Chand Baori in Abhaneri, Rajasthan

From approximately AD 600 to 1200, step wells were built throughout India, especially in the drier western part of the subcontinent. A step well makes it easier for people to reach the water in a location as well as to maintain the well itself. Great spots to escape from the heat, step wells often became gathering places.

Some of these wells, such as the one pictured here, Chand Baori in Abhaneri, Rajasthan, include architectural features such as temples. WANDA BAHDE of Summerfield, Florida, snapped this picture of Chand Baori while on the “Heart of India” tour with Overseas Adventure Travel (800/493-6824, www.oattravel.com), Oct. 22-Nov. 7, 2008. She wrote, “The well, built in the ninth century, is over 100 feet deep and has 3,500 steps.” Legend has it that ghosts built this step well in just one night. Its appearance is so surreal that when Tarsim Singh used it in his 2006 film “The Fall,” many people mistakenly thought it was a computer-generated special effect.

For another example of a step well, see the one pictured on page 62 in this issue.