Mumbai: The Maharashtra government is hoping to rejuvenate the state’s historical stepwells — some dating back over two millennia — and get them to hold water again. It plans to rejuvenate at least 75 stepwells to mark the 75th year of Indian Independence, which is currently underway.
The state culture department has taken the initiative and formed a committee of 22 members to draw up a detailed scheme for the rejuvenation of stepwells. The department also issued a government resolution to this effect last week.
An official from the department, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint, “In Maharashtra, stepwells date back to as early as the Satvahana period (origin believed to be between 3rd century BCE and 1st century BCE, ended in 3rd century CE) and the Chalukya dynasty (6th-12th century). There must be about 20,000 such stepwells in different parts of Maharashtra built since then.”
These stepwells are in a dilapidated condition, the official added, with many of them now blocked with no scope of them being used as sources of water.
Stepwells are wells or ponds in which the water is reached by descending a set of steps to the water level. These structures may be multi-storeyed with significant ornamental and architectural features.
“Looking at the historic and social importance of these stepwells, we have decided to try and bring them back to life and have constituted a committee for the same,” the official added.
Saurabh Vijay, principal secretary for the state culture department, who is also part of the 22-member committee, did not respond to ThePrint’s call and text message. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
According to the state government resolution, which ThePrint has seen, the 22-member committee has been tasked with preparing a detailed scheme for the conservation of stepwells.
The panel has also been tasked to work on plans to immediately rejuvenate 75 stepwells to mark the 75th year of Indian Independence and help prepare a gazetteer on stepwells.
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Man who got the conversation rolling
The proposal for conserving stepwells came from a Mumbai resident, Rohan Kale, who heads the ‘Maharashtra Barav Mohim (Maharashtra stepwells campaign)’ aimed at documenting and attempting to preserve the historic stepwells.
Kale, who got a special mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann ki Baat radio broadcast in March 2022 for his work on stepwells, has travelled extensively across Maharashtra to prepare an exhaustive data bank on the state’s stepwells, and tied up with various architectural colleges to figure out a way to conserve them.
Speaking to ThePrint, he said, “We approached the Maharashtra government in January this year with a written proposal to make an effort as a government to rejuvenate these stepwells with six specific suggestions.”
The six suggestions were mapping and documentation of stepwells, coordination with architectural colleges for documentation, holding cleanliness campaigns at stepwells, having deepotsavs at stepwells by decorating them and lighting them up with traditional diyas, conservation of stepwells, and their development as tourist spots, he said.
The government formed the committee last week naming Kale as chief coordinator. However, he has for now stepped down due to disagreements with the state culture department on the committee’s constitution.
Currently, the committee members include the principal secretary of the state culture department and representatives from the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the groundwater survey and development wings of the government.
Besides, it will have non-government experts on the subject, academicians, and experts on water and conservation.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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