Though in a deplorable condition, the Gandhak Ki Baoli attracts hundreds of visitors everyday for its ‘healing waters.’ Trisha Mukherjee gets people talking myths and facts about the almost forgotten site
As these kids dive into the water and thump it with full force, the respite from the sweltering sun figuratively takes shape on their faces. Not caring about the filth in this static water, the little ones would take a leap underwater and emerge from the adjacent well.
It is probably the grandeur of Qutub Minar, which stands magnificently at Mehrauli, that people fail to look beyond at the Gandhak ki baoli. Which is why when we enquired about the location, even the rickshaw pullers failed to guide us. However, the stepwell seems to have got life in summers where locals often come to seek refuge.
The largest stepwell in Delhi, Gandhak ki baoli, was built by emperor Iltutmish, the founder of the slave dynasty. It was built for Khwaja Sayed Muhammad Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiar Kaki, a renowned sufi saint whose dargah is at a stone’s throw from the baoli. It is believed that the emperor was a religious follower of the saint.
The dargah witnesses the phoolwaron ki sair (Festival of flower sellers) every autumn. Aiming to bridge the gap between Hinduism and Islam, people offer sheets of flowers at the dargah and the close by Yogmaya temple. Enclosed in an area no larger than one of the little parks in your localities, Gandhak’s baoli is likely to escape your eyes, but the tales that the people around have to tell are worth sharing.
The baoli has a circular well at its south, and the water is believed to come through this well. While one might conspicuously feel that it is the municipal corporation that fills up this well with water regularly, people believe it is “magic”. “There have been times when the baoli remained dry for years, but nobody knows where the water comes from,” said Raju who was perched upon the highest wall of the six tiered stepwell, with his friend Ghalib, watching the kids bathing in water.
“Two years back the baoli was filled with water only till the second storey, and before that, even lower. This year the water has risen an extra storey,” said Ghalib. Adding to the long list of fables, he said, “The water dries out on its own if somebody dies in these waters.”
When the water dries up here, people go to the nearby Rajon ki baoli to bathe. It is said that the two baolis have never had water together. Dismissing the repelling filthy water and vindicating its name, the water in this baoli is believed to have sulphur and therefore healing properties. Ignorant of this fact, Raju fascinatingly informed, “People often develop the skin rashes other ailments during summers, but a single dip in the water cures all of them. Nobody knows how, but this really happens.”
Believed to have witnessed a lot of diving and swimming competitions in the past, this historical structure stands neglected amidst a dilapidated neighbourhood. Apart from the Pahalwan dhaba, located in front of the baoli, there is absolutely nothing to attract visitors.
About 100 meters from the baoli stands another decayed site, Adam Khan’s tomb, which is locally known as Bhool Bhulaiyan. It is often talked about as the tomb from where Qutab Minar can be seen clearly, but the intricate art work on the ceiling has been seldom appreciated. Poor maintenance, however, is likely to make it invisible to the eyes very soon.
On a summer afternoon, one is likely to find several people within the tomb which is erected opposite the Mehrauli Bus Terminus, but none of them, to your surprise, is likely to be a visitor. “Most of them come inside the tomb for shade, as they wait for their buses,” said Sudhir Kumar, security-in-charge.
Although he said that young people do visit the tomb in the evenings, it is hard to believe with the structure standing like an abandoned pile of rocks and nothing more.