ASI finds stepwell built by Babur near Fatehpur Sikri Fort

Fatehpur Sikri: Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) search for a 'bawari' or stepwell built by the first Mughal emperor, Babur, around 1527 might have ended with new discoveries made at a dilapidated complex towards the rear of Fatehpur Sikri Fort.
According to ASI officials, long before Akbar made Fatehpur Sikri his capital and lived here between 1572 and 1585, his grandfather had set up camp at Khanwa, a few kilometres from here, during the famous battle against the Rajput confederacy led by Rana Sanga in 1527. Babur's victory against the Rajputs had consolidated his hold over the region.

"In his memoirs, 'Baburnama', Babur talks about a stepwell which he got built, and we are quite sure that it is the same structure. However, there is a need to study this further in order to completely establish this fact," said ASI superintending archaeologist Bhuvan Vikrama, talking to TOI.

The current structure — a three-storey rectangular building having a water tank in the middle on the ground floor and surrounded by chambers on the various floors — was hidden under debris in the ridge area near Karwan Sarai and Hiran Minar.

The galleries and chambers surrounding the well have elaborate ornamental paintings on the ceiling. Officials said the chambers served the purpose of a cool, quiet retreat during the hot summers. They added that influence of Akbar's era on the art could also be seen on the structure.

During the conservation work being carried out Karwan Sarai where a Mughal-era shopping complex (earlier thought to be a ruined bath or 'hamam') was discovered last year, ASI thought of removing wild growths from this dilapidated structure. Once the work started they discovered an elaborate water channel starting from the hill in the backyard to the stepwell on the ground.

"We thought it could be some kind of summer palace built during Akbar's time, but when the water channel was discovered, we started joining the dots and concluded it could be the stepwell mentioned by Babur," said Vikrama. "The water channel, it seems, was built to catch and store rainwater and additional water flowing from the hills. Debris is being removed from the water tank of the well to locate its bed," he added.

The ASI official said it was possible that water got collected in the tank through a natural process from groundwater. The famed 'Moti Jheel' (now dried up) was just a hundred metres from this structure, so water could seep through bedrock and get collected here.

The archaeological body is quite excited with the new find and said it would make all efforts to restore it and see that the stepwell is once again filled up with water. It is also restoring the ruined rooms of the market complex.

Interestingly, starting 1976 when large-scale excavations were carried out for the first time here, Fatehpur Sikri has been throwing up new discoveries every now and then. "The area is rich in history. There are a number of baths, wells and other structures still hidden around here. Over time many buildings were buried by debris or encroached upon. As part of restoration work, the department keeps looking for such structures and makes new discoveries," said Munazzar Ali, senior conservation assistant, Fatehpur Sikri Fort.

In 2014, an underground structure leading to several basement cells for collecting rainwater was discovered during conservation work on Langarkhana, situated in the south-eastern part of the fort.

Prior to that, the 400-year-old shopping complex near Karwan Sarai meant for holding markets for caravans visiting the Mughal city was discovered. A gateway was also unearthed at the centre of the complex, which is considered to be used by Mughals to visit the shrine of Salim Chishti in the imperial complex.