India: Chand Baori Step Well
I have never seen a “step well” before, so it was an awe inspiring experience to start with one of the most spectacular and deepest step wells in India – Chand Baori Step Well in the village of Abhaberi in Rajasthan. This stepwell was built in the 8th century with some more decorative elements constructed in the 17th century. The well is a real world MC Escher painting – it is absolutely surreal and otherworldly on every possible level! It is 13 stories deep with 3500 steps leading to the water at the bottom. The well wasn’t just about the water – given its depth, it was about 6-10 degrees in Celsius cooler at the bottom – so this was a top-notch meeting place of local nobility and important people (kind of like rooftops are today).
