Heritage Cultural Festival at Adalaj ni Vav: A Magical Evening of Art
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The evening of the Water Festival, organised by Craft of Art, turned the historic Adalaj ni Vav into an unforgettable stage of culture and music. Held near Ahmedabad, this 15th-century stepwell provided the perfect setting for an event that celebrated India’s heritage while drawing a lively crowd. The festival reaffirmed its place among the city’s most anticipated cultural experiences.
Set against the grand backdrop of the stepwell, the line-up featured some of India’s finest artists. Ustad Fazal Qureshi on tabla, Ambi Subramaniam on violin, and Stephen Devassy on keyboard enthralled the audience with their masterful performances. Meanwhile, Mir Mukhtiyar Ali brought the house to silence with his soul-stirring rendition of Kabir Vani. Supporting musicians included Giridhar Udupa on ghatam, Arun Kumar on drums, Navin Sharma on dholak, Prithvi Samuel on bass, and Ilyas Khan on sarangi.
In addition to the music, a special performance by the Kathakali School from Kerala brought classical dance and expressive storytelling to the stepwell’s stone halls. The evening was anchored gracefully by well-known actor and presenter Suchitra Pillai, whose presence added a celebratory and inclusive tone to the proceedings.
The festival’s lighting design played a pivotal role, too. By illuminating the stepwell’s intricate carvings, arches and pillars in the soft evening light, the event brought the monument alive in a new way. The play of light and shadow not only showcased the architecture but also invited the audience into the space, letting them feel the monument, not just see it.
Craft of Art continues its mission of connecting people—especially younger generations—to India’s heritage through immersive experiences. Beyond Gujarat, the legacy of Craft of Art is set to travel, with the next destination being the Golconda Fort Festival in Hyderabad on 12 December. Founded by Bharatanatyam and folk dancer Birwa Qureshi, Craft of Art has, for over fifteen years, reconnected audiences with historic sites via artistic events. The group has held more than 35 festivals across monuments and believes that heritage can be experienced, celebrated and made relevant.
Adalaj ni Vav is a five-storey, intricately carved stepwell built in 1498-99 in Gujarat. It blends Hindu, Jain and Islamic architectural features, and was meant historically to provide water and a cool retreat in the hot climate. Stepwells like Adalaj were social as well as functional spaces: people gathered at them, not just to fetch water but to rest, chat and perform rituals. That social dimension lends special meaning to hosting a cultural festival here. Craft of Art specifically talks about taking monuments to the people and blending them with quality music and content, making heritage more appealing to the younger generation.
The choice of lighting and performance environment highlights how heritage sites can be re-imagined rather than simply preserved. Engaging lighting design invites people into a monument rather than putting them outside. The festival not only entertains but invites a reflection on how historic spaces continue to matter: the way music, dance and architecture come together underscores the value of heritage in modern life.
By planning to take the festival beyond Gujarat—to Hyderabad—it shows how local heritage-based cultural events can scale and build networks across regions. The presence of high-calibre performing artists alongside heritage architecture shows a fusion of the traditional and contemporary: the music may be modern or classical, the site historic, but together they create new meaning.
In essence, the Water Festival at Adalaj ni Vav is more than a concert—it is a statement about how past and present can come together in a living space. The event harnesses the power of art, architecture and experience to engage, inspire and delight audiences. It invites everyone—not just art lovers or heritage buffs—to step into the monument, listen, look, feel, and leave with a renewed sense of connection to place and culture.
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Celebrating 15 Glorious Years of Crraft of Art at Adalaj Ni Vav.