Ugrasen Ki Baoli is literary a water hole...a step well (Baoli), an underground structure for the storage of water....built to cope with seasonal fluctuations of water availability....
it's uncertain when it was built but believed to be ancient times....really ancient times and then rebuilt in the 14th century.....
well, the street art right outside is not ancient...but oh,so well done....
well, the street art right outside is not ancient...but oh,so well done....
who could have guessed that behind these walls there's a step well...
I'm going down .....quite steep actually....104 stairs in three levels...the length of the baoli is 60 meters and it's 15 meters wide...
centuries ago this was a refugee for heat stricken citizens, living in pre-Lodhi times...as the water level plunged , the people would seek a cooler retreat in the baoli's lower reaches.
almost all the way down...looking up....
at the bottom....and no water at all (just a lot of pigeon poo)....but kind of cool view...and I couldn't hear the honking from all the traffic around Connaught Place
ancient walls but fresh leaves....
quite the opposites...skyline of Delhi and the old Baoli...
a blast from the past !
there's also an old mosque...talk about old and new colliding....meaning the plastic chair this time...
you can still find some paint or mosaic...but barely...and ancient writing in urdu..(I think)
the baoli is only a 10 minute walk from CP, Connaught Place, but who's walking?....it's on Hailey Road, near KG Marg and it's open between 9am and 5pm....and you can park right there...
so if ever close by....take a couple of minutes to see this blast from the past and get some exercise while you're at it...up and down on those stairs a couple of times is a good cardio workout !
Coolt ställe!
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