India: Adalaj Stepwell
Stepwells in Gujarat are quite different from the ones in Rajasthan. While in Rajasthan they are open pits with stairs on all sides and the water deep down in the middle, in Gujarat they look like an upside down temple where you descent along a single long staircase to the water below and all the walls feature elaborate decorations (in fact, in Gujarat stepwells are called “vav” meaning “leading down to the water level”. Adalaj Stepwell is 17km from Ahmedabad and dates back to 1498. It is five stories deep and each level is big enough to accommodate a large group of people. The walls and columns all have elaborate carvings which blend Jain and Hindu traditions, but also Islamic elements since this is a relatively “new” stepwell built in 15th century at the time of the Gujarat Sultanate.
