Agrasen Ki Baoli, Connaught Place, New Delhi May 26, 2025

Long before tanks and taps came along, people in India found a genius way to store water: stepwells, or baolis, as they"re fondly known. Known by many other names like bawdi, baori or vav, they have deep roots in Indian history and language, with origins in the Sanskrit word "vapi." In fact, the concept of stepwells dates all the way back to the Indus Valley Civilisation, with ancient sites like Dholavira showcasing some of the earliest examples of this ingenious way to manage water in arid climates.

© Neha Gupta/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Finding beauty in ruins
How’s the air up there?
May 26, 2024Methow Valley, North Cascades, Washington, USA
May 26, 2026Lupine flowers in bloom, Northern California, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 15, 2025Irohazaka Road in autumn, Nikko, Tochigi, Japan
Dec 30, 2025Whooper swans, Kotoku Pond, Japan
Aug 7, 2024St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights, Michigan, USA
Oct 11, 2025World Migratory Bird Day
Mar 2, 2025Megalong Valley, Blue Mountains National Park, NSW, Australia
Jul 24, 2026National Cousins Day
Aug 13, 2026Perseid meteor shower over Tenerife, Spain
‘Moravian Tuscany’
May 26, 2025Agrasen Ki Baoli, Connaught Place, New Delhi
Jan 8, 2025Great Wall of China
A one-of-a-kind splash
Jun 22, 2026World Rainforest Day
Sunlight turning silver to gold
May 23, 2025World Turtle Day
Nov 17, 2025Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, United States
Blue Skies in Beautiful Bavaria
40 years of recovery
Apr 16, 2026Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
Mar 6, 2024Wahclella Falls, Oregon, USA
Beauty comes in trees
Dec 21, 2023Ljubljana, Slovenia
Jan 1, 2025Happy New Year!
Magnified moss
Desert daggers?
Aug 13, 2024Telašćica Nature Park, Dugi Otok, Croatia
Jul 23, 2024Methoni Castle, Messinia, Greece
Jan 10, 2026The Matterhorn reflected in Lake Stellisee at sunrise, Zermatt, Switzerland
Purple bliss as far as the eye can see
Sep 13, 2023Hemakuta Hill, Hampi
Solo on the savannah