Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Midas Tümülüsü (Tumulus MM)
The Devil's Column
Weightlifting Hall of Fame
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
Pasties are an Upper Michigan tradition dating back to mining days.
Lehto’s Pasties
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
3 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
4 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
5 days ago
Cely’s map is not only accurate, but captures the unique characteristics of Congaree’s trees and waterways.
How One Biologist Drew a Hyper-Accurate, Ranger-Approved Map of Congaree National Park
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All India Mandu Ujala Baoli

Ujala Baoli

This magical and eccentric stepwell is a hidden treasure within the ancient fort city of Mandu.

Mandu, India

Added By
Victoria Lautman
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Victoria Lautman
  Victoria Lautman
  Victoria Lautman
  Victoria Lautman
  Victoria Lautman
  Victoria Lautman
  Victoria Lautman
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

To say the immense fortress of Mandu in Madhya Pradesh has an epic history does not begin to describe the almost Shakespearean drama that has taken place within its 19 miles of defensive walls. Mandu was caught in a violent tug of war between dynasties and kingdoms throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, which spawned plenty of emotional struggles along the way: sons poisoning fathers, friends poisoning friends, and beloved consorts taking their lives rather than being taken captive by enemies.

But through all this conflict and strife, there was no skimping on the architecture, with over 60 monuments strewn around. In fact, the entire site is on UNESCO’s “tentative list,” as though auditioning for Posterity. Some of the most unusual and sophisticated buildings of medieval India can be found at Mandu, and the water features were especially advanced. Considering the inhabitants could be under siege for years, water accessibility was paramount, so there are plenty of tanks, reservoirs, fountains and channels to be seen. There are also several stepwells on hand, the most beautiful of which is Ujala Baoli.

Regionally known as baori, baoli, bawadi, and vav, stepwells were efficient water-harvesting structures unique to the subcontinent, where thousands were built starting around 600 CE. They were perhaps the most significant and multifunctional buildings of their day, marvels of architecture, engineering, and art, with a primary purpose to provide water all year long. To do so, available groundwater had to be accessible at all times and in India, the levels could fluctuate from a relative trickle in dry seasons to a strong, steady flow during monsoons. Steps were required to reach water at its low ebb, but as the level rose, those steps—which could number well over a hundred—would submerge, and the cycle began again.

Stepwells in the dry western states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana had to connect with water that could be many stories underground, but Madhya Pradesh was luckier, with a water-table much closer to the surface. Compared to the astonishingly large and deep Neemrana baoli, Ujala may seem diminutive and shallow. But in the stepwell firmament, size doesn’t always affect the visual wallop, and this case, a visitor can't help but be stunned.

Ujala (which means ‘light’) was built away from the heart of Mandu where the palaces, mosques, and tombs are easily located. Few tourists stray here and, in any case, they’d have to be hunting to find this hidden treasure. It is one eccentric-looking baoli compared to most, which are rigidly symmetrical. A hodge-podge of stairways—direct, zigzagging, or both—all aim for the calm green water. This is not a “normal” approach and they steps are strangely redundant, but combined with carved-out niches and arched chambers, the effect is sculptural. It’s also surreal, like a 3D painting by Giorgio De Chirico, empty and mysterious. Those shadowy arches are a bit sinister, despite the calm, almost magical, serenity of the surroundings.

Surprisingly clean, Ujala sneaks up unobtrusively in a verdant field where goats happily munch away. They have the right idea, this is the perfect spot for a picnic, sitting on the steps or in one of the abundant shade, a relief in the summer heat. But picturesque as Ujala is and surely was, its past prominence was no guarantee of a lasting future. The entire category of stepwells slid off history’s grid, and today, most are entirely unknown to the world (sad to say, even within India itself).

The advent of the British Raj, modern water pumps, and plumbing all rendered stepwells obsolete and, untethered from their main purpose, the vast majority became dilapidated, anonymous, filthy, and almost always heartbreaking. Ujala has managed to maintain its dignity, faring much better than most. Maybe alerting visitors its presence is, in fact, a bad idea: If this extraordinary stepwell becomes a big draw, the enveloping magic will evaporate.

Victoria Lautman is an arts and culture journalist with a focus on India. Her book, The Vanishing Stepwells of India, was published in 2017 by Merrell (London). Follow her @victorialautman.

Related Tags

Stepwells Architecture Wells History Water Infrastructure
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Delhi and Rajasthan: Colors of India

Discover Colorful Rajasthan: From Delhi to Jaipur and Beyond.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Victoria Lautman

Edited By

Meg

  • Meg

Published

April 9, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Ujala Baoli
Mandav Road
Mandu
India
22.352742, 75.395833
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Ruins of Mandu

Mandu, India

miles away

Shahi Qila

Burhanpur, India

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mandu

Mandu

India

Places 2

Nearby Places

Ruins of Mandu

Mandu, India

miles away

Shahi Qila

Burhanpur, India

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mandu

Mandu

India

Places 2

Related Places

  • Neemrana baori.

    Neemrana, India

    Neemrana Baori

    This abandoned stepwell is one of the largest, deepest, and certainly one of the creepiest in India.

  • Narlai, India

    Narlai Stepwell

    Designed to serve primarily the Maharaja, this is an interesting variation on the traditional stepped well.

  • View inside the P-4.

    Walferdange, Luxembourg

    Raschpëtzer Qanat

    A Roman water tunnel still flows 2,000 years on.

  • Mumbai, India

    Flora Fountain

    An iconic fountain dedicated to the Roman goddess Flora stands in the heart of Mumbai.

  • Espada Aqueduct

    San Antonio, Texas

    Espada Aqueduct

    Water still flows through the oldest Spanish aqueduct in America.

  • Remains of the flume supports

    Naples, Utah

    Dry Fork Flume Site

    This hiking trail is scattered with the remains of a failed attempt to provide water to farmers in Dry Fork Canyon.

  • View of the Jumbo Tower from Balkerne Gate

    Colchester, England

    Jumbo Water Tower

    The largest Victorian water tower in Britain.

  • Pozo amargo

    Toledo, Spain

    Pozo Amargo (Bitter Well)

    The water of this well in Toledo lost its sweetness after the death of a young love.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.