A visit to Agrasen Ki Baoli

 

A visit to Agrasen Ki Baoli

 

The mystical baoli’s name is Agrasen ki baoli. The baoli has been there since centuries, there is no record or proof to successfully determine who built the Agrasen baoli. Some say the baoli was built by the great king Agrasen himself in the Mahabharata era and was rebuilt by the Agarwal community in the 14th century.

 

The baoli is protected by the Archeological Survey of India under the Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958. The baoli has amazing architecture and the inventive arch shaped structures inside the baoli give it a beautiful yet grim and eerie look.

The baoli is 60 meters long and 15 meters wide, there is a long lane of steps going to the bottom. Only about 3 levels of the baoli are visible and the other parts are permanently immersed in water and are not allowed for visitors. There are small rooms or coves which are present in the baoli which were used for rituals and puja’s in the past. Until recently the baoli was full but now the water levels have depleted and the surface below is partially visible. The surface is mostly filled with bat and bird droppings with the occasional junk of the tourists present there. The place is dark and cold and makes the perfect nest for bats, birds and ‘love birds’. It used to be a secluded space where people were once recommended not to visit but now it has become a tourist spot.

That’s not all, the baoli though a tourist spot is also said to be haunted. The story goes that it used to be full of black mystical water. The legend says that no one knows where the mystic water came from but its powers were feared by all. People who visited the baoli alone were enchanted by the black water and people were drawn to it. They would keep walking inside it till they were totally immersed in water and eventually drowned. Even now if one was to walk down the stairs you can feel the shadows closing in on you as if, someone or something had an eye on you and the silence growing denser with each step you take into the heart of the structure. It is said that the “baoli of the unseen” would call people into the water as to increase its power and increase its water level.

 

Whether the baoli has a supernatural presence or not is up for debate as many visitors still have experienced some unexplained phenomena’s yet many say that there is no such thing and it is nothing but an ancient architectural beauty. The mystic beauty of the baoli is something to be experienced, who knows what you might find there!