The Baolis of Delhi: A 'How to be Flexible' Guide (Ft. Purana Qila Baoli) by Simran Kaur Saini

Disclaimer: The following account includes screaming kids, a tik tok video shoot, attempts to enter a locked baoli, dogs lazing around, and yes! A site cover.

You are still in that holiday stupor even though your holidays have ended. Imagine then getting a text one day on your class group saying that all your classes are cancelled. Wouldn’t you just have a big goofy smile on your face and snuggle right back into your covers? Or just spend the whole day lazing around and catching up on Netflix (Kdramas for me please)? No, no. That wasn’t the case with me though. Rather the first waking thought that came to my mind was, “Ah great I finally have some time to do a site cover”. Yes you read that right. A site cover, something that I would later find to be challenging yet extremely fun by the end of it. And before you think of me as someone crazy, hear me out!

 I had embarked on the quest of exploring the ‘Baolis of Delhi’ initially as a part of my research project, something which would just involve surveying baolis closer to home, writing about their condition and that’s it. But as I should have realized by now, site covers can never be that simplistic and some continue to never leave your side like an ancient ghost. Not just because baolis offer insanely beautiful spots for insta photo shoots (cannot deny it!) but rather the silent whispers of help coming from the Rajon Ki Baoli site still haunted my mind. Various questions popped in my mind, “Do I even know that there are stepwells in Delhi?”. Or rather, “Are they dying away, forgotten and lost forever?”.  So it sort of became a quest of reviving the baolis, if not physically, at least in my mind and the minds of the masses.

Fig 1. The Bada Darwaza

Purana Qila, meaning Old Fort, is like a treasure trove full of remains, memories and experiences spanning more than a two millennia. It is a place where one is bound to stumble across a new thing each time, so when I heard that there is baoli here somewhere too, you can see how the idea of discovering it got me intrigued (it isn’t a Sherlock Holmes story but hey what’s wrong with building up some suspense). And so I reached the Purana Qila, its mighty Bada Darwaza intimidating yet welcoming me. Here, however, I was pleasantly surprised as locating the baoli was too easy (cue in some dramatic “ahs and ohs”). The signage was there with directions to the baoli as well as a plan of the site at the entrance which pointed out the baoli. Situated near Qila- i- Kuhna mosque, the baoli in question might have been built to provide water to the surrounding area which is situated on an elevated region. Simple in design, this baoli has 89 steps, separated by 8 landings and a tank covered with a roof along with receding arches on the side walls. It is said that an inscription was in existence on the south gate of the Purana Qila which attributed the baoli to Sher Shah Suri’s reign. And yes, the inscription is no more, further pushing the baoli into the realm of oblivion. There is no further information available for this site, save for two signboards which adequately explain what the site is about and the restoration work undertaken here. Now I must tell you that seeing those two information boards made my heart skip. I mean even if a site is a protected one, finding information boards around it is like looking for a drop of water in a desert.

Fig 2. Qila- i- Kuhna Mosque.

Fig 3 a)

Fig 3 b)
Photos showing the two information boards on the site.

 But site covers can never be this easy, right? Well, well. I reached the baoli and lo! It was closed. Covered with metal fencing on all sides and closed. I think now is the time to cue in a sole dark cloud over my head and me feeling all shocked while getting drenched (well animes and mangas feed these things in to you). So what did I do? Of course stayed at the site and rattled my brain to figure out a way of observing the baoli and taking the photos and videos without harming my phone, and yeah me in the process. Thus began an arduous exercise of testing my flexibility by navigating my arms and hands in and out of the metal bars. But are troubles really over? Whenever I managed to get a perfect angle to shoot, I would be greeted (or rather scared) by groups of kids screaming “ Yeh dekho Baoli” every single time. One kid, a greater brave heart than I, even attempted to slip through a small spacing in the metal bars but alas failed.  Though it looked cute at the moment, this would have been something serious as well considering there was no guard to keep a check. Occasionally dogs would often come up to me to give me company, which I must tell you I really enjoyed (Not being sarcastic here. Nope. Na.).

Fig 4. The locked Baoli.

The baoli was in a really good shape though. I guess locking it up meant that it would survive against littering and vandalism which visitors shower on the sites like precious gifts. But it felt bittersweet. Baolis had always been structures of utilitarian use while at the same time shaping and being shaped by the socio- cultural milieu of the society. It was disheartening to realize that the same experiences which completed the soul of the baoli were now detrimental to it. While trying to observe the baoli, I noticed a small room near the north- eastern end of the baoli. It hadn’t clicked my mind earlier but later I got to know that it was the well connected to the baoli which was now covered. Now this is the part where I was pleasantly surprised. The baoli was actually functional! The water from the baoli was being pumped out and used to water the lawns of the Purana Qila. It felt like the baoli had a new lease of life; there was life being pumped into it in exchange of water. And the fact that it was used in such a sustainable, eco- friendly manner instilled some hope in me that maybe we won’t die so soon after all (At least not from lack of plants or water. At least in this region).

Fig 5. A close up view of the tank.

Fig 6. The Purana Qila Baoli.

Fig 7. The side walls with receding arched niches.

Having explored the baoli, I decided to look around its surroundings. In the midst of the Sher Mandal, Qila –i- Kuhna Mosque and the vast lawns spanning huge distances, I encountered not just people looking at the historical sites but rather people having picnics and yes, tik tok video shoots (I wanted to literally shoot myself when I witnessed that). The whole landscape had become much more than just observing historical sites or understanding their relevance. New experiences were now being attached the place, new stories being fashioned. But at the same time, the old and ancient ones were slowly drifting away, their echoes now just mere whispers asking people to hear them out. The Purana Qila Baoli was certainly a different site from Rajon Ki Baoli, not only terms of the structure but also in terms of how it was maintained and used. Making baolis functional, as seen as in the case of this baoli, is extremely useful and sustainable, and incredibly important considering the environmental crisis that we are facing today. I think if all of us do not want to experience the 2012 doomsday prophecy anytime soon (the movie was amazing though), which it likely will happen soon, we need to now gear our energies towards conserving our traditional sustainable heritage in a fruitful manner. That way we become heroes of both our heritage and the nature. And that is a lot better than being a Marvel/ DC superhero.  

Fig 8. Me at the end of around 3 hours of just observing the baoli but still running off to find new sites.