Coloured Arches at Banjaron ni Vaav, Vadod | Stepwell Photos

Shadows and light through a series of vibrantly coloured arches at the Banjaron ni Vaav stepwell.

This brightly painted stepwell is at Vadod, on the outskirts of Vadodara, formerly Baroda, the second largest city in Ahmedabad. It's just by the side of a road and covered by wire mesh to keep out rubbish and monkeys.

The shadows from the mesh create stunning patterns of shadows and light. The top of the well is a Hindu shrine and the painted walls of the shrine extend down the top two levels; the lower levels, five in all I recall, are natural dark stone.

The upper levels are supported with arches, the lower levels - which get narrower as you descend - are constructed with pillars and lintels. The extensive water at the bottom is covered with water appears to be dark foliage but we were assured that the water below the surface is clean and is in fact pumped out.

What is a stepwell? Read our blog to find out.

Portrait image.

A guide to approx sizes
A3: paper size 42x29.7cm, image size 40x28cm
A2: paper size 59.4x42cm, image size 57x40cm
70x50cm paper size, image size 68x48cm