galleries supported on Pillars and two projecting balconies enshrining beautiful sculptures.
Chand Baori is set in the Harshat Mata complex, which itself boasts of beautiful carvings of God and Goddesses. This stone temple , probably built in 09-10th century, is dedicated to the Goddess of Joy Harshat Mata, however some people believe that it was originally dedicatd to Lord Vishnu.
How To Reach
Abhaneri is located on NH-11 or the Jaipur-Agra road about 95 kms from Jaipur. It is best connected by Road travel through the cities of Jaipur and Dausa which are 95 and 31 km from Abhaneri, respectively.
The nearest airport to Abhaneri is the Jaipur Sanganer Airport from where taxi on hire are available to take you to Abhaneri. Abhaneri is well connected by rail through Dausa railway station which has an excellent connectivity with various major cities of the state and the country.
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