Chand Baori Stepwell

Chand Baori is a square stepwell in Abhaneri village, Dausa district, Rajasthan, and one of the deepest and most striking stepwells in India. Chand Baori is dated to around the 8th to 9th century and is traditionally named after a local ruler, Raja Chanda. About 3,500 narrow steps drop down three sides in a zigzag pattern over 13 levels, reaching around 30 metres below ground to the water.

Stepwells like Chand Baori gave dry villages a reliable water supply, and the air at the bottom stays several degrees cooler than at the top, so it doubled as a gathering place in summer. The fourth side holds a pavilion of carved galleries and royal rooms, added in part in the 18th century. The geometry has made Chand Baori a film location, including The Fall and The Dark Knight Rises. Visitors view it from the surrounding walkways; the steps themselves are closed.

What to see

• The criss-cross flights of steps, best seen from each corner in turn
• The pavilion on the north side with its carved niches and balconies
• Sculpture fragments displayed in the cloister around the well
• The Harshat Mata temple next door, a ruined 8th-century temple with fine carving

What to wear

Chand Baori is a monument, not a working temple, so casual modest clothing is fine; shoes come off at the Harshat Mata temple next door. There is little shade around the well, so a hat and sunscreen matter from March to October. The women of Abhaneri still wear the bright lehenga and odhni of rural Rajasthan, and older men wear dhoti with a white or coloured safa.

Local food to try

Abhaneri is a small village, so eat on the highway. The dhabas on the Jaipur to Agra road near Sikandra serve fresh rotis, dal, kadhi and the local pyaaz kachori, all vegetarian. Dausa district is known for its milk sweets, and roadside stalls sell hot chai. For a full meal of dal baati churma, wait for Jaipur, about 95 km west.

Good to know

• Best from October to March; mid-morning light reaches deep into the well
• Open daily, sunrise to sunset
• Entry fee at the gate, higher for foreign visitors
• Allow 45 minutes to an hour with the temple
• About 95 km from Jaipur and 150 km from Agra, 8 km off the highway
• Photography allowed; do not climb onto the steps

Nearby places

Chand Baori pairs well with the Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri, about 100 km east, on the way to the Taj Mahal, and with Amber Fort at the Jaipur end of the drive.