The Better India · 4 hours ago

How an 11th-Century Stepwell in Karnataka's Sudi Was Restored After Years of Neglect

For years, the 11th-century Nagakunda stepwell in Karnataka lay buried under roots and rubble, its intricate naga carvings hidden from the world that once gathered around its waters. Through careful restoration funded by philanthropist Rajashree Pinnamaneni and led by the Deccan Heritage Foundation, the sandstone steps have been cleared and the serpent-lined walls brought back into view-not as a monument frozen in time, but as what founder Dr. Helen Philon calls "a living water body" being returned to community life. Local residents contributed historic stones they had collected over generations, and thirty workers spent a year using traditional lime mortar and breathable joints to preserve the stepwell's ability to hold water again. "Conservation is about giving monuments back to people," Dr. Philon says, and in Sudi, that idea now takes visible form: in the cleared steps, the restored carvings, the paths reconnecting the stepwell to the nearby temple, and in the town's chance to gather once more around what was always meant to be shared.