Water Festival Adalaj Ni Vav: Heritage Meets Musical Magic
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Craft of Art’s Water Festival at Adalaj Ni Vav is set to be a mesmerising celebration of India’s heritage when it returns on 23 November 2025. Now in its 16th edition, the festival underscores how heritage, music and architecture can come alive in harmony, especially at Adalaj Ni Vav.
Craft of Art, founded by dancer Birwa Qureshi, has for over fifteen years brought monuments back into public imagination. The organisation’s mission is to reconnect younger generations with India’s historic sites by weaving in live performances and immersive experiences. Their idea: history shouldn’t be just something you look at, it should be something you feel.
Birwa Qureshi, who also serves as Artistic Director, said that turning 16 this year is deeply meaningful. She described the Water Festival as a tribute to India’s architectural genius, especially at Adalaj Ni Vav, which continues to inspire them. According to her, the festival is meant to make history tangible — to let people hear architecture, not just see it.
The line-up for Water Festival 2025 is truly star-studded. The event features Ustad Fazal Qureshi on tabla, Ambi Subramaniam on violin, Stephen Devassy on keyboard, Mir Mukhtiyar Ali singing Kabir Vani, Giridhar Udupa on ghatam, Arun Kumar on drums, Navin Sharma on dholak, Prithvi Samuel on bass, and Ilyas Khan on sarangi. There is also a special performance by a Kathakali School from Kerala, which brings classical dance into the mix. The evening will be hosted by actor-performer Suchitra Pillai, adding a familiar face to the cultural setup.
Beyond performances, the festival promises to transform Adalaj Ni Vav itself, using creative lighting design to highlight the stepwell’s intricate architectural features. The lighting will accentuate its arches, pillars and carvings, evoking a mystical atmosphere and reminding people why the site is so special.
Craft of Art hasn’t stopped at just one evening. As part of World Heritage Week, it is organising three heritage-walking experiences in partnership with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. These include:
Whispers of the Walls is a guided walk with live dotara music, letting participants absorb the stories etched into the monument.
Ras Rivāj: a culinary and heritage walk, combining food traditions with historic narratives.
Otlo: Stories in Line is a sketching walk through the old city, allowing people to draw historic precincts and connect with heritage visually.
This year’s event is supported by Gujarat Tourism and Adani Group, with additional partners such as My FM (radio) and Selvel Media (outdoor). The festival also enjoys backing from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which preserves the site.
On a larger scale, Craft Of Art continues to expand: its next heritage festival, at Golconda Fort in Hyderabad, is scheduled for 12 December 2025. This shows the organisation’s commitment to heritage-led art across India, not just in Gujarat.