India, May 17 -- A myth goes that an old hermit had once cursed a Mughal emperor by saying, Ya rahe gujar ya rahe usar . The curse implied that his dream fort and stepwells, on completion, would be either deserted or be peopled by the nomadic Gujjar tribe. History is evidence that the bit about the numerous baolis in the city holds true as they have been abandoned presumably due to lack of water. The capital, that once was home to more than 100 baolis or stepwells, now has only 11. But a small beginning has been made to restore at least some of them to their former pristine glory. And these are contributing to making summer evenings in the city cool and a pleasant outdoor pursuit.

One such is the 800-year-old Hazrat Nizamuddin baoli, the...