There is a proverb in Marathi "Kakhet Kalsa ni Gavala Valsa"
Kakhet means in your armpit. Kalsa means a vessel. The saying means the vessel is with you but you are searching for it in the entire village (Gava). Women usually carry the water vessels in between their arm and chest. The phrase is quite useful when someone is searching the entire room for their spectacles, but they have forgotten that the specs are on their forehead.
Recently I was randomly scrolling the news-feeds on Facebook, when I came across a couple of picture, which one of my friends had shared, of a step-well in Badlapur of historic significance.
Badlapur is a suburban town in the central railway route of Mumbai. I live in the adjacent town of ambernath approximately 8 km from badlapur. Hence it came to me as bit of a surprise that I did never knew about such a well's whereabouts. I searched the internet but found little reference of any such thing, so I decided to make a visit there myself.
History:
The Villagers refer to it as a "Shivkalin Vihir",( Shivkalin- Era of Chhatrapati Shivaji , Vihir- 'Well' in marathi) but on actual accounts this well was built under the reign of Peshwa Bajirao-I, by his younger brother and military commander of the Maratha army, Chimaji Ballal bhat or Chimaji Appa.
Chimaji Appa led a conquest of Vasai fort against the Portuguese ,due to the spread of Christianity,as a program to annihilate Hindus through conversion or massacre was intensely practised by the Portuguese.
Deololi is a small village that lies on the route from Poona (pune) to Vasai. Due to unavailability of a source of water nearby, a stepwell was built in order to provide usable amount of water for the contingents of the Maratha army that would take a halt there.
Features :
The Step-well is shaped in the from of a 'Keyhole' or as the natives suggests in form of a 'Shiv-linga'.
Kakhet means in your armpit. Kalsa means a vessel. The saying means the vessel is with you but you are searching for it in the entire village (Gava). Women usually carry the water vessels in between their arm and chest. The phrase is quite useful when someone is searching the entire room for their spectacles, but they have forgotten that the specs are on their forehead.
Recently I was randomly scrolling the news-feeds on Facebook, when I came across a couple of picture, which one of my friends had shared, of a step-well in Badlapur of historic significance.
Badlapur is a suburban town in the central railway route of Mumbai. I live in the adjacent town of ambernath approximately 8 km from badlapur. Hence it came to me as bit of a surprise that I did never knew about such a well's whereabouts. I searched the internet but found little reference of any such thing, so I decided to make a visit there myself.
History:
The Villagers refer to it as a "Shivkalin Vihir",( Shivkalin- Era of Chhatrapati Shivaji , Vihir- 'Well' in marathi) but on actual accounts this well was built under the reign of Peshwa Bajirao-I, by his younger brother and military commander of the Maratha army, Chimaji Ballal bhat or Chimaji Appa.
Chimaji Appa led a conquest of Vasai fort against the Portuguese ,due to the spread of Christianity,as a program to annihilate Hindus through conversion or massacre was intensely practised by the Portuguese.
Deololi is a small village that lies on the route from Poona (pune) to Vasai. Due to unavailability of a source of water nearby, a stepwell was built in order to provide usable amount of water for the contingents of the Maratha army that would take a halt there.
Features :
The Step-well is shaped in the from of a 'Keyhole' or as the natives suggests in form of a 'Shiv-linga'.
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| The Key-hole shape of the well. |
It is built in basalt rock and has 18 steps that takes you to the water-level. The steps end at the entrance of the well carved intricately. There is a idol of the deity Ganesh carved on the top of the door along with his guards besides with one of them holding a sword.
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| The deity Ganesh with guards besides, one of the guards can be seen holding a sword. |
The walls besides the stairs has niches provided for lamps for lighting during nights.The well has a rejuvenating and lively source of water which sustains water throughout the year. The water of this well is still used for household chores by the villagers. Due to recent headlines in the local newspaper the place has been clean of weeds and other bushes and is attracting visitors on daily basis.
Route:
The Deololi village is approximately 6km from badlapur railway station. one has to reach badlapur west and drive parallel to the railway station towards karjat ,cross the Ulhas river bridge,and turn right to Badlapur village. Driving for a while one should not leave the asphalt road and turn right for every divergent road or ask a fellow passer-by. It is better to keep an eye on the mile indicator of your vehicle as the village is around 5 to 6 kms from railway station. The village has countable number of houses and there is no board that names it so one has to be cautious so that they don't miss it. Enquiring with people is the best way to keep yourself from getting lost.After reaching the Deololi village you can ask any one about the 'Shivkalin Vihir', as that is what the natives call it.
If your are looking for a short getaway on the weekend and whether or not holds good interest in history this step-well will provide you with best 20 minutes look into the bygone Peshwa history. Sitting on the the walls of the well , your feet dangling inside , the water calm and clear so you can see deep into it , the savor of the surroundings mixed with the whiff of cow-dung, and a panoramic view of the surrounding range of Chanderi fort, Malang gad and Taoli will make you euphoric for days coming.
You need not pack your bags for this one, Just hit the road!
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI would like to talk to you about your Shivkalin Vihir Keyhole pictures. I am a researcher the History Channel. Please email me at aaron.molina@prometheuspix.com. I would like to use your pictures for our show.