Adalaj Vav (Stepwell)

A stepwell ("vav" or "waw", depending upon how you want to pronounce the letter " व ") is a water cistern that has steps from the surface to the bottom of the well. Thousands of these were constructed in India and Pakistan from the 6th through the 19th Century. They collected water during monsoon, and as the water level dropped through the year, the well was still accessible by steps.

The village of Adalaj, between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, has one of the more elaborate vavs. This one was built at least 450 years ago. (Wikipedia dates it to 1499; the sign at the gate says 1555). It is essentially one long staircase that descends 5 floors from the surface. It no longer saves monsoon water except what falls into it. The design detail is amazing, and the structure feels more like a palace than a cistern.

Even more surprising, it was well-maintained and there was no admission fee.

On the surface, the well just looks like a square wall about 1.5 meters high, 10 meters wide and 80 meters long (rough estimate). Nothing fancy. This is a view of the top of the well.

This is a view down the length of the well at the first level down.

A glimpse of the bottom level as you descend the stairs.

The bottom of the well.

One of the balconies overlooking the well.

The steps continue down into the water.