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16 FIELD NOTES DELHI THE HINDU Magazine THE HINDU Magazine DELHI FIELD NOTES 17
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Sunday, March 3, 2019
NIDHI JAMWAL SPEAKING STONES
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fter 15 years, Shankar finds ECOLOGY
himself peering down a 60ft CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC Once upon a fort
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well shaft at the dhobi ghat in
ABengaluru’s Malleswaram
neighbourhood. Here, a lakh or so Their life’s in
clothes are washed every day. In the heart of Gaur, the Firoz Minar is
The well is believed to be over 100
years old and its walls are overrun with still an imposing sight
shrubs. The water is covered with a
thick green layer of the aquatic fern, the well hile researching the life of
azolla. Shankar and nine men of his Hazrat Amir Khusrau, I
team, all belonging to the Bhovi or Download Indian Library App came across Lakhnauti.
Mannu Vaddar community of WKhusrau had gone with
traditional welldiggers, will spend the Balban and stayed there. It was here
entire day desilting, cleaning and that Sultan Iltutmish’s beloved son
reviving the giant well. “Because of the Karnataka’s second year of drought has brought Prince Nasiruddin lost his life and was
drought, the dhobi ghat has been brought back and buried in Sultan
buying water from private tankers and the Bhovi community of well-diggers back to centrestage Deep waters A group of well-diggers peer into a recharge pit Ghari in Delhi.
drawing from borewells that are fast in the suburbs of Bengaluru and (above) a huge open well in Lakhnauti had many connections
running dry. So, the washermen’s for me. It seemed an inaccessible place
Devanhalli being desilted. SUDHAKRA JAIN & NIDHI JAMWAL
association approached us to revive the till I read the blog of Deepanjan Ghosh,
well,” says Shankar. a heritage enthusiast based in Kolkata. I
He and his colleagues, Shankar realised that the city of Gaur (also
recalls, had made the trip to the dhobi — the welldiggers have been brought called Gouda) was established on or
ghat from his village in the city’s back to the centrestage of water near Lakhnauti. I wanted to see the
outskirts to clean the same well 15 management. magnificent ruins of Gaur. So I set off to
years ago. “We used to clean the well Bhovipalya village on the outskirts explore this medieval kingdom.
during the day and sleep next to it at of Bengaluru is where Shankar and his Lakshmanavati, as Lakhnauti was
night.” colleagues live. In fact, every one of the known originally, was ruled by the
110 families in this village is from the Palas and then the Senas. King
Going down Bhovi community. Here I meet Laxmi Lakshman Sena laid Gaur’s foundations
As we watch, the welldiggers start Amma, Shankar’s mother. As a little and made it his capital in 1179. Sultan
cutting the shrubs at the mouth of the girl, she tells me, she often Iltutmish’s general Bakhtiyar Khilji
well. They then open the iron mesh accompanied her parents when they defeated him in 1202. After the Delhi Staff of saints The Firoz Minar. RANA SAFVI
A that covers it and three men — went to dig wells. “Traditionally, both Sultans, various rulers from the Ilyas
Some claim Munikrishna, Srinivas and Pedanna — men and women used to dig wells, but Shahi, house of Raja Ganesh, Habshi began with a visit to the Bada Sona
Vaddars came carefully descend into the depths with #70929 women don’t do it any more,” she says. dynasty, and the Hussain Shahi Mosque.
In front of it was a huge banyan tree
from Odisha, the help of thick ropes. What follows is The history of the Bhovi or Vaddar dynasty ruled from 1338 onwards till with goats and cows sitting lazily
Sher Shah Suri sacked it in 1539.
an aweinspiring drill of coordination,
while others camaraderie and skill. First, the water around it and a few huts behind it.
say their must be pumped out. Then, bucket c Stately city It was hard to believe I was standing
ancestors after bucket is lowered into the well The Bhovi community helps dig, Once a very wellplanned city with in front of a 16th century Jama Masjid
came from and silt, muck and broken branches are clean and maintain all these wells markets and beautiful buildings, Gaur that must have been the centre of
Andhra pulled out. Then the azolla is cleared across Bengaluru or Gouda today is quiet, dusty and much royal activity.
with a cane basket that acts as a sieve. ruined. Built by Sultan Nasiruddin Nusrat
Pradesh, as
The water must now be made community is not clear. Some claim In Memoirs of Gaur and Pandua, Shah of the Hussain Shahi dynasty in
their primary potable by adding alum, lime and Vaddars came from Odisha while Khan Saheb M. Abid Ali Khan quotes 1526, the huge mosque is in ruins
language is potassium permanganate. “I learnt others say their ancestors came from Spanish traveller De Barros (prior to today.
