The Vav Factor: Sevasi Vav, Vadodra by Ramyani Sengupta

                   The Sevasi Vav, Vadodara

         Click here for our Sevasi Vav Video

In all of western India, you will be able to find stepwells, from the coasts of Karnataka, to the arid lands of Gujarat and Rajasthan. And then,  are  some in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, too. They provided travellers with a place to rest, and prevailed as a place to socialize, as well as acted as a medium for storing drinking water (there is no reason to boast about the advent of social networking for you in the 21st century–the wise Yodas from the past did this). More than 200 stepwells are expected to be located in Gujarat alone today–making it very easy to picture their figures in the past.

Their water storage effectiveness has helped local residents survive for hundreds of years, in the semi-arid  climate  and  seasonal fluctuations.

  From northern Patan region to Baroda in the south-Stepwells  (or the Vavs) can be found  almost everywhere in Gujarat. Their walls were decorated just as aesthetically according to the norms of the period, as that buzzing café in your town but behind these high utility structures, science and aesthetics have always been incredible.

On a usual Friday afternoon of January 3, we the Five Find Outers, rather  unimaginatively called the Members of the Speaking Archaeologically Baroda Research Wing, went to one such literal social waterhole of medieval times: the Sevasi Vav. Located around eight kilometres away from the heart of the city, we embarked on this journey with the following lines resonating in our hearts:

         “We do not follow maps to buried treasure

                     And X Never, Ever Marks the Spot.”

But, we were, in a sense, armed with a map of sorts and a dot did mark the spot (I am referring to the trusty tourist guide of every millennial:  Google Maps).

 It took us nearly 20 minutes to reach the site. Despite the lack of sign boards, there was no difficulty for us to locate the infamous “seven storeyed step-well of Sevasi” the site of virgin sacrifice and whatnot. It is located rather unassumingly on a bland side-lane of the Sevasi-Sindhrod road and it would undoubtedly be skipped by travellers until someone told them. 

Legend has it that Raja  Haridas  created the vav in memory of the legendary spiritual leader, Shri Vidyadhar, in 1543 CE. Legend also has it that by the temple within the Vav, young girls were sacrificed. I don't know whether it was our sense of adventure or that weird curiosity that compels characters to get up in the night and turn investigate the source of noise in a horror movie, but here we were: five young girls, all set to enter a place where many like us had come in to meet a gory end.

               Entrance to the Sevasi Vav

Enough with the theatrics! Let's get on with this blog!

Once reaching the site, we put our research mode on and started to focus on our pre-planned tasks. Our team co-operation played a major role in the successful completion of this site study! Starting from observing conservation methods to illustrations or capturing the essence of site in stills or right down to making vulnerability report, our team gave its best to do what was required of us.

However, I have to admit that once we had crossed the entrance gate, which is guarded by two carved tigers on the left and majestic elephants on the right, we felt a chill run through our spines. For a second, the urban stories about the “spirits” of Young Girls decked in gold, sacrificed on full moon night to achieve prosperity, came alive. However, these stories never stopped people from littering the site then how could it deter us- the rational minded Indiana Jones of Speaking Archaeologically Team to inspect the site?

Overcoming the hair-raising atmosphere, as we went further into the Vav, we were left astounded by the architectural dexterity of our ancestors. The Vav is built out of the combination of brick masonry and stone. It is laid out in the east-west direction, like every other Vav and adorned with toran motifs, floral prints, bells, and animals like elephants, horses, and birds. The Vav's intermediate levels have niches engraved on its walls with floral patterns.

The wonderful architectural light play makes it the best place for photography. The perfect time to feel the beautiful mixing of colours is when the sun’s risen. Dawn gives you the chance to see from the field the majestic illustriousness of the stepwell. Many researchers believe that the temperature inside of the well remains six degrees cooler than outside.

         A Decorative Pillar in the Vav

As you go deeper, it gets darker. We wondered how the craftsmen of those days created such a piece of art. The ceilings over the landing get an opening which enables light and air to reach the well. From the first story level, three staircases lead to the bottom water level of the well, which is considered as a unique feature.

On the right wall, besides the seventh step, a mandala, which we can also be associated with some  Vastu Shastra diagram, can be seen. Descending further down, the 27th step holds a pillar, carved with magnificent floral motifs on either side of the capitals. Tripping over with our curiosity, we discovered a pillar gateway with horse subjects on either side of the capital, one completely defaced now on the 45th step. 62nd step has a pillar gateway with a pair of birds carved on either side of its capital. 63rd step witnesses a large platform with a Trident or a Trishul (to the disappointment of all the DC fans, it was dedicated to Shiva and not Aquaman) stationed in front of an Agnikund. It is an active temple so religious activities still takes place there. 

                  Trishul in Front of the Agnikund

When we went down to the 80th step, we saw a pillar with elephant motif on the either sides of a Gujarati inscription. It basically mentions the date and year of construction of the Vav. On the 97th step, we found faded motifs on the pillar and it was hard to make out what it was. Parallel to the 99th step there’s a platform, which has a dried upwell across it. The last steps are submerged in water.

Two parallel alleyways run on both the sides of stepwell, which perhaps served as a bridge in the earlier times. These two alleyways form a mini narrow entrance-exit to a platform like structure right in the centre of the stepwell, right on the Seventh Storey. One can totally have the view looking down the well. The dome like structure awaits right on the other end following the two alleyways. The dome has two entrance-exit leading through stairs. The balcony inside the dome gives a vivid view of the stepwell from the top and also of the well on the other side.

                        View from the Dome

What is heartbreaking is the fact that these portentous walls, that contain numerous bewitching tales, are forced to witness the antisocial elements like gamblers, drunkards and littering that puts the Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan to shame. There was a shared dejection among us, about the apathy and the negligence it was facing. The well that was once lined with drinking water, is currently filled with soil and rubbish. Also, thanks to absolute lack of conservation measures, in a  few  years,  the  foundations  that lasted for centuries, may cave in.

       Littering and Human Damage to the Vav

                                                                                                                                                                Madeleine Albright said, “To answer the world’s problems today is not to turn inward. We simply have to seize every opportunity to promote understanding between countries and across cultures. And there’s no better way to do that than to explore the world with an open mind, a sturdy carry-on, and clothes that don’t wrinkle”.

The lust to wander and seek more should never end; rather it should encourage the soul within to get soaked into the unknown. India holds an astounding past with glorious tales to attract people from corners of the world but surprisingly,it is We, the Citizens, who have stopped being bothered and responsible towards it. What we hold is solid gold (leave the Kohinoor duh!) the more we dig ourselves out of the annals of the past, the more rewarding it is for us and the generations that will follow. Let’s not extinguish the yearning to know our heritage for it will result into disquieting loneliness and consume the attainments made in life. Let’s not ask what a country or its heritage can do for us but what we can do in order to preserve it.