From 3,000 tonnes of garbage to heritage landmark: 300-year-old Adikmet Stepwell restored in Hyderabad’s Osmania University

A neglected pit which once held nearly 3,000 tonnes of garbage, now stood illuminated, its stone geometry glowing against the night. This was a 300-year-old stepwell in Adikmet, now revived, offering a glimpse into Hyderabad’s layered water heritage. The lighting, carefully designed to highlight the stepwell’s contours, gave it a theatrical presence.

It was inaugurated on World Heritage Day on Saturday. The restoration, which took three years, was undertaken by the Society for the Advancement of Human Endeavour in collaboration with the Telangana government, with financial backing from Dodla Dairy. The effort was led by architect Kalpana Ramesh, founder of The Rainwater Project, along with gallerist Annapurna Madipadig.