In commemoration of the World Heritage Day 2025
‘Psychic Visualisation’ of the past ‘as-is’ by Kaushik Kumar across centuries of the stepwell, led the participants to imagine the narratives of kings, queens, children, sepoys, fakirs, travellers, camels and the river – weaving a unique experience of the space for oneself. The experiential walk commenced with everyone exploring simple human connections with the stepwell, viewing the place as a space of inhabitation and life, beyond museumisation. Guided through the dark, narrow stairway, along the corridor and seated amidst the arches, eyes closed, made each one experience and imagine the space sensorially.
After sharing of individual imagination of the visualisations, Arunima Shankar, from Akarmaa, conservation architect of the stepwell, discussed the process of conservation, and walked around exploring the different levels of the stepwell. We gathered around the lower level discussing conjectures, architectural details, their orientation and drew parallels with water systems and people’s approach from Kutch, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. With many curious questions from the participants, the dialogue jumped across eras from the Bahamani Sultanate to the post-independent Gandhian times.
Historians, architects, landscape specialists, planners, businessmen, sociologists, environmentalists, nutrition experts and farmers as participants made the discussion holistic and insightful. The walk concluded with dialogue over the relevance of traditional water systems and the need to associate new values, aiding towards their preservation, while the turtles swam on the surface, curiously listening.
We would like to thank @gandipet_welfare_society for their continued efforts in reviving and maintaining the stepwell.
Photography Credits: Karri Kalyan, Parikshith Anthigram (Pakshi), Sriraj Tumuluri
Organisational support: Amulya Kodala, Bojja Vineela, Simhachalam Anna
