Bhamaria Vav, Sojali Village, Mehmedabad, Kheda District, Gujarat

Perhaps, one of the deepest stepwells in Gujarat, the Bhamaria vav located a little away from the hustle and bustle of Sojali village has remained in obscurity for centuries. This 15th century vav was built as a pavilion inside an existing well-laid out garden.

Though the stepwell and the surroundings are in ruins today, the imposing nature of the structure remains unchanged. The stepwell has been designed as an octagonal shaft approximately measuring 14 feet in length. The entrance to the vav is through a narrow stairway that only reduces in width as you reach the bottom.

There are four circular rooms at this level with the north and south openings having troughs. Four flights of steps lead to the lower part of the well shaft that have eight rooms built around it with richly embellished balconies looking into the well shaft. Two huge stone pylons support the top of the well shaft.

Written by Lakshmi Subramanian