Dedadara: The Sacred Pond

AHMEDABAD: Wandering through Gujarat, exploring its

stepwells

and stepped tanks, one gets used to seeing them closed, abandoned, filled-in and ruined. So much so that when news filter in of a similar water reserve that is still in use, one tends to be a shade sceptical.

It takes a journey to a tiny village in Surendranagar to make one believe that such places still exist.

Dedadara

is a little off the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway, not far from Wadhvan. At first glance, it comes across as a typical Saurashtra hamlet. Its nondescript status is little more than a cloak to hide a nugget in its folds. Inside Dedadara is the Gangvo Kund, a stepped water tank which dates back to the 9th century.

The Kund is built like a classic water tank - a deep, rectangular depression in the ground, paved with stone all the way down and surrounded at surface level by a flat stone platform. Accessed by three levels of stone stairs from two sides, with a third side having stone brackets to which pulleys could be attached for heaving a bucket up.

The stone brackets are embellished with human-like stone figures at the end, in a pose that looks as if they are holding up the brackets. Traces of an imaginative artisan from over a thousand years ago. At ground level, the tank is surrounded by four shrines, all in the shikhara style. Two of these are on either side of the tank, at a right angle to it while the other two are in front of the tank, facing each other. A most interesting layout, with Hindu shrines facing varied directions.

One of the many aspects that make Gangvo Kund remarkable is the elegance of the stones used in the tank itself. Even today, the rock is shiny and smooth. The tank still has water though locals could not confirm the source. According to some, water from the surrounding area flows towards the natural depression of the tank. However, in an area that is not known for heavy rainfall, and given how startlingly clean the water of the kund is, it is far more likely that tank has access to an underground aquifer.

In many other places of Gujarat, the lack of water in similar tanks has led to their abandonment by nearby inhabitants. The presence of clear water in the Gangvo has done the opposite. The tank is a place of worship for village folk during festive occasions. The kund is considered sacred, as evidenced in the presence of numerous new temples around the place. Adding a layer of intrigue is the presence of several hero stones around the kund, all of them with inscriptions on them, perhaps talking about some warrior who was cremated here centuries ago.

In the evenings, the Gangvo becomes a place of delight. Village folk come together at this cool spot and discuss worldly matters. Groups of women offer prayers at the shrines around. Peacocks sing in the background. And children have a great deal of fun jumping into the pool. This is how a water body is meant to be. Dedadara shows the way.