Diverse Water Spaces

Historically people who resided in hot, desert regions have created various types of large-scale water reservoirs for storing and accessing water. Depending upon spatial characteristics and intended public, personal or community use, the water reservoirs had different designs. This story captures the diversity of the water bodies and structures which exist in the vicinity of Mehrangarh Fort.

Jhalra

Jhalra is a form of a subterranean structure, usually constructed in a space where water is filled up through cracks and fissures in the stone terrain underneath. The depth of Jhalra is higher as compared to its width or length. Jhalra has a flight of steps on its three edges leading to the level of water and the fourth edge usually has a verandah or Persian wheel to draw water. It is an excellent example of stone construction and engineering, the steps are a scaling device where each flight correlates approximately to the height of the human shoulder.

The picture here showcases Maayla Bagh Jhalra which was sanctioned by Gulab Rai, the concubine of Maharaja Vijay Singh Ji in the 18th century. It is said that this jhalara was an expansion of an existing bawadi and temple structure. Later, a few additions were made to the space by adding a few palace structures around it.

Sar

Sar means Lake also known as Talab/Nadi/Sagar/Samand/Bandh/Kund. These are formed when a part of the catchment area or a part of the valley is enclosed with structural embankments, following the concept of dams. Depending upon the function of the dam superstructure, the reservoirs were termed Nadi, Talab, Sagar, Sar, Sambandh, or Bandh.

Larger reservoirs with a large catchment were termed Sagar or Samand while the smaller ones were called Kund and Talab. Nadi were reservoirs from the rural areas, whereas Bandhs were found in old, as well as, newly developed cities. Sar is the reservoir mostly found in the narrow catchments of dense cities.

The image here is of Padamsar which was sanctioned by Rani Uttamde Sisodini Ji who was the daughter of Rana Sanga of Mewar. During Maharaja Bakhat Singh Ji's reign, the embankment of Padamsar was raised by seven more steps for tarpan worship by the Shrimali Brahmin community.

Sagar

Sagar refers to a tank. The term defines an enclosed built containment. In Jodhpur, the tanks were constructed to harvest water from the catchment areas within the city. The main connections of these tanks to lakes are different-sized canals. These tanks are referred to as Sagar in the vernacular language. The edges of these tanks consist of platforms and ghats-like steps.

The image shows Gulab Sagar which was sanctioned by Gulab Rai in 1845. It took around eight years to complete the construction of Gulab Sagar. It measures 150 x 90 m in size and receives water through a canal from Bal Samand Lake.

Bawdi

Bawdis were earlier constructed with a basic stone masonry and were dug according to the need for water. It was much later that stones were carved out from huge stone blocks by Shilpi / Karigar (Stone Craftsmen) using Chaini-Hathoda (Chisel and Hammer). Bawdi is a form of the stepwell, where initial steps are short flights of criss-cross steps, with a condensed linear form. Stepwells usually consist of two parts: a vertical shaft from which water is drawn and the surrounding inclined subterranean passageways, chambers, and steps.

This example is of Tapi Bawdi, sanctioned by a Pandit named Tapi from the Pushkarna Brahmin community. This bawdi was constructed in the year 1675 during the reign of Maharaja Jaswant Singh Ji. The community living around the bawdi believes that the water of this bawdi is light and soft which makes this bawdi an ideal place to learn to swim.

Bera/Kua

Bera or Kua means a well, which directly taps groundwater and occupies minimal physical structural space on the ground compared to all other water structures. Wells provide continuous water access from subterranean rivers. There are houses, temples and open community spaces around the beras. Wells have two basic elements: a shaft and a water wheel. These are typically community assets, shared amongst a number of families who share their construction, maintenance, and water resources.

The showcased water body here is Jaita Bera which was constructed during the reign of Rao Jodha, that is, it dates back to the foundation of Jodhpur. It was once reconstructed during the time of Maharaja Ajeet Singh.

Tanka/Hauz

Tankas are underground tanks that store rainwater harvested from the terraces of residential spaces. Before the first rain, the terraces are cleaned and water during the first rain is allowed to flow through different spouts. After that, all the secondary spouts are closed and water is directed from a single spout to these tanks via courtyards or backyards of a space. During this time, no one is allowed to take their footwear on the terrace or even visit the terrace. This makes water free from pollutants whilst further improved by a lime terrace. Lime is traditionally believed to be a water cleanser and used for the lining of terraces as well as tankas. These were also constructed in temples for the daily use of water for rituals and offerings. The Fort could also use water from tankas while under attack or in a war as an in-house water supply. The farms also used to have these tankas for irrigation purposes, to be used when needed for drinking. Tanka is a closed rainwater storage system whereas Hauz is an open rainwater storing water body.

Shown here is an underground Tanka situated at Mehrangarh Fort under Daulat Khana Chowk which was constructed during the reign of Sawai Raja Soor Singh. It is said there was a cellar here earlier during the times of Rao Ganga.