Thirty two ghats, eight to a storey, gave this four storey well its name.
Located to the north-west of the city, this is the largest of all the stepwells in Chanderi. It is square in plan, each side 60 feet in length, and four storeys deep. Steps descend from one storey down to the next, and at each storey there are eight ghats. Eight to a storey across four storeys makes 32, and it is that number which gave the bawdi its name.
The main stairs are at the southern end and proceed through two doorways. Inscriptions beside them record that work on the baoli began during the reign of Sultan Ghyasuddin Khilji, undertaken by one Taghi, son of the then collector or shariq-ul-mulk, and that the structure was completed in 1484.
Counting them is the obvious thing to do and it works: eight ghats on each of four storeys. Descending storey by storey is also the clearest way to grasp how a well of this size was meant to be used at different water levels.
Beside the main stairs are two inscriptions in Arabic and Persian, written in the Nask script. They name Taghi, son of the shariq-ul-mulk, give 1484 as the completion year, and also record that a garden and a mosque were built alongside the baoli, the mosque being compared to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
A further inscription above the second gateway gives the name of the artist who etched the other two. It is a rare thing to have the craftsman named, and easily overlooked on the way down.
The baoli lies to the north-west of the city. Four storeys of steps mean a real descent, so judge the condition of the stone before going far.
The dry months from October to March are the right time, both for comfort and because dry steps make the descent safer. Light reaches furthest down the well around the middle of the day, which is when the lower storeys are easiest to see.
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