हिंदी
Amritsar, August 18: It can be considered as a small sign of the great tragedy of the coming times, that the wells which quenched the thirst of people and fulfilled all their needs, have dried up today. From ancient times to English Period about 1200 wells were constructed, now not a single well is able to meet the need for water. Today all these wells have become dry and are warning us about the future. Some of them are now a part of religious institutes, while some are still lying in ruins.
It is believed that out of all the wells constructed, the first well to be built on the land of Amritsar, when the city was inhabited, was at the site of Gurudwara Guru’s Palace. For the residence of Guru Ramdas ji, first a raw and later a pucca house was constructed by the market side in which a well was also installed. After this historical well dried up, marble was used to secure it. Other wells of ancient period have also dried up and are a mere show piece. Bunga Ramgarhiya, Fort Ahluwalia, Fort Gobindgarh, Katra Hari Singh, and several other historical buildings have ancient wells. Others installed during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, five of these wells were installed in Rambagh and the remaining wells in other religious places and gardens.
During the British rule, wells were erected in every residential area including about 300 Dharamshalas. Today all these wells have disappeared due to lack of proper care. The cold well which was situated in front of Rambagh, had quenched the thirst of several Amritsaris but has now dried up. Along with it, 40 other wells had also dried up. It is believed that when water pipelines were installed in Amritsar in 1886, 1200 dried wells were found. On 1st December, 1902, Municipal Corporation finished the installation of water pipes and it was inaugurated my Governor of Punjab, Sir C.M. Rivaz.
