Revealing The Mysteries of The Hidden And Beautiful Anangtal Baoli in Mehrauli

Delhi, our beloved ‘City of Djinns’, is also a city of ghosts. The ghosts of stories untold, histories insulted, cultures forgotten, heritage trampled over and wonders not chronicled. The Anangtal Baoli, an ancient step-well, the source of the very elixir of life, now lies hidden in Mehrauli; somewhere in the backyard of multi-storeyed bungalows, palatial mansions, and the edifices of modern affluence. Read on!

The Baoli in Happier Times

Anangtal is the oldest Baoli in Delhi, and according to historical sources, the oldest in the North and the North-West part of Delhi as well! It was constructed in the 10th century AD, under the reign of Anangpal Tomar the Second, the great-grandfather of the illustrious Prithviraj Chauhan. Apparently, the queens would hold an annual event for almsgiving next to the baoli, at the behest of the king!

Playing Hide & Seek 

When you enquire far and wide about the Baoli, you’re only met with raised eyebrows, curious glances and strained expressions - you will receive no answers. Curious and almost angry, we entered the well-known Jog Maya Temple in the vicinity, to seek answers and it was the temple’s proprietor who came to our rescue. 

With a sympathetic, half-apologetic smile he led us to a most repulsively dirty jungle behind the temple, which forms a part of the Ridge, a shameful evidence of negligence safely hidden from view by towering trees with half-dried leaves. 

The Baoli, in the Murky, Indifferent Present

What awaits you at some distance is not a glorious Baoli, with a wide staircase and elegant nakkashi on the walls as you would expect, but what we instead witnessed was a small pond-like entity, filled with green, slimy water while a group of pigs grunted noisily in the background. 

Utterly suspicious, we protested violently that what we saw could not be the Baoli in question however the proprietor ruefully assured us that this is indeed Anangtal, and proceeded to give details of attempts at maintenance, which actually amounted to nothing. 

At such times you realize the sheer futility of questioning the workings of a modern society which is speeding away on its road to growth and development, without so much as looking back to where it started from; you realize the futility of blaming modern civilization and you sadly realize with a shudder that new edifices can only be constructed over the shattered remnants of the old *sigh*!

Where | Anangtal Baoli - Mehrauli Archeological Park Trail, Mehrauli Village, Mehrauli
Timings | 10 AM - 5 PM