Talk:Stepwell

WP:INDIA Banner/Rajasthan workgroup Addition

Note: {{WP India}} Project Banner with Rajasthan workgroup parameters was added to this article talk page because the article falls under Category:Rajasthan or its subcategories. Should you feel this addition is inappropriate , please undo my changes and update/remove the relavent categories to the article -- TinuCherian ^{(Wanna Talk?)} - 09:26, 23 June 2008 (UTC)

You may add: Neemrana stepwell (Radjastan) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.219.145.233 (talk) 13:28, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

Construction Technique

I've found a nugget of information that sounds like it relates to the construction of stepwells:

"Protecting Wells.--The following extract from Bishop Heber, though hardly within the scope of the 'Art of Travel,' is very suggestive. "The wells of this country (Bhurtpoor, India), some of which are very deep, are made in a singular manner. They build a tower of masonry of the diameter required, and 20 or 30 feet high from the surface of the ground. This they allow to stand a year or more, till its masonry is rendered firm and compact by time; then they gradually undermine it, and promote its sinking into the sandy soil, which it does without difficulty, and altogether. When level with the surface, they raise its walls higher; and so go on, throwing out the sand and raising the wall, till they have reached the water. If they adopted our method, the soil is so light that it would fall on them before they could possibly raise the wall from the bottom; nor, without the wall, could they sink to any considerable depth."

This is from 'The Art of Travel' by Francis Galton. I am not skilled enough to incorporate it into the Wiki article but, if it stands up to scrutiny as a valid source, I would encourage someone to capture and reference this in the article as it seems like a notable point that is not widely written about.

203.79.111.165 (talk) 09:28, 25 July 2017 (UTC)

References

Stepwell

Where does this word come from? I cannot find a dictionary reference for it. Surely it should be "Step Well". BeckenhamBear (talk) 08:24, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

I believe it is from the references. It may not be in the dictionary, but it is in some use. At least one of the references is a published book, there are two other print references. I also think that the alternative would be 'step-well', not 'step well'. Imc (talk) 10:08, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

The OED says that a well is a • noun 1 a shaft sunk into the ground to obtain water, oil, or gas. 2 a depression made to hold liquid. 3 a plentiful source or supply. 4 an enclosed space in the middle of a building, giving room for stairs or a lift or allowing light or ventilation.

Elsewhere in India as you know they call them tanks. Wikipedia is not the place to make up words; is it?

BeckenhamBear (talk) 11:51, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

While I created the article, I did not make up this word, it was already in wider use, for instance by Neubauer. In addition to the printed references already in the article, which are the nearest thing to scholarly references we have so far for this subject, there are many websites who use all variations of this word. At a quick glance for instance, [1]. The words well and tank both have a more general usage, unlike the very specific definition of stepwell.

In addition, there are numerous articles with titles that are not dictionary words. Article titles are not based on what is in the dictionary, but on being meaningful, precise and useful, and on adequate references.

Imc (talk) 12:13, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

I have looked at many of the references you have given and they are full of inconsistencies; giving all three spelling variants in the same article. Nevertheless the only one, my spellchecker chokes on, is stepwell. Step-well seems the most logical so far.

May I ask why you took the decision to redirect the Step Well page to Stepwell? Hyphens are a fairly interesting subject, here is a reference. Making up words can be easy and it’s not our job. It’s our job to get it right. Misspellings encourage a proliferation of articles on the same subject. Additionally multiple terms do the same thing. All too easy with a specific subject like this. Have you seen the Temple tank page? Anyway an increasing number of writers seem to take a lead from Wikipedia so in the end a new word may well be born.

BeckenhamBear (talk) 13:48, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

Please review the previous discussions carried out in differing talk pages in the past. On another matter to avoid confusion, please ensure that you indent each paragraph that you add in a response, it becomes very difficult to follow a discussion otherwise (you can always go back and edit your response). In this case I was looking for someone else who might have added a comment. Imc (talk) 15:53, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

References

Removed section of fairies in stepwells; challenged since 2008

Some folklore surrounds stepwells, including the idea that fairies live in them.

Removed; unclear as to where said legends occur. I'd assume Ireland, and found plenty on gBooks saying fairies live in wells, but nothing specific to stepwells. MatthewVanitas (talk) 21:38, 5 May 2011 (UTC)

I have a feeling that it is in Neubauer's book, but I don't have a copy to check. I originally added this comment in the days when references at the end of an article were standard. Imc (talk) 17:14, 6 May 2011 (UTC)

No worries, no hurries. I just didn't want to leave something unsubstantiated so long in an otherwise relatively clean article. I'm also finding absolutely nothing (except Wiki mirrors) about stepwells in Ireland; not sure if classifying any similar things in Ireland as the same term "stepwell" is forming an OR linkage, or what. In any case, here's what I removed:

==Stepwells in Ireland==

There are also smaller numbers elsewhere including in Ireland where the water source is close to the surface including one which is now covered over at Rooskey in Co. Leitrim.

Just trying to smooth out the article, but bringing the text here for further research as needed. MatthewVanitas (talk) 05:23, 7 May 2011 (UTC)

Question

Paragraph 6 refers to goddess(es) of the stepwell is this particular to eadh well? regionsl? general? Could this link to a page/pages already devoted to this/these goddess(es)?

External links modified (January 2018)

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Stepped Pond v Stepwell

I am confused by "stepwells are dark and barely visible from the surface, while stepped ponds are illuminated by the light from the sun. Also, stepwells are quite linear in design compared to the rectangular shape of stepped ponds." Only three of the dozen pictures in the article (and neither of the ones in the lede) fit the "stepwell" description. Also, virtually all pictures and references to stepwells I've found elsewhere seem to show something similar, a pool of water at the bottom of what is, essentially, an inverted pyramid of space surrounded by tiers of steps. The linear (narrow, stepped trench) concept seems very much in the minority. Is the section WP:UNDUE or is the rest of the article (and, frankly, the rest of the world) wrong? Last1in (talk) 20:30, 18 December 2019 (UTC)