The lost stepwell

A 1919 listing of Delhi’s monuments mentions that this baoli was in Khairpur village. The listing was prepared by Maulvi Zafar Hasan and reprinted by a Delhi publisher in a book titled Monuments of Delhi,Lasting splendour of the Great Mughals and Others.

The village and the families living there were relocated by the British in 1936 when Lady Willingdon Park was constructed. Zafar Hasan writes,“To the north east of the Shish Gumbad are the remains of the garden,the four walls of which are broken in several places. To the south of the latter is a mosque also ruined and neglected. The baoli in front of the entrance outside the enclosure is in the same condition.”

The listing also refers to a garden in a small brick-built enclosure furnished with arched openings,but while the garden,the mosque and the gate have survived,the baoli is no longer there. It was filled with soil during the landscaping of Lodi Garden. The garden was first landscaped during the British rule by Lady Willingdon,wife of the then Governor-General of India,Marquess of Willingdon. The park was renamed Lady Willingdon Park upon its inauguration in 1936. In the subsequent decades,the garden was repeatedly landscaped and re-designed by many architects,including Joseph A Stein and Garret Eckbo. But during these repeated beautification drives,experts say the baoli was completely forgotten.

“The baoli is there still. It’s location can be ascertained by referring to Zafar Hasan’s listing. It’s probably not in a very good condition,but an attempt to restore it is definitely worth doing,” historian Sohail Hashmi says.

A baoli is a enclosure centred around a water source that could be reached through a flight of steps. Delhi’s arid conditions had led to the creation of many baolis. While some of these,such as the Agrasen ki Baoli in Central Delhi,are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India,others are struggling for survival. Vikramjit Singh Rooprai,who runs the Delhi Heritage Photography Club,says,“We know that Khairpur Village was in existence as early as the 1800s. But the village wasn’t very big or prosperous and,as a result,the baoli may not have been not very distinct. But restoring it is still important,” he says.

Others are less optimistic about the chances of restoration. “There were possibly two baolis in the area. But I don’t know if restoration is a possibility,” historian Narayani Gupta says.

She says the stepwell was probably covered due to health-related concerns. “The water in the baoli was possibly stagnant,which in turn may have led to the breeding of mosquitoes,” she said.

But the reasons for the stepwell being filled in could also be political. “During the 1857 Revolt,the stream that ran through Chandni Chowk had proved to be a problem for the British,in terms of containing rebel forces. As a result,water bodies — which were areas where people gathered — were seen as possible sources of political upheaval and were systematically dismantled,” historian Nirmal Kumar,who is currently researching water bodies in Delhi,says.