A Tryst With Delhi's Stepwells: An Introduction To The Baolis Of Delhi Project

Reimagining Heritage: The Promise and Challenges of Adaptive Reuse

What happens when a historic building can no longer serve its original purpose? Should it be preserved exactly as it is, or adapted for new uses? In this episode of the Speaking Archaeologically Podcast, Simran Kaur explores the concept of adaptive reuse in heritage conservation. From medieval churches and industrial complexes to stepwells, palaces, and forts in India, the episode examines how historic structures are being transformed to meet contemporary needs. Through examples from the United Kingdom and India, this episode explores the ongoing debate between conservation and development and asks whether change may sometimes be the key to ensuring the survival of heritage sites.

Recording Heritage Before It Disappears: The Case of Farrukhnagar

In this episode, join Simran Kaur as she explores the role of recording and sketching in preserving endangered heritage. Focusing on her doctoral fieldwork in Farrukhnagar, Haryana, the episode reflects on the discovery and subsequent demolition of a forgotten Mughal-period city gate, and asks what it means to document history that may soon disappear. Through discussion of the sketch walk organised by Speaking Archaeologically, this episode examines how archaeology can move beyond excavation to become an act of memory, resistance, and public storytelling.

The Baolis of Delhi Project: Why Condition Surveys Matter?

In this episode, we up where we last left off: the step wells of Delhi! Built in 1506 and tucked away in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, the Rajon ki Baoli was the site that set the entire Baolis of Delhi project in motion. But this episode isn't about its history or architecture. It is about what our team found when we got there, and what that visit revealed about a city-wide crisis hiding in plain sight. Listen to Ms. Simran Kaur as makes a case for why condition surveys are one of the most powerful and most underappreciated tools in heritage conservation. From siltation to structural decay, from public invisibility to the idea that documentation is itself a form of preservation, this episode asks a simple but urgent question: how do we protect something if we don't first stop to look at it? For the full history and architecture of the Rajon ki Baoli, check out our dedicated video on the Speaking Archaeologically YouTube channel : https://youtu.be/c7zZyX5lSaw?si=n_-vIa1rmmPlHofK [https://youtu.be/c7zZyX5lSaw?si=n_-vIa1rmmPlHofK]

A Tryst With Delhi's Stepwells: An Introduction To The Baolis Of Delhi Project

What began as a routine site visit in December 2019 soon turned into a race against time. When members of the Speaking Archaeologically Delhi Research Wing encountered the stepwells of Rajon ki Baoli and Gandhak ki Baoli, they uncovered a larger, urgent story: one of disappearance, neglect, and fading memory. Once numbering around 100, Delhi’s baolis have dwindled to just 14–15 surviving structures today, many undocumented and barely recognised. In this episode, panelist Simran Kaur traces the rationale behind the Baolis of Delhi project, a project that focused on documenting, recording, and reviving these forgotten water monuments through fieldwork, photography, site reports, and oral histories. Join us as we explore how these structures hold fragments of the city’s past and why saving them from obscurity matters now more than ever.

Capturing Sunder Nursery Through Art

Join Mr. Diptarka Datta as he delves into how Sunder Nursery has continued to captivate artists through history. The episode will unpack how the monuments within this historic complex have been perceived in art and how archaeological illustrations are an important tool to uncover a site's story!