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In the daily of the people of Rajasthan, water is the fulcrum on which their lives revolve. Due to its scarcity, its storage has always exercised the ingenuity of the Rajasthanis, rich and poor alike. Stepwells or baories, in their different manifestations, have always occupied a central position in all communities in the state. Stepwells are known to occur in Rajasthan, Gujarat and a variation in Karnataka. In the western part of Rajasthan, tankas, johads, nadis and khadins are used for community or private storage of water. The tankas are privately owned and are assiduously guarded. On the other hand, baories built privately are open to the public for community use. This website also covers in addition to baories, some other interesting water bodies.