Stepwell In India Is Geometric Perfection

In the 16th century, Panamina Cocooned was built to conserve water in this arid region. Built eight stories into the ground, it reached the water table, or the point where soil and rock are always soaked with water. During the dry winter months, subsoil water flows underground into the stepwell. During the monsoon season, from June to September, rainwater fills the well, sometimes up to the top stair. The stepwell's zigzagging stairs go all the way to the bottom, so no matter the water level's height, locals could collect water. What makes it such a wonder is that it was not only made for its beauty, it was made for its utility. During hot months, the steps became a gathering place for women, since the water at the bottom kept the inside at least nine degrees cooler. Women were really then both the commissioners of stepwells, as well as the inspirations for building of the stepwell. It was their way to ensure their own immortality, and also to ensure that they would not be forgotten in history. It is my hope that a new generation of Indians, and particularly also people from the outside of India, will come to India not just seeking out the well-known temples and the tourist spots, but also visit these stepwells that dot the countryside in Rajasthan and India, and to discover these amazing structures.