Union Minister G Kishan Reddy inaugurates Photo exhibition on the Baolis of Delhi on the occasion of World Heritage Day
Worshipping nature is within our traditions and cultural heritage of the
country: G Kishan Reddy
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked for both Vikas and Virasat to fulfil
the dreams of the great men who sacrificed their lives to attain freedom: G
Kishan Reddy
ASI has done a great work in the field of excavation: Arjun Ram Meghwal
Union Minister for Culture G Kishan Reddy inaugurated the Photo
exhibition on the Baolis of Delhi “Absent Appearance- A Shifting score of water
bodies” on the occasion of World Heritage Day as part of Azadi ka Amrit
Mahotsav at Purana Qila today in New Delhi. Minister of State for Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal also graced the event.
Officers of Ministry of Culture and ASI were also present on this occasion.
The World Heritage Day is also known as the
International Day for Monuments and Sites and is meant to create awareness
about the diversity of cultural heritage. The theme for World Heritage Day
2022, is “Heritage and Climate”.
Speaking at the occasion, Reddy said, “Worshipping
nature is within our traditions and cultural heritage of the country. Today,
our responsibility increases as the whole world looks upto India which can give
ways to solve the problems related to climate change and preserving cultural
heritage”. At present India is a member of the “World Heritage Committee” of
UNESCO. There are 40 world heritage sites in India out of which 32 are
cultural, 7 are natural sites and 1 mixed category. Out of these, 24 monuments
and archaeological sites are protected by the Archaeological Survey of
India. In the list of World Heritage of 2021, the beautiful architectural
marvel "Ramappa Temple" built in the 13th century of Kakatiya style
and the ancient Harappan city of Dholavbira were included. In addition to this,
49 sites are listed in the tentative list.
The Union Minister also spoke about the efforts and
the leadership shown by the Prime Minister in repatriating our heritage such as
idols that were taken from India. “Today, about 228 heritage objects have been
returned to India from various parts of the world. Before, 2014 there were only
13 objects that were returned”.
The Union Minister said “Our Ancestors have given
us the great heritage which is one of the oldest in the world. Today as we are
celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav it is our responsibility to pass on this
heritage to our future generation. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has
worked for both Vikas and Virasat to fulfil the dreams of the great men who
sacrificed their lives to attain freedom”
Reddy added, “Shri Narendra Modi government is
taking many initiatives and working towards saving the climate. We are moving
towards usage of renewable energy, hydrogen and electric vehicles, organic
farming and many initiatives like Swacha Bharat Abhiyan, Jal Jeevan Mission
which aims to promote sustainable development and promote better living
conditions for our citizens”.
On the occasion, Arjun Ram Meghwal said that ASI
has done a great work in the field of excavation and he also highlighted the
need for continuing such good work. He also said that bringing back of
Annapurna idol is a great achievement by ASI.
Baoli
Since the inception of human civilization harnessing water for
agriculture, daily consumption and other ritualistic activities is a general
practice. As per climatic conditions ranging from aridity to availability of
water the civilizations had adopted various techniques in the usage and storage
of water; baolis / stepwells feature in one such technology. The purpose of the
baolis' were not only restricted for the consumption of water, but adding to
the environmental conditions the baoli's established a deep relationship of
faith in the water god, thereby giving the structures a religious identity.
The word the Baoli/Bawdi has derived from the Sanskrit word wapi or
vapi/vapika. Baoli is commonly used in Gujarat, Rajasthan and parts of North
India. The strategic locations of the baolis imply their importance and utility
to a great extent. Stepwells located in the edge of the habitation like towns
or satellite villages are mostly secular structures from where people can draw
water and utilize the space for cool gathering. The stepwells near the trade
routes were mostly treated as resting places whereas the stepwells with
terracotta rims were seen near the agricultural lands. The system of
stepwells/baolis collapsed due to the pressure of decentralisation and
agriculture intensification.
Speaking of Baolis of Delhi, as per the published information there are
nearabout 32 medieval baolis out of which 14 baolis are either lost or buried.
Further out of 18 baolis, 12 baolis are Centrally Protected and are under the
protection of ASI. A typical baoli usually consists of three elements, the well
in which the water is collected, the flight of steps to reach the ground water
through several stories and interconnected pavilions. Generally, the step wells
are U - shaped but there are always exceptions in architecture and L - shaped
rectangular or octagonal stepwells are also not uncommon.