At the trend's peak, there were roughly 3,000 stepwells in India.

在这一趋势的高峰期，印度大约有3000口阶梯井。

In the past stepwells were common throughout India. These wells were primarily used to collect water.

纵观印度，在过去阶梯井是常见的。这些井主要被用来收集水。

Which part of some stepwells provided shade for people?

一些阶梯井的哪一部分为人们提供了阴凉？

Who are frequent visitors to stepwells nowadays?

现在谁是阶梯井的常客？

It took workers many years to build the stone steps characteristic of stepwells.

工人们用了很多年的时间才修出阶梯井特有的石阶。

Unique to this region, stepwells are often architecturally complex and vary widely in size and shape.

该地区独有的阶梯井通常结构复杂，大小和形状差异很大。

The few existing stepwells in Delhi are more attractive than those found elsewhere.

德里为数不多的阶梯井比其他地方的更有吸引力。

The ancient city of Bundi, 200 kilometres south of Jaipur, is renowned for its architecture, including its stepwells.

本迪古城位于斋浦尔以南 200 公里处，以其阶梯井等建筑而闻名。

The AKTC is now taking on the most ambitious project yet: a 106-acre site in Hyderabad, where seven stepwells were built by the Qutb Shabi dynasty in ornate, white-plastered granite.

在海德拉巴占地106英亩的土地上，库特布沙比王朝在华丽的白色石膏花岗岩上建造了7口阶梯井。

However, some important sites in Gujarat have recently undergone major restoration, and the state government announced in June last year that it plans to restore the stepwells throughout the state.

6.不过，古吉拉特邦的一些重要遗址最近进行了重大修复，州政府去年6月宣布计划修复全邦的阶梯井。

Indeed, stepwells have always been considered women's spaces-places to gather without inhibitions, away from men's domineering eyes (in India, after all, it is traditionally a woman's job to fetch and carry water).

事实上，阶梯井一直被认为是女性的空间——一个不受约束、远离男性霸道目光的地方(毕竟，在印度，传统上取水和挑水是女性的工作)。

A millennium ago, stepwells were fundamental to life in the driest parts of India. Rachard Cox travelled to north-western India to document these spectacular monuments from a bygone era.

1. 一千年前，阶梯井是印度最干旱地区生活的基础。拉查德·考克斯前往印度西北部记录了这些过去时代的壮观纪念碑。

As their name suggests, stepwells comprise a series of stone steps descending from ground level to the water source (normally an underground aquifer) as it recedes following the rains.

顾名思义，阶梯井由一系列从地面下降到水源（通常是地下含水层）的石阶组成，因为它会在雨后退去。

Most stepwells are found dotted round the desert areas of Gujarat (where they are called vav) and Rajasthan (where they are called baori), while a few also survive in Delhi.

大多数阶梯井散布在古吉拉特邦（称为 vav）和拉贾斯坦邦（称为 baori）的沙漠地区周围，而在德里也有一些存在。