In 2014, a 5000 year old stepwell has reportedly been found in Dholavira, one of the largest cities of the Indus Valley Civilization (3300-1900 BC); now in Gujarat, India. The 5000 year-old stepwell is said to be three times bigger than the Great Bath at Mohenjo Daro, and the “largest, grandest and the best furnished ancient reservoir discovered so far in India.

The newly found stepwell is 73.4m long, 29.3m wide and 10m deep, much larger than the famous Great Bath, uncovered in 1926, which is 12m long, 7m wide and 2.4m deep.

Archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India and IIT-Gandhinagar have plans to study many aspects of the discovery, including water flow patterns, ancient water conservation efforts, and the evidence of manufacturing at the time, as revealed by the beads and semi-precious stones discovered at the site. They will use 3-D laser scanners, remote-sensing technology and ground-penetrating radar to analyze Dholavira’s ancient water system. "Various surveys have indicated other reservoirs and stepwells may be buried in Dholavira. We also suspect a huge lake and an ancient shoreline are buried in the archaeological site", - V.N. Prabhakar of IIT Gandhinagar.
"We also suspect a huge lake and an ancient shoreline are buried in the archaeological site that's one of the five largest Harappan sites and the most prominent archaeological site in India belonging to the Indus Valley. 

The Great Bath is one of the features of the ancient ruins of Mohenjo Daro, a Bronze Age metropolis. Excavations of the city revealed 40,000 artifacts and many skeletal remains. Stepwells are ponds or wells with stairs descending into them. They were used for water conservation and access, but also served as sites for religious ceremonies and rituals. Some were used as monuments, and are highly decorated with elaborate carved images. 

The new find in Dholavira is described as being similar to the elaborate Queen’s Stepwell (Rani-ki-Vav). Dholavira was thought to be occupied from 2650 BC, declining slowly after about 2100 BC, and to have been briefly abandoned then reoccupied until 1450 BC. The site has one of the world's earliest water conservation systems. The structure is built of sun-dried brick and stone masonry. In writes that the site is a well, but should not qualify as a stepwell, and instead be called a reservoir. The news site acknowledges that the well is larger than the Great Bath of Mohenjo Daro.

#archaeohistories