Out of the step-wells found, 20 were located within AMC limitations, a UMC study revealed
The Gujarat government has taken up a Jal Sanchay Abhiyan (water conservation drive) to generate awareness on water conservation. Percolating wells situated in lakes are being disilted to harvest water during the monsoons and they are resorting to old-school methods to do so.
Vav or step-wells were constructed several hundred years ago to conserve water for public use. Interestingly, the location of these wells also reveal a lot about the trade routes that established between Vatva and Mehmadabad in the past.
"Close look at the vavs and their locations help establish the trade route during the rule of Mohammad Begda. Most of the step-wells are located on the outskirts of a settlement, evidently for traders and their cattle to use as a resting place along while taking halts," said Munindra Joshi, researcher and former assistant director of state archaeology department.
"There are seven step wells that have been identified and are protected by the Archaeology Survey of India and the State Archaeological Department in and around Ahmedabad. However, 38 unlisted and unprotected wells were discovered during our research, out of which few are in ruin," said Manvita Baradi, founder director of Urban Management Centre.
Recently, the UMC published a book on the 45 step-wells, of which only seven are well renowned. They begun researching along with Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in 2013 and revelaed the existence of the 38 lesser known step-wells in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar limitations.
Out of the step-wells found, 20 were located within AMC limitations. There are chances that people have crossed by them, unaware about the heritage value of the hidden treasures. Most people believe these step-wells hold religious significance, although no mention of that can be found in the book – 'Lesser Known step-wells in and around Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Region'.
The Ashapura Mata ni Vav located in India Colony is built of sandstones and is laced with intricate carvings. The carvings reveal that the well was constructed sometime around the 15th or 16th century. Unfortunately, there is no record of when it was renovated and transformed into a place of worship by the temple administration.
Another well, Gandharva Vav located in Naroda Road, which dates back to the Mughal era, is assumed to have been modified during the colonial rule, as is revealed by the structure of some of the parapets.
A step-well at Vasana has been crying for attention of the authority. Parts of it has been encroached by residents and the UMC found its condition to be the worse, running a risk of collapsing any moment.
When D Thara was the municipal commissioner, she had allocated Rs 2 crore for the restoration of the vav. In 2013, when Guruprasad Mohapatra became the municipal commissioner, some more vavs were restored and renovated.
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