Kalbeliya dancers spin beside the decorated steps of Chand Baori when the Abhaneri Festival comes to the village each year. Older rituals linger here too. Pilgrims once washed their hands and feet in the stepwell before climbing to the Harshat Mata Temple next door, raised for the goddess of joy.
Beyond the two monuments, carved stones from the old temple rest in the stepwell's shady arcades, and the railway town of Bandikui is a short ride away. Summers are fierce and dry, the monsoon brings brief rain, and winters stay mild. A Local Friend can open a door you would not have knocked on, from a village courtyard to a quiet hour by the steps.
