Hyderabad Design Forum to shed light on ‘Forgotten Stepwells of Telangana’

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Design Forum (HDF) will be documenting, ‘The Forgotten Stepwells of Telangana’ through physical site surveys, photographs, and oral interviews.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) signed and the HDF on Tuesday for the initiative.

HDF is a guild of practising designers who will be documenting the step wells in the state.

The HDF began this voluntary documentation to create a permanent and legitimate document of reference for which the forum has carried out field surveys.

So far, 110 wells in five major typologies have been discovered, in rural Telangana and the walled city of Hyderabad, dating back 1,000 to 2000 years.

To execute the plan, a team of 10 architects are researching different aspects that will analyze the role of these wells in the socio, religious and agrarian lives of medieval Telangana.

Researchers are examining hydrology, geology, Vastu and Agama building codes, gender behaviour, history, folklore, and iconography with reference to this fascinating inverted architecture.

HDF’s study will culminate in the publication of an illustrated scientific monograph entitled ‘The Forgotten Step Wells of Telangana’, slated for May 2023.

Chief secretary of urban development, Arvind Kumar and president of HDF Yeshwant Ramamurthy, along with senior architects from the forum were present during the agreement.