Baoris of Jodhpur

While working on a short-term project on the baori or stepwells of Jodhpur, I had the opportunity to read many Rajasthani stories and folk-tales surrounding a unique cultural practice of the state: the conservation of water. Before the Indira Gandhi Canal revolutionized civic life in Rajasthan, all rural and urban communities in the state practised several techniques of water conservation. The baori is more than a historical monument to that ancient life; it lies at the heart of Rajasthani cultural identity. Most baoris are vulnerable today to neglect and decay, but governmental action, tourism-related entrepreneurship, and the visibility afforded by Hollywood and Bollywood films, that have made the architectural marvels world-famous, have brought to the baoris of Rajasthan a new lease of life. Here are some photographs of Toorji ka Jhalra, in Jodhpur, that may entice you to visit the city and its magnificent fort, the majestic Mehrangarh. Anti-royalist and anti- rose-tinted lenses as I may be, there are some things whose beauty and history beckon you from across

the ages.

(Photo credit: Sritama Bhattacharyya)