Importance of Water Bodies in Indian Culture and Religious Practices: Study of Architecture of Traditional Water Bodies in Region of Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

This paper explores the cultural and religious significance of traditional water bodies in India, with a focused architectural study on those found in Uttar Pradesh. It examines how water bodies like stepwells, tanks, kunds, and ghats have historically served as pivotal elements in social, religious, and ecological systems. Through case studies and architectural analysis, the research underscores their role in sustaining religious rituals, community life, and water management in the region.

Introduction

Summary:

Water holds deep spiritual, cultural, and ecological importance in Uttar Pradesh, India, a region rich in mythology and religious traditions. Water bodies here—such as stepwells, kunds (sacred ponds), ghats, tanks, and lakes—serve ritual, practical, and aesthetic purposes, closely tied to Hindu beliefs and local legends.

Key Points:

• Cultural Significance: Water symbolizes purification and renewal and is integral to religious rituals in sacred cities like Varanasi, Mathura, and Ayodhya.

• Architectural Typology:

  • Stepwells: Functional and decorative structures providing year-round water (e.g., Agra Baoli).

  • Kunds: Sacred ponds linked to mythology (e.g., Sita Kund).

  • Ghats: Riverfront steps for bathing and ceremonies (e.g., Manikarnika Ghat).

  • Tanks and Lakes: Support both rituals and agriculture.

• Case Studies:

  1. Naimisharanya: An ancient spiritual center where Vedas were composed; features the Chakrakund, believed to wash away sins. It faces challenges like encroachment and water scarcity, affecting heritage preservation.

  2. Soronji Shukar Kshetra: Known for a kund whose water can dissolve bones, used for post-cremation rituals. It holds mythological significance connected to Lord Vishnu’s Varaha avatar.

  3. Sarsota Kund: A 5000-6000-year-old sacred pond linked to the legend of Bhagwaan Parshuram, historically supported by aquifers that have dried up, leading to ecological decline including the loss of fragrant kewda forests.

The paper highlights the urgent need to conserve these water bodies, both for their spiritual value and ecological function, as modernization and environmental changes threaten their existence.

Conclusion

The case studies shows that these kund have impact on the society and share a large amount of attention and serve the people a lot and also provide an umbrella for the flourishing the religion and provide a harmony to the society and tell the story of their survival from past to the new time era and narrate the stories of flowering and ending of several dynasties and have the warm memories of every piece of time. And tell the history of disaster and war and a lot with the silence. This also give the pleasant proud to be the part of the great history, tell their contribution to the society.But the present condition of the structure is not satisfactory they became in very danger zone some of them are at edge and some are soaking and some are about to die due to the negligence and lack of care. The people also get into this due to lack of awareness, they are polluting the water by cloth washing and Murti Vishrjan and putting biomass in the water. Due to the commercialisation, some of structures are losing their historical values and originality due to lack of knowledge, people are demolishing the beauty of the structure. Urbanization has also having a very big impact on these type of structures. Today the tall structure comes nearby these type of water bodies and destroy the ambience of the structures. Due to public gathering and lack of proper arrangement the surrounding and water are getting polluted and unhygienic. These are the reason by which the religious water body architecture losing their values and impact. Some of water bodies are in very good condition as per structure but due the pollution the water of the kund polluted. Now this is time to take care of these structure for the future generation these kunds don’t have only religious value but also carry the history on settlement and serve as water resource and contribute a lot in water recharging. With the conclusion the traditional water bodies of Uttar Pradesh are vital cultural artifacts that offer insight into India’s rich spiritual and ecological heritage. Their architectural elegance and functional resilience highlight the sophistication of ancient water management and religious practices. Protecting and restoring these structures is crucial for preserving cultural continuity and promoting sustainable development.

References

[1] Aaj bhi kare hai talab by Anupam Mishra [2] http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/the-lost-art-of-water-architecture [3] http://www.journal.bonfring.org/papers/iems/volume5/BIJ-8073.pdf [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naimisha_Forest [5] http://naimisharanya.in/ [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soron [7] http://soronji.org/ [8] http://www.jitenap.com/pdfs/jitenap_list%20of%20projects_100914.pdf [9] http://archnet.org/publications/4436 [10] http://ascelibrary.org/journal/jwrmd5 [11] http://history-of-hinduism.blogspot.in/2010/06/water-and-hinduism.html [12] https://lillyclark.wordpress.com/2013/11/11/an-examination-of-the-significance-of-water-in-hinduism-and-how-it-applies-in-hindu-beliefs-and-praxis-giving-specific-consideration-to-rivers/ [13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_and_religion [14] http://www.waterandculture.org/264_Water_Wisdom [15] http://e-collection.library.ethz.ch/eserv/eth:2577/eth-2577-11.pdf [16] http://wrmin.nic.in/writereaddata/Report_on_Restructuring_CWC_CGWB.pdf

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Ar. Manish, Ar. Prashant Kumar, Ar. Amit Kumar Singh. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.