E-Paper
A stairway to the past
It is an oasis of serenity in the Capital?s concrete jungle.
It is an oasis of serenity in the Capital’s concrete jungle. Cross the road from Max Mueller Bhavan on the bustling Kasturba Gandhi Marg and you’ll reach Agrasen Ki Baoli at Hailey Lane. The approach is not the most picturesque though. At the corner of the lane lies a pile of garbage. The burning of the garbage has claimed a casualty: signage for the protected
monument is covered by soot.
Shaded by a massive neem tree that has been there for the past three centuries, as Manohar Lal, the guard, tells you, the monument was constructed by King Agrasen. But the architectural elements — such as the arches, the dome and the well — are reminiscent of the Lodhi and Tughlaq periods.
Decay and neglect is written all over the approach to the 200-feet deep well. There are cobwebs on the walls and hundreds of bats on the roof of the minaret above the baoli (small pond). The baoli itself has been littered with empty mineral water bottles that float on the surface.
But the structure is imposing. “No iron or cement was used in the construction. The stones have been bound together for 300 years by a mixture of quick lime, kala urad and glue,” claims Manohar Lal. A good place to soak in some history, before ambling on to Bengali Market for a sumptuous Raj Kachori.
How to reach: Walk down K.G. Marg towards Max Mueller Bhavan. The paan-shop owner at the next crossing will direct you to a lane on the left. Take the first turn on the left.
