Be careful:
In Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, the administration is surveying stepwells and wells one after the other. It is recorded in the pages of history that there used to be 19 wells and 34 pilgrimage places in Sambhal, which are being discovered. During this time, a historical stepwell associated with Prithviraj Chauhan also came to light in Kamalpur village. It is being told that this stepwell was used by Prithviraj Chauhan’s army. After that the Mughal era armies also used it. This seven-storey Rajput Kalini Stepwell is also known as ‘The Well of Thieves’. Local people say that water was visible in this stepwell till 1960. Yogi administration is now planning to renovate this stepwell. NDTV’s team descended into this stepwell, and found out how Prithviraj Chauhan’s time would have been when so much.
Seven storey stepwell, army used to rest here
The beautiful stepwell of Kamalpur village of Sambhal was built by Prithviraj Chauhan and different rulers got this stepwell renovated at different times. This stepwell was once seven storeyed, but now only two storeys are visible in it, that is, the soil in it has been completely destroyed. There are many rooms on each floor in this stepwell. Many people lived in these rooms. Armies used to stop and rest here. Many stepwells were constructed in Sambhal, because Sambhal was a strategically important place.
Why did Prithviraj Chauhan make Sambhal the capital?
Sambhal was a very important location during the time of Prithviraj Chauhan, because it is just 200 kilometers from Delhi. Its distance from Agra is only 150 kilometers. Sambhal region is situated in the middle of Central India, due to this its location has been very important since thousands of years ago. This was the capital of Prithviraj Chauhan. From here Delhi can be reached in a very short time. After this, different rulers came… Babar also came and his armies also used this stepwell.
How is Prithviraj Chauhan’s stepwell?
Hundreds of people could have lived in this seven-storey building at one time. This stepwell has been very important because when armies used to come and go, it was used here. Soldiers used to use it for drinking water, bathing and resting. There is a place like a veranda inside the stepwell, where the feeling of heat is negligible. There are paths to connect one room to another. There are many stairs to reach different floors. They were built in such a way that the temperature here remains lower than outside. This stepwell is still standing, its strength can be gauged from this.
Now the administration is saying that we will preserve such stepwells and protect them, so that the coming generations can know how rich the history and heritage of Sambhal must have been.
