Dausa is an ancient city that served as capital of the Dundhar region (a historical area of current Rajasthan) during the 10th and 11th century AD. It is also the birthplace of Sant Kavi Sunderdas, a 17th century poet, philosopher and reformer of medieval India. He wrote 48 books in several languages spoken at the time, making his works widely accessible to people.
About 20mi (32km) east of Dausa is the small village of Abhaneri, known for its magnificent stepwell, the Chand Baori. It is the oldest, deepest and largest stepwell in India. Originally built in the 8th century AD as a water reservoir, it was significantly added to in the 18th century AD, making it the only stepwell in India with two different building periods.
The stepwell is a perfect square, 115ft (35m) per side and 100ft (30m) deep. It consists of 3,500 steps over 13 storeys, across three sides of the well’s interior. The fourth side is a large temple over several levels. The lower sections were often used to escape the intense summer heat, as the bottom of the well is usually up to 43°F (6°C) cooler than on the surface.
Around the perimeter of the stepwell is a colonnaded arcade that was added by the Mughals. Parts of the arcade were used as art galleries and today display old sculptures and carvings that may have once decorated the interior of the temple.
Adjacent to the stepwell is the Harshat Mata Temple, a ruined Hindu temple built around the 9th century AD. Not much remains of the original structure, having been altered many times over the centuries but numerous detailed stone carvings can be found around the main platform. One of the surviving pillars is exquisitely carved across its entire area. Carvings of deities, flowers, peacocks and amorous scenes can be found on display. More historically valuable carvings have been moved to museums in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Next stop is Jaipur.
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