So I officially became an Architect sometime back, and a recent event to celebrate it got me thinking. Being in this field of architecture since 2009- even before I started this blog- I have never put up a post related to it; even though I did write about it. Then again, this blog was more of an outlet to any thought storm inside me at any given time, especially throughout the college years. During the last couple of years in college I felt myself wanting to explore the architecture genre more in terms of writing. That later on conflicted with how much I enjoyed and progressed in the practical, design field of it since I started working. And now I'm at a stage where I am excited about balancing, merging and exploring both of it.
This is an attempt to do that, starting with sharing the first small, live piece I wrote during a Relative Study Tour to a place in Madhya Pradesh- Mandu. It is an ancient fort city we were taken to, to study stone architecture. Like all group works in college, we were put in groups and given one monument per group to document. My group were assigned two wells- Baodi in native language. One of my tasks was to write about both of these wells. Read on!
This is an attempt to do that, starting with sharing the first small, live piece I wrote during a Relative Study Tour to a place in Madhya Pradesh- Mandu. It is an ancient fort city we were taken to, to study stone architecture. Like all group works in college, we were put in groups and given one monument per group to document. My group were assigned two wells- Baodi in native language. One of my tasks was to write about both of these wells. Read on!
UJALA BAODI
Standing at the entrance steps, one gets the feel of another old weather-beaten buildings. True to its name the place is indeed very open and full of light. It receives sunlight in all corners throughout the day. The structure goes deep down to the present water level i.e. till 19 m from the ground and the retaining wall seems to be decorated with many solid staircases and niches on the eastern and the western side. Each level has two staircases meeting at a common landing. This happens on both walls running parallel to the main road.
At the southern top, is a pavilion for the royal guards to keep watch on the water below; their position are such that they could watch the road and the market which once existed with the Gada Shah's shop next-door. At the northern top is a water lift flaunted by a staircase on alternate sides and this water lift space was probably built to support the retaining walls.
Above the
water lift is an open space with a dome roof supported on columns. The lower most staircases are now totally
ruined, the steps merging with
each other into slippery surfaces. It still manages to retain it's timeless quality, which can be seen by standing from any point in the place. One can also see the full masonry of the
black stone used. The combination of
stone and water makes the
atmosphere pleasant- in sun and shade.
The Baodi gives the effect of serving water with open arms.
ANDHERI BAODI
First look of Andheri Baodi gives an illusion of something emerging out from the ground. A corridor of around 20 m long and 8 m wide module surrounds the well on the top with the dome having a 3.25 m diameter aperture at its apex over the flat roof platform. This aperture allows the well below to be sufficiently ventilated and illuminated.
Three staircases from the floor of the corridor lead down inside the Baodi, one of which is now closed down due to being unsafe. Inside the Baodi, two sides sharing a common junction have one opening with two staircases on a
common landing leading upwards. The other two adjacent walls have two
openings with two staircases on a common
landing leading downwards which gives
the effect of merging of the stairs.
The level below this shows incomplete excavation of earth due to rigid unbreakable stones present there. The water level till here and the clarity of water shows the depth of around 3-4 m. Peeled plaster, exposes the exact random rubble stone masonry of the dome above. The retaining walls are supported by multiple tall arches decorating the place simply but boldly.
It is a dark, enclosed space which exudes privacy, it might appear scary and formidable from inside as there are dark passages containing staircases. While re-tracing the steps back to the entry, one gets the brief look of all patent arches used in other monuments in the rest of the Mandu.
Okay, so that was that; slightly edited version because the original piece was too crude with many surprising silly mistakes. I guess there is always room for improvement for every walk of your life!
PS: A peak at what i looked like in 2011 when I'd written this. Will dig up the pictures I took of both the baodis and post soon. Thanks for reading!