Telugu how to revive wells from my parents Andhra Pradesh, as their primary 1540), who describes Gaur as: “The
and grandparents. I was 15,” says language is Telugu. The tradition of population is so great and the streets so A
Ramakrishna, one of the ninemember welldigging exists in Maharastra and thronged with concourse and traffic of The beautiful, 84-ft tower has a
team. Gujarat too. people, especially of such as come to 73-step spiral staircase leading to
Until piped Cauvery water came to Vaddars are broadly divided into present themselves at the king’s court, the top that’s now closed
the city in 1972, open wells were the three groups: Mannu Vaddars work that they can not force their way past
main source of drinking water. with soil; Kallu or Dagad Vaddars work one another. A great part of the city From here we went to the Salami or
Borewells came in the early 1980s, and with stone; while Ooru Vaddars grow consists of stately and well wrought Dakhil Darwaza, the entrance to the
the culture of open wells all but ragi. buildings.” (De Barros da Asia Lisbon fort, and all that’s left of it. What
vanished, says S. Vishwanath, advisor, Bhovis belong to the Scheduled edition of 1778) excited me was the Firoz Minar
Biome Environmental Trust, which Castes and often face social ostracism. After Sher Shah sacked it, the city standing majestically next to an ancient
conducts research on water and Pavitra, the daughter of a welldigger in decayed, and when the new cities of banyan tree with a small water body
sanitation. Bhovipalya, is studying B.Com in a Murshidabad and English Bazar, and near it where children were playing. It
Bengaluru college. But she says: “If my later Calcutta, came up — as was the was built by Saifuddin Firuz Shah, the
Harvesting rainwater friends get to know my parents are custom of recycling in the medieval era second ruler of Bengal’s Habshi
Today, 40% of Bengaluru is dependent welldiggers they will stop talking to — bricks and stones from here were dynasty.
on groundwater. As per the regulations me. In any case, no one eats lunch with carried in boats to the new It is locally known as Pir Asa Mandir
of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara me,” she says, holding back tears. constructions. and Chiragh Dani. Since asa means
Palike and the water supply and It is only education that will bring staff it could refer to a local saint, since
sewerage board, all new and old dignity to the community, believes Henry Creighton’s sketches chiragh dani means where lamps are
buildings of a given size must harvest Ramaswami, Ramakrishna’s father, The first person to explore these lit. A Sufi saint is said to be connected
rainwater or face penalties. So, who has dug more wells than he can spectacular ruins was Henry Creighton, to heaven by his staff. Perhaps he lived
recharge wells, that collect rainwater count. “I am illiterate and remember an indigo planter who lived near Gaur here. Even Qutub Minar was supposed
and pump it into the ground, are how my parents had to beg and between 1786 and 1807. He made to be the staff of Khwaja Qutbuddin
becoming popular. struggle to feed me. I educated my son, sketches of the fort and palace. Bakhtiyar Kaki.
For instance, Indian Institute of who is doing better than me. My After him, antiquarians Dr. The beautiful, 84ft tower has a
Management Bangalore has over 60 grandchildren study in an English Buchanan Hamilton in 1808 and Major 73step spiral staircase leading to the
recharge wells. And it is the Bhovi medium school and have a brighter W. Francklin in 181011 left detailed top that’s now closed.
community that is helping dig, clean future.” descriptions of the Standing on the lawn in front,
and maintain all these wells across Meanwhile, the well at ruins as they were at under the shade of the banyan, with
Bengaluru. Malleswaram’s dhobi ghat is pristine that time. My chirping birds and flitting parrots, I was
As Karnataka faces its second now, and the city’s clothes can be expedition into Gaur transported into another world.
consecutive year of drought — the washed clean once more.
government has declared 156 of the 176 ............................................................................. Rana Safvi is a historian, author and blogger
talukas or 88% of the State drought hit The writer is an independent journalist. documenting India’s syncretic culture.
