Dada Harir Vav is the most accessible of Ahmedabad's three great stepwells, a five-storey octagonal well sunk into the ground in the northeastern suburb of Asarwa. Built in 1499 by Bai Harir Sultani, a noblewoman in the court of Sultan Mahmud Begada, it provided cool water and shade for travellers approaching Ahmedabad from the north. The pillars on each level are carved with floral and arabesque motifs in pale sandstone.
The well is dry now and entry is free. Visit before noon — light streaming down the shaft creates the best photographs. Watch your step on the slick sandstone stairs in the monsoon.