The ornate 15th-century step well has retained much of its beauty throughout the years. It was constructed in 1499 to store water, give shelter to visitors and locals, and provide spiritual sustenance. The exquisite carvings on the pillars that support the 5 floors are substantially intact to this day, and the monument still leaves creeds of visitors in awe. The step well depicts the Indo-Islamic fusion architecture that permeated the period’s many step wells.
In addition, the motif on the front cover of the diary has been developed from the partially damaged motifs at the monument and printed using the blocks made at a nearby village, Pethapur. The vav has numerous intriguing characteristics that make it an essential symbol of outstanding building.
Block printing and block making are the earliest methods for physically creating designs or patterns on textiles. Block printing is a craft in which beautifully carved wooden blocks are used to create a design on materials. The block-makers of Pethapur, primarily served the Ajrakh block-printers of Kutch and the Saudagiri printers of Ahmedabad, who are both known for using various types of motifs to create the distinct styles of the two lineages.
On the paper, the design for the wooden block is created. The wood is then seasoned and trimmed to the desired size, either mechanically or manually. The pattern or design is transferred to the wood once the cutting and seasoning are completed. After that, the desired design is traced using a customized flat tool. By rotating the bow driller back and forth, the artisan drills out the major undesirable parts of the block. Following the design, the artisan begins carving the wood. With the assistance of a wooden mallet, a variety of specialised chisels carve out the minute features.
