Agrasen ki Baoli is a short walk from Delhi's centre—Connaught Place and is located just off Hailey Road. It's outer appearance is that of gorgeous old bricks surrounded by leafy trees. The chatter of parakeets which greeted me as I first arrived made me smile. Surely no ghosts would survive these noisy and cheerful birds, I thought. But as I picked up the pace, walking down the 103 steps, I started to sense strange wind currents and sudden drops in temperature. I would look around quickly, expecting to find someone behind me, but there would be no one there! I took a deep breath and continued my descent.
The air quality now seemed heavier, and the pungent stench of bird droppings in the stale air was quite overwhelming. As I looked above, I saw what appeared to be hundreds of bats, sleeping through the raucous chatter of the parakeets outside. I had read somewhere that the dark water below, in the days the baoli, or stepwell, was in use, would have a mysterious quality to it, calling to people to come and immerse themselves in it to raise the level of the water. These days, this is a dry well, and there was no water, but I could imagine sad souls, perhaps jilted lovers, coming to leap into these waters to end their miserable lives. As I thought this, and looked into the depths, it was as if there was a dark surface glistening... a mirage?
As I kept walking down, the view of the skyline gradually receded. I looked around at the rooms and arches on the sides. I could almost imagine the royal princes and their entourage coming here, perhaps to watch a performance, attend a religious ritual, or make an offering. I could imagine supple women gracefully running down the steps, the sound of their anklets making a tinkling sound, lifting the energy of the place. But today, there was no one. Just a darkness, the sound of my own breathing, and cautious but grudging respect, this place certainly seemed haunted!
As I continued walking down as far as my courage would hold, I found myself thanking my lucky stars that there was no water at the bottom. I would not have liked to fall prey to the magnetic properties of the water and turned into just another statistic. Agrasen ki baoli is an interesting afternoon visit if you are attracted to history, ghosts, and the supernatural. Commune with yourself or you may be lucky and commune with a ghost, and hope you come across a friendly one!
A historical background:
Agrasen's Baoli (Agrasen ki Baoli) is among a few of its kind in Delhi, consisting of 103 steps made of red stone. The Baoli was originally built by Maharaja Agrasen, in the Mahabharat era, and later rebuilt by the Agrawal community in the 14th century, most probably during the Tughlaq period. It is located on Hailey Road near Cannought Place in Delhi, India, in the vicinity of Jantar Mantar. It is now a protected monument by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), and has a mammoth board indicating it's national importance, but even the ticket-less entry attracts few visitors. You can reach the Baoli by taking KG Marg from outer Cannought Circus, and then turn left towards the Hailey Road.
