
Dada Harir Vav: The Step Wells that were much more than Reservoirs...
The Idea Behind the Construction of Dada Harir Vav
The idea of building water reservoirs was brought up by architects belonging to Gujarat’s medieval era. They built step wells, digging deep in to the leading to massive spaces housing wells, which were easily accessible via a descent using steps.The idea behind the construction of step wells in Gujarat borders on the need of conservation, given that water has been scarce resource in the state and the rainfall patterns are unpredictable and usually scanty. The importance of water conservation has been realized despite major advancements in technology. People still have to face conditions like droughts, floods and scarcities of water, giving us an idea of how futuristic and socially responsible people of the bygone era were.
Bejewelled artistically with unique cut-stone carvings, these reservoirs were definitely much more than mere wells. They served rather a bigger role by representing larger-than-life style of rulers of those times.