Desi stuntman rides motorbike in Maut Ka Kuan, Bihar

From the archive record

An Indian stuntman rides a bike inside Maut Ka Kuan or Well of Death at a circus during annual Sonepur Mela in Bihar. The Wall of Death, motordrome, silodrome or Well of Death (aka "Maut ka Kuaa", India) is a carnival sideshow featuring a silo- or barrel-shaped wooden cylinder, typically ranging from 20 to 36 feet (6.1 to 11.0 m) in diameter and made of wooden planks, inside which motorcyclists, or the drivers of miniature automobiles, travel along the vertical wall and perform stunts, held in place by friction and centrifugal force. In India, the show is known as the Well of Death and can be seen in the various melas (fairs) held across the country. Apart from motorcycles, the act may also feature other vehicles such as automobiles, as performed regularly in Adilabad in India since 2005.