Situated at the the edge of the Malwa Plateau, Chanderi is a town of historical importance in Ashoknagar district of Madhya Pradesh, India. While famous for its tradition of handloom saree weaving, its rich legacy of medieval stone architecture is relatively unknown. 

One of the greatest socio-technological achievement of historical Chanderi was its highly developed rainwater collecting and distributing system. Given its location in a low-rainfall area, and without an immediate perennial source of water, the survival of the town historically depended on its ability to collect monsoon water.  

The Malwa plateau of central India is composed mainly of basalt traps. Ashoknagar district close to its eastern edge.  At the eastern side of Ashoknagar, exactly where Chanderi lies, the strata is composed of sandstone. This strata has a very thin layer of soil, insufficient to retain large quantities of water.  

 As a result, during the monsoons, rainwater quickly runs off into seasonal streams. Shallow pools formed in depressions on the ground dry up due to evaporation. However, the porous nature of the sandstone allows the seepage of still water into subterranean aquifers. This property of the geology of the region, along with the advantage it offered by virtue of its location between hills was leveraged by local administrators over centuries to develop a water percolation and harvesting system that became highly efficient, sustaining life in the town.  This system began with a network of interlinked tanks called talabs on the slope of the main citadel of the city. Although some are now dry due to neglect and disrepair, a series of talabs still exists on the southern slope of the hill. Beginning from the top, these are Giloa talab, Kiratsagar, Dhubiya talab, Lal baodi tal and Sultaniya talab.  During the monsoons, water running off the slope is collected in them. Once full, the overflow of the upper talab fills into the lower one and so on until all are filled. Once the flow of water has been arrested, the sandstone allows it to percolate underground, recharging subterranean aquifers where it is stored away from evaporative loss.  Down slope from the talabs, the water is harvested through numerous stepwells called baolis that were fundamental elements of the cultural landscape of Chanderi. Baolis were built in a variety of forms – circular, rectangular or square in plan. They had varying depths and staircase designs and some even gave water access to animals such as elephants and horses, essentials in the local army.  

 The baolis served a range of purposes – provision of drinking water, water for irrigation of farms and gardens, ceremonial purposes next to mosques and temples, harvesting of freshwater fish, bathing and recreational swimming and boating. Several baolis were built along main transportation routes to provide drinking water for travellers.. While some baolis were on private property, most were built in common areas in residential quarters, making them vital spaces of social interaction. Although this complex hydrological system was conceived in the 14th century, it continues to be the backbone of Chanderi’s urbanity. Beset by problems resulting from rapid urbanization and growing loss of traditional usage, this system needs to be revitalized and reinvested with meaning to make it a key socio-ecological instrument of the urban fabric once again.