This is a group project coagulated by students across the three campuses of NID from both Masters and Bachelors Degree. This group of students was guided by two experienced faculties for the program of “Heritage & Architecture Open Elective 2020” held at NID campus Ahmedabad. 14 students from different disciplines combined to develop this project called “HARIR” .

Visiting faculty :
Shinjita Roy
Vidya Gopal

Students :
Ananya Madhusmita | Mehdi Langde | Nitya Gianani | Mahavir Vank
Ankita Bawankar | Manoj Makina | Anwesha Mukherjee 
Mahindra Tudu (Co-Ordinator) | Swagat Suvankar (Co-Ordinator)
Abhipsa Mallick | Rikita Thakur | Sumit Saurabh| Pragati Sahu | Rahul Jangid

Anchor faculty :
Suman Chowdhary

In this 2 week studio course/workshop, students were encouraged to interact with physical environments and the stories that could be created in and around it. From the spaces of NID Paldi to various heritage spaces in and around the outskirts of Ahmedabad. Rooted in a diverse rich history andculture, Indian habitats are dotted with hundreds of historical monuments. This workshop was directed towards encouraging anactive engagement and interactionwith a heritage sites leading to an alternative approach to heritageconservation in the modern era.

STEP-WELL's

Stepwells are wells or ponds in which the water is reached by descending a set of steps to the water level. They may be multi-storied with a bullock turning a water wheel to raise the well water to the first or second floor. They are most common in western India and are also found in the other more arid regions of the Indian subcontinent, extending into Pakistan. The construction of stepwells is mainly utilitarian, though they may include embellishments of architectural significance, and be temple tanks.

The stepwell was built in 1485 by Dhai Harir, a household lady of Mahmud Begada according to the Persian inscription in the stepwell. She was the superintendent of the royal harem. Dhai Harir built a mosque and a tomb in which she was buried. The well bears two inscriptions, one in Sanskrit on the south, and one in Arabic on the north wall, of the first gallery. Built in sandstone in Solanki architectural style, the Dada Harir stepwell is five stories deep. It is octagonal (8-sided polygon) in plan at the top, built on intricately carved large number of pillars. Each floor is spacious enough to provide for people to congregate. It was dug deep to access ground water at that level, accounting for seasonal fluctuations in water level due to rainfall over the year. The air and light vents in the roofs at various floors and at the landing level are in the form of large openings. From the first story level, three staircases lead to the bottom water level of the well, which is considered a unique feature.