Jhunjhuniyo Kuo

From Ambaji Kotha lake, continue along the same road for a Km to reach Jhunjhuniyo Kuo.

This quiet well has a rather musical name. Drop a pebble, or call out into this well, and you’ll hear a soft, jingling echo. That sound gives this place its name: Jhunjhuniyo Kuo.

In a previous story, we spoke about the carefully designed water management system at Vadnagar that allowed it to prosper over 2500 years. Rainwater and seasonal flows were captured in the lakes, and then distributed across a network of tanks and channels. This constant recharge kept the ground water level stable. So, while in other towns in this region, water is found several hundred feet below the surface, across Vadnagar, groundwater often lies surprisingly close to the surface, sometimes just 10 to 100 feet deep.

To tap into that reserve of water, people built a series of wells called kuo, all over the town. This is one of them. These wells are usually circular and have a vertical shaft leading to a spring that is not too deep.

This well stands near another water body, the Saptarishi Aaro. ‘Aaro’ means a set of ornamental steps leading down to a waterbody. Saptarishi refers to the seven ancient sages of Indian tradition, whose carvings can be seen there.