The Forgotten Stepwells of Telangana

Hyderabad Design Forum is a registered guild of professional architects founded in 2015 and working voluntarily towards fostering design in all verticals. Design workshops, exhibitions, memory walks and other academic activities are organized periodically in Hyderabad and other locations.

Following the chance discovery of a magnificent stepwell in Sangareddy district in 2014, research started on this book by 14 architects, surveyors and photographer.

Field trips across Telangana and within Hyderabad have so far established the presence of 175 stepwells of various typologies in temples, serais, mosques, forts, villages and agricultural zones of the state. This book is a multi-disciplinary study of tepwells analyzed according to their roles in the agrarian, sociological and religious history of the medieval period in Telangana’s history. 13 researched essays record different aspects such as history, ancient building codes, hydrology, construction techniques, iconography and gender connections to this hitherto unrecorded vertical of water architecture. The narrative is supported with documented drawings, sketches and over 470 original photographs. Research and analytical writing extended over 5 years.

We hope this book will impact the understanding of architecture as a micro-cosmic world of tangible cultural heritage, and serve as a point of reference for architects, historians, academicians, conservationists and other stake holders of public spaces. The restoration of these ancient water bodies and reviving their natural aquifers will augment water needs of surrounding communities. Telangana’s stepwells deserve a spot on the map of India’s built heritage. We hope this book will place them there.

President of Hyderabad Design Forum, Ar. Yeshwant Ramamurthy curated and edited the book. This publication was largely supported by HMDA, Govt. of Telangana through a substantial research grant. The book is available on Amazon.