Sign-In
Cart
The Vanishing Stepwells of India
Hardcover
General ArchitectureArchitecture History
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
ISBN13: 9781858946580
Publisher: Merrell
Published: Mar 29 2017
Pages: 224
Weight: 3.70
Height: 1.00 Width: 10.20 Depth: 11.70
Language: English
Some of the most stunning architectural structures in India are to be found below ground: these are its stepwells, ancient water stores.
Stepwells are unique to India and from around the 3rd century CE were built throughout the country, particularly in the arid western regions. Excavated several stories underground in order to reach the water table, these cavernous spaces not only provided water all year long but also fulfilled other functions; they offered pilgrims and other travelers a respite from the heat, and became places in which villagers could socialize. Stepwell construction evolved so that, by the 11th century, the wells were amazingly complex feats of architecture and engineering.
The journalist Victoria Lautman first encountered stepwells three decades ago and now, a seasoned traveller to India, she has devoted several years to documenting these fascinating but largely unknown edifices before they disappear. Of the thousands of stepwells that proliferated across India, most were abandoned as a result of modernization and the depletion of water tables. Often commissioned by royal or wealthy patrons, the wells vary greatly in scale, layout, materials and shape. Those in what is now Gujarat state also served as subterranean Hindu temples that featured columned pavilions and elaborate stone carvings of deities. Islamic wells were generally less flamboyant, but incorporated arched side niches. Today, few stepwells are in use. The majority have been left to silt up, fill with rubbish and crumble into disrepair. Gradually, however, the Indian government and heritage organizations have come to recognize the need to preserve these architectural wonders. In 2014 India's best-known stepwell, the Rani ki Vav in Patan, northern Gujarat, became a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In her introduction, Lautman discusses why and where the stepwells were built. She reflects on the reasons they became derelict and considers how the appreciation of stepwells is changing with the work of organizations and individuals who aim to protect and restore them. The main part of the book is arranged in a broadly chronological order, with up to six pages devoted to each of c. 80 stepwells, every one unique in design and engineering. The name, location (including GPS coordinates) and approximate date of each well accompany color photographs and a concise commentary by Lautman on the history and architecture of the well and her experience of visiting it. While many of the stepwells are rather decrepit, their magnificent engineering and great beauty cannot fail to impress.
1 different editions
Also available
Also in
General Architecture
Architectural Classics Notecards: 20 Prints and Envelopes (20 Different Cards on Luxe Paper, 9 X 6, Gold Foil Stamped Box, Great for All Occasions) [W
Princeton Architectural Press
Other
The Universe of Design: Horst Rittel's Theories of Design and Planning
Harris, David
Protzen, Jean-Pierre
Paperback
Great Houses of Summit Avenue and the Hill District
Larson, Paul Clifford
Hammel, Bette
Melvin, Karen
Hardcover
Post Domesticity: Re-Thinking Urban Obsolescence
Garcia-Setien, Diego
de Abajo, Begona
Espinosa, Enrique
Paperback
Rural Utopia and Water Urbanism: The Modern Village in Franco's Spain
LeJeune, Jean-François
Paperback
Progressive Design in the Midwest: The Purcell-Cutts House and the Prairie School Collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Olivarez, Jennifer Komar
Paperback
The End of Automobile Dependence: How Cities Are Moving Beyond Car-Based Planning
Kenworthy, Jeffrey
Newman, Peter
Paperback
Paint by Sticker (Official): Architecture: Re-Create 12 Historic Structures One Sticker at a Time!
Workman Publishing
Paperback
Our World in Ten Buildings: How Architecture Defines Who We Are and How We Live
Murphy, Michael
Hardcover
Generation Regeneration: Codesigning the Future of Cities Through Regenerative Placemaking
Cho, Tony
Hardcover
The Big Book of Tiny Painting: An Artist's Guide to Tiny Painting Outside in Ink and Watercolour
Stroz, Leslie
Paperback
A Field Guide to American Houses (Revised): The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America's Domestic Architecture
McAlester, Virginia Savage
Paperback
100 Iconic Buildings to See Before You Die: Explore the World's Most Amazing Architecture
Dk Travel
Hardcover
Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time (Tenth Anniversary Edition)
Speck, Jeff
Paperback
Drawing Lessons with Da Vinci: An Artist's Guide to Geometry, Anatomy and Proportion
Roig, Gabriel Martín
Paperback
In a Good Place: How the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play Can Help Us Thrive
Klotz, Leidy
Hardcover
Rendering in Pen and Ink: The Classic Book on Pen and Ink Techniques for Artists, Illustrators, Architects, and Designers
Guptill, Arthur L.
