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Date of Photograph: March 30, 2015
Location: Bundi, India

Built in 1699, Raniji ki Baori, also known as "Queen's Stepwell".

Stepwells were built to harvest and preserve rains from the Monsoons in drought-prone Indian states. They typically have a large opening at ground level and inward sloping walls with winding staircases and colonnades reaching as deep as thirteen stories into the ground to draw from the water table.Many are decorated with beautiful carvings and architectural features.

They were brilliant mixed-use spaces where people came to drink, bathe, wash clothes, socialize, and tether animals – and if you were a traveler seeking a cool spot, steps on which to sleep.

With the advent of modern water delivery systems, most stepwells are no longer in use and have fallen into disrepair. However this stepwell is preserved by the state as a heritage site.