The Raniji ki Baori in the dry season & after post monsoon rain.
The small town of Bundi has an abundance of stepwells and the Raniji ki Baori is the most spectacular; it is one of the most beautiful stepwells in India. It's maintained by the Archeological Survey of India and there is a small fee for entrance. You ascend a few steps to a large platform and if you wander round the back to look through the fence this is what you'll see.
These photos were taken in October '22 after some unseasonal rains. The full astonishing beauty of the well is appreciated when you walk down the steps on the left and enter the interior space. In this photo you can clearly see the steps descending further through the water.
Acrylic sheeting covers part of the well to keep out the dust and rubbish that accumulates in many stepwells. Although it seems odd to have a "roof" it does mean that the water is clean even though the well is no longer used as a water source. These day piped water comes to most homes but a 1934 video clip at the British Film Institute shows women climbing up the steps of the well with clay water pots balanced on the heads. This is how all stepwells were used when they were originally built, in this case in 1699.
There are three steps of top flight steps to enter the well but only one, the one by the ticket booth, is in use.
It's very unusual to see it so full of water. These next photos were taken in April 2018, the dry season, when it had just reopened after restoration - when we came in spring 2017 it was closed and no amount of pleading enabled us to get inside. Look carefully and you can see the last two men of the restoration team; they've been working with angle grinders which have created a fine dust and a soft yellowish glow.
The well was built by Rani Nathavati, the third queen of Rao Raja Anirudh Singh who's first wife was childless. The legend is that Rani Nathavati gave her child away to the childless queen and to divert herself from her sadness dedicated her life to the welfare of the local people by building several stepwells, this being the finest.
Without the water you get a better view of the structure and scale of the Raniji ki Baori. Two sets of descending steps lead, one after the other, to a final platform from which the actual vertiginous well shaft descends.
In October 23 we returned to Bundi. There had been no monsoon rain in Bundi and the stepwells were completely dry - a complete opposite to the previous year. In fact water was being pumped into the Raniji ki Baori to balance the pressure at the bottom of the well.
In the next photos you can see the steps just below the water surface. You can also see the five different colours of stone and some of the excellent detailed carvings. The old lifting gear is reflected in the water.
Looking back up the steps probably gives the most impressive viewpoint of the immensity of the construction.
It's the magnificent white marble elephants that draw your attention but there are many excellent carvings of Hindu deities including Ganesh, Saraswati and avatars of Vishnu.
The last few photos show the stone masons leaving the entrance, and carvings of Hindu deities on the platform that surrounds the exterior of the stepwell.
