Losar Baoli

Stepwell

Stepwells, also called bawdi or baoli , or vaav are wells or ponds in which the water can be reached by descending a set of steps. They may be covered and protected, and are often of architectural significance...

 is a stepwell situation in the Margalla Hills

Margalla Hills

The Margalla Hills—the foothills of the Himalayas—are a series of small-elevation hills located north of Islamabad, Pakistan. Margalla Range has an area of 12,605 hectares. The hill range nestles between an elevation of 685 meters at the western end and 1,604 meters on its east.- Etymology :Two...

 near Islamabad

Islamabad

Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. Situated near the town of Shah Allah Ditta in the potohar plateau, the area was known to be a passage way for caravans and armies moving along the east-west direction.

History

The ‘Losar Baoli’, situated right upward the caves at Shah Allah Ditta, is thought to be constructed by the Emperor

Emperor

An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...

 Sher Shah Suri

Sher Shah Suri

Sher Shah Suri , birth name Farid Khan, also known as Sher Khan , was the founder of the short-lived Sur Empire in northern India, with its capital at Delhi, before its demise in the hands of the resurgent Mughal Empire...

in order to facilitate the caravans moving towards Kabul via Taxila.

Directions

The best way to visit the well from Islamabad is to reach Shah Allah Ditta town (adjacent and west of Islamabad's D-12 Sector). From there you have to take the mettled road towards the Margalla Hills. The caves of Shah Allah Ditta are at the base of the mountain and continuing on the road up the hill gets you to the Losar Baoli. Look for the road construction sign (see picture) as the landmark where the baoli is located.