ANANGTAL BAOLI - MEHRAULI - LOST HISTORY OF DELHI - HISTORICAL PLACES IN DELHI
Delhi, the capital of India, has great historical significance as it has been the capital of several empires in its Past. It has been ruled by some of India's most powerful emperors. It has a diversified cultural history as well. This article is about a Baoli which has a significant history and was the oldest of its own kind neglected for many centuries and now it has zero heritage value due to poor maintenance.
The Baolis of Mehrauli (South Delhi) i.e. the Anangtal Baoli, the Gandhak Ki Baoli, and the Rajon Ki Baoli are three water wells approached through single-stage or three-stage steps known as stepwells located in Mehrauli in Delhi, in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park mainlined by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The Anangtal Baoli
( Now available in Google map:- 28°31'31.7"N 77°10'53.8" E ( G5GJ+5J New Delhi, Delhi )
Direction:- Anangtal Baoli is in a forest about 100 meters west (Backside) of the Yogmaya Mandir (Mehrauli).
It is the oldest baoli in Delhi. It is a single-stage step well. The well was probably very large; some steps leading to the water are extant. It used the technique of rainwater harvesting for its storage. Currently, this baoli is located in a forest and is used as a local waste dump and pig farm, with sewage running into it. While it was supposed to be maintained by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the Delhi High Court ordered that the Yogmaya Mandir Welfare and Management Society take over, since the DDA was failing in its duties. As of 8 December 2018, the baoli is not maintained and does not have any markers signifying its historical relevance.
Heritage preservation
On 27th June 2022 Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena directed officials to redevelop Anangtal Baoli within two months to restore Delhi's lost and abandoned heritage.
LG Saxena emphasised that the restoration work must be appropriately done, preserving the structure's heritage identity, especially its hidden aspects.
The LG was accompanied by officials of the DDA, DJB, and ASI further Instructed them to identify green patches inside the forest that can be transformed into venues for small national and international conferences, festivals, cultural events and other recreational activities.
HISTORY
The Tomara were an Indian dynasty that ruled parts of present-day Delhi and Haryana during the 9th-12th centuries.
The Lal Kot fort (the first fort of Delhi) was constructed by the Tanwar chief Anangpal I around 731 AD, and expanded by AnangPal II in the 11th century, who shifted his capital to Lal Kot from Kannauj
Anangtal Baoli was built in the 11th century (1060 AD) by Rajput king Anangpal II of the Tomar dynasty in the then capital area of Lalkot of Delhi.
The Tanwars were defeated by the Chauhans in the 12th century.
Prithviraj Chauhan further expanded the fort and called it Qila Rai Pithora (most of the area of South Delhi).
He was defeated and killed in 1192 by Mohammed Ghori, who put his general Qutb-ud-din Aibak in charge and returned to Afghanistan. Subsequently in 1206, after the death of Mohammed Ghori, Qutubuddin enthroned himself as the first Sultan of Delhi. Thus Delhi became the capital of the Mamluk dynasty of Delhi (Slave dynasty), the first dynasty of Muslim sultans to rule over northern India.
Mehrauli remained the capital of the Mamluk dynasty which ruled until 1290. During the Khalji dynasty, the capital shifted to Siri...
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