Paperback
A Natural History of Empty Lots: Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys, and Other Wild Places
Brown, Christopher
Paperback
Los Angeles Central Library Pops: Celebrating a Century of the Light of Learning
Rice, Christina
Hardcover
Engineering in Plain Sight: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Constructed Environment
Hillhouse, Grady
Hardcover
Pretty Good House: A Guide to Creating Better Homes
Kolbert, Daniel
Mottram, Emily
Maines, Michael
Hardcover
The Spaces That Make Us: Why Design Is Broken and How We Can Create a Happier, Healthier World
Kurani, Danish
Hardcover
Massimo Listri. the World's Most Beautiful Libraries. 45th Ed.
Sladek, Elisabeth
Ruppelt, Georg
Hardcover
The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home
Kiernan, Denise
Paperback
Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World
Lewis, Hannah
Paperback
Casa Kahlo: Frida Kahlo's Family Home and Sanctuary
Romeo Kahlo, Mara
Romeo, Mara de Anda
Romeo, Frida Hentschel
Hardcover
Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life
Klinenberg, Eric
Paperback
Barkitecture: Explore the World of Innovative and Sustainable Pet Architecture
Thomasson, Joshua
Hardcover
London, Block by Block: An Illustrated Guide to the Best of England's Capital
Block, Cierra
Hardcover
Men at Work: The Empire State Building and the Untold Story of the Craftsmen Who Built It
Kurtz, Glenn
Hardcover
The Hotel on Place Vendome: Life, Death, and Betrayal at the Hotel Ritz in Paris
Mazzeo, Tilar J.
Paperback
Live Your Dreams Coloring Book: 20 Live Your Dreams Mandala Coloring Pages
Crystal Coloring Books
Paperback
New York's Secret Subway: The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit
Algeo, Matthew
Hardcover
Lost Raleigh: Exploring the Oak City's Architectural History
Hanbury, Mary Ruffin
Dunn, Ian F. G.
Paperback
California Coastal: Seaside Living from Sea Ranch to San Diego
Ewald, Chase Reynolds
Hebert, Heather Sandy
Hardcover
101 Things I Didn't Learn In Architecture School: And wish I had known before my first job
Lebner, Sarah
Paperback
If You Want to Win, You've Got to Fight: A Guide to Effective Transportation Advocacy
Lavin, Carter
Paperback
The Genius in the Design: Bernini, Borromini, and the Rivalry That Transformed Rome
Morrissey, Jake
Paperback
Life Inside a Cottage: Interior Inspiration from Today's Cottage Dwellers
Card, Nell
Vere, Rachel
Hardcover
Measure and Construction of the Japanese House: 250 Plans and Sketches Plus Illustrations of Joinery
Engel, Heino
Hardcover
Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid
Cusato, Marianne
Pentreath, Ben
Sammons, Richard
Paperback
Code Check Building 5th Edition: An Illustrated Guide to the Building Codes
Hansen, Douglas
Paperback
Code Check Plumbing & Mechanical 6th Edition: An Illustrated Guide to the Plumbing & Mechanical Codes
Hansen, Douglas
Paperback
Watercolor Artist's Index of the Urban Landscape: A Field Trip of Features and How to Paint Them
Taylor, Richard
Paperback
The Design of Childhood: How the Material World Shapes Independent Kids--Featuring the Author's Pulitzer Prize-Winning Essays
Lange, Alexandra
Paperback
A House Needs to Breathe...Or Does It?: An Introduction to Building Science
Bailes, Allison A., III
Paperback
Trauma-informed Design: A Framework for Designers, Architects, and Other Practitioners
Erdman, Adrienne
Cowart, Christine A.
Roche, Janet E.
Paperback
Human Transit (Revised Edition): How Clearer Thinking about Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities and Our Lives
Walker, Jarrett
Paperback
In the Company of Nature: Regenerating Business, Community and the Living World
Gormley, Frieda
Hardcover
Housesketching: Learn to Create Energetic and Expressive Architectural Drawings
Kiefer, Albert
Paperback
Find the Lost Dollars: 6 Steps to Increase Profits in Architecture, Engineering and Environmental Firms - Abridged Version
Jewell, June R.
Paperback