Archaeologists in Rajasthan’s Pali district have discovered a subterranean step-temple (baoli-shrine) that features a unique 10th-century star-mapping floor mosaic. Constructed during the Gurjara-Pratihara period, the floor of the main tank is inlaid with different types of stone representing the positions of major constellations as they would have appeared a millennium ago.
The temple's architecture blends functional water storage with sacred ritual space, featuring miniature shrines on every landing of the stairs. This find is expected to provide critical data on how medieval Indian architects integrated hydro-engineering with observational astronomy to create multi-functional spiritual sites.