Stepwells were used by people in ancient India to survive in the heat of summer. A famous example is the UNESCO World Heritage Site Rani-ki-vav (Queen’s well) in Patan, Gujarat, built in the twelfth century.

These exist in most places in India, especially in dry areas including the Deccan where temperatures rise above 35 degrees Celsius. Inside the stepwell, temperatures are lesser by up to 5-6 degrees, thus providing cool shade.

The well is filled with water up to a certain level after which several steps ascend in different levels to the surface. These often contained rooms with elaborate carvings and designs. These rooms were used by people to get respite from the heat.

While water from the well was used only for cooking and drinking purposes, river water was used for bathing. There were ‘chhajjas’ or overhangs below the parapets that gave shade to people sitting in verandahs and open rooms. In some places, these were exclusively used by the royal family for recreation in summer time.

However, in present-day India the Baolis have become useless and dirty due to constant dumping of garbage, polluting the water supply and making it unfit for drinking. 
 
Many places in Hyderabad had famous stepwells including Enginebaoli where the water was used for running engines, Gachibowli with a limestone stepwell, the Bansilalpet Baoli and the Baolis in the Qutb Shahi Tombs Park.