Agrasen Ki Baoli New Delhi

Vital Information for Visitors

Address:

Agrasen Ki Baoli, Hailey Road, Near KG Marg, Connaught Place, New Delhi

Open & Close:

Open on all days

Visiting Timing:

07:00 AM -06:00 PM

Entry Fees:

No Entry Fee

Duration:

1-2 Hours

Significance:

Unique architecture, favorite spot for Bollywood movies, subject of horror stories

Delhi is one of the Indian cities that are rich in heritage and culture. There are a lot of tourist spots in Delhi. One of the beautiful heritage tourist attractions of the city is Agrasen ki Baoli, a a popular place to visit. Its actual name is Ugrasen Ki Baoli but, later on, people started pronouncing Agrasen ki Baoli. Mythologically, it is said to be of Mahabharata era. Though from architecture, design, antiquity and utility point of view, the baori holds special significance for history buffs but, among the tourists, it is comparatively less popular. Interestingly, the place is a popular one amongst the locals, models, photographers, and also the movie makers. A lot of movies have been shot here. The ‘baoli’ is also popularly called as Ugrasen ki Baoli. Baoli basically is a step well that was constructed in ancient time to harvest and store the rain water. There are a lot of step wells in Rajasthan and Gujarat and there is one popular one in Delhi as well. In Gujarat, a ‘baoli’ is called as ‘Vav’. It is now one of the designated and protected monuments of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1958. Agrasen Ki Baoli, a historical step well, is 15 metres wide and 60 metres long. There is no proof of who built this baori but it is popularly believed that King Agrasen / Ugrasen built it. It was later reconstructed in the 14th century AD by the Agrawal community. Its utility kept it a viable source of water and was also rebuilt in during Tughlaq dynasty rule. It was built with the purpose of securing water and making it available for the villagers to drinking and daily use purposes.

There are three levels of the baoli and has 108 steps. All of the levels are lined with arched niches on both of the sides. It is an ancient water reservoir and remains hidden in modern settlement of Delhi. The sight is very pleasant with the red brick walls all over. It looks quite fancy and vintage at the same time. On the southern side of the ‘baoli’ is a mosque. The entire baoli looks extremely beautiful with so many steps and windows on each level. The scenes of the baoli take the viewers to the ancient era where they can witness the beautiful work of the artisans.

It is situated near the Connaught Place at the Haily Road, Jantar Mantar, New Delhi. The baoli remains open on all days of a week for the tourists as well as the locals. The timing of the baoli is from 7 am to 5 pm. There is no entry fee for the visitors. Around one to two hours is enough to explore the Baori. The place is great to just chill and have fun. Many photographers can be spotted here as Agrasen Ki Baori is one of the most photographed places in the city. A lot of pre-wedding shoots are also done in the baori. And this is one of the most photographable places of Delhi and the internet is a proof of this. A lot of people from across the globe reach here, especially those who have special interest in observing, studying and enjoying architecture of the olden times.

Though a large number of people visit the place but alongside several stories narrating Agrasen Ki Baoli a haunted building are also famous. According to the haunted stories, when one goes deep down to the end of the step well, one can hear some eerie sound and also creepy silence. Eerie silence and strange sound collectively make people believe it to be residence of devils. The baoli is home to a large number of bats making the area a lot spooky. It is also believed that before the ‘baoli’ got dried up, it was filled with deep black water and some mysterious voice used to resonate from the bottom asking people to sacrifice their lives over here. In fact, some stories even believe that it enchanted people to jump into the black water and give away their lives into it. The horror & haunted stories kept on varying from person to person.