Cleaning Mahila Baag Jhalra Stepwell, Jodhpur

A photo of a man cleaning the beautiful Mahila Baag Jhalra stepwell at Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 2025.

Only 200 metres from the more famous Toori Ka Jhalara stepwell this is more than it's equal. I've been here many times but on this occasion something different was happening: two men had been contracted to spend two weeks cleaning it with high pressure water hoses. They were blasting off the green moss revealing upper tiers of white stone and lower tiers of a soft rose stone.

Built in the grounds of a garden and orchard by a concubine of an 18th century Maharaja, the elegant Mahila Baag Jhalra stepwell is hemmed in by other domestic buildings. One of them, the White House, belongs to a charming family who hold the key to the locked gate. Ask them and they'll open the gate for you.

It's a pretty little well with chhatris and pavilions in the corners. I've photographed it with varying water levels but the year after this photo was taken I learned why it was being cleaned: most of the water has now been drained off and it is now used for concerts of music and dance when a floating platform is installed and becomes the stage.

I have mixed feelings about this but if this amazing well can be well maintained and appreciated by a local audience who come to see the concerts, that has to be a good thing. I'm sorry that the fish are gone but in their place are turtles; the one I saw was a good 45cm.

Approx sizes:
A3:  image size 42x30cm
A2: image size 60x42cm
70x50 image size 70x50cm