Rani ki Vav

Rani Ki Vav(lit. 'The Queen's Stepwell') is astepwellsituated in the town ofPataninGujarat,India. It is located on the banks of theSaraswati River.Its construction is attributed to Udayamati, the spouse of the 11th-centuryChaulukyakingBhima I.Silted over, it was rediscovered in the 1940s and restored in the 1980s by theArchaeological Survey of India.It has been listed as one of theUNESCOWorld Heritage Sitesin Indiasince 2014. This stepwell is designed as an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water. It is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels. These panels have more than 500 principal sculptures and over 1000 minor ones combining religious, secular, and symbolic imagery.

Rani ki Vav
Location	Patan,India
Coordinates	23°51′32″N72°6′6″E
Area	4.68 ha (11.6 acres)
Location inGujarat Location in India
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural: (i), (iv)
Reference	922
Inscription	2014 (38thSession)
Buffer zone	125.44 ha (310.0 acres)

History

Inside Rani Ki Vav

Rani ki vav was constructed during the rule of theChaulukya dynasty.It is located on the banks ofSaraswati river.The city was sacked bySultan of DelhiQutb-ud-din Aybakbetween 1200 and 1210, and again by theAllauddin Khiljiin 1298.

Prabandha-Chintamani,composed by the Jain monkMerutungain 1304, mentions: "Udayamati, the daughter of Naravaraha Khengara, built this novel stepwell at Shripattana (Patan) surpassing the glory of theSahