Agrasen ki Baoli, is a 60-meter long and 15-meter wide historical step well in New Delhi, India. Although there are no known historical records to prove who built the well, it was originally built by the legendary king Agrasen, and the present architecture hints at it being rebuilt in the 14th century during the Tughlag period of Delhi Sultanate. This Baoli, with 108 steps, is among a few of its kind in Delhi. The visible parts of this historical step well consist of three levels. Each level is lined with arched niches on both sides.
Baoli or bawdi, also referred to as baori or bauri, is a Hindi word (from Sanskrit wapi or vapi, vapika).In Rajasthan and Gujarat the words for step well include baoli, bavadi, vav, vavdi and vavadi. Water temples and temple step wells were built in ancient India. The earliest forms of step well and reservoir were also built in India in places like Dholavira as far back as the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Stepwells are examples of the many types of storage and irrigation tanks that were developed in India, mainly to cope with seasonal fluctuations in water availability. The builders dug deep trenches into the earth for dependable, year-round groundwater. They lined the walls of these trenches with blocks of stone, without mortar, and created stairs leading down to the water. The majority of surviving stepwells originally served a leisure purpose as well as providing water... and also served as a place for social gatherings and religious ceremonies. This led to the building of some significant ornamental and architectural features, often associated with dwellings and in urban areas.
