Bansilalpet Stepwell Visiting Timings: Any time but still work going on. You can visit from outside.
Bansilalpet stepwell (Naganna Kunta), near Secunderabad Railway Station, has a long history. The step well which supplied people’s needs for hundreds of years eventually sank into obscurity. The rainwater project, which had been dormant for decades, has been resurrected thanks to the efforts of an NGO. This step well in Bansilalpet was built in the 17th century by the Nizam monarchs to suit the requirements of the people. This step well is expected to hold 22 lakh liters of water. No matter how low the water gets.
This Bansilalpet step well is quite lovely. A step well was built to a depth of 50 feet from the surface. Water flows continuously from the earth’s interior. This spring also comes from 55 feet below ground. Even today, pure water flows from that spring and into the well. Every day at daybreak, at least 6 feet of pristine water enters the well.
Bansilalpet step well, which has served the public for many years, steadily deteriorated. Encroachments occurred as the city grew and the population grew. This antique step well has deteriorated over the last 40 years as a result of people tossing garbage in it. It was completely cluttered to the point where even the remnants of the well were lost.
Representatives of the Rainwater Project began work on restoring this well in 2021, in partnership with the Telangana Urban Development Department. However, this program was not as simple as imagined. Trucks hauled away tonnes of earth and rubbish. The uncommon and historic step surfaced once the dirt and rubbish were removed. The walls and staircases were cleaned and made attractive. Around 800 tonnes of waste gathered over the years were evacuated, and the well was prepared for reuse. Locals are pleased to see Bansilalpet regaining its splendor. The muck and debris in the Bansilalpet step well were almost completely cleared by January 27, 2022. Locals recall that when they were younger, they would immerse Ganesh idols in this step well and that during the Bathukamma festival, this step well would be filled with flowers.
Locals claim that when two individuals died after falling into this step well in the 1980s, they stopped using it totally, and it gradually filled with rubbish, and the Bansilalpet step well vanished. People are overjoyed that the step well has been restored to its former beauty. Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined the need of preserving old water sources in his 87 Mann Ki Bhat speech. The Telangana government is developing Bansilalpet step well as a potential tourism attraction. This stepwell is easily accessible in Bansilalpet, Bible Circle, near Secunderabad Railway Station, and is located in the heart of the city. Nice place to visit at weekend and explore the history.
Water is the primary source of human survival. If ponds and lakes provide irrigation water, wells and step-wells provide drinking water. Wells were excavated in the center of the hamlet to suit the requirements of those who could not dig at home. But those would dry up in the summer. To make matters better, the rulers dug up the stairs in these wells, hence the name step-wells. Even in the high temperatures, these stairs were dripping with water.
The steps were constructed elegantly by the kings of the period. These step wells served as platforms for festivals and other social events, as well as cultural centers. NGOs and the state government are collaborating to rehabilitate Hyderabad’s long-forgotten step-wells. Only in this way was Bansilalpet step well restored to its former beauty. This step-well has captivated people for hundreds of years.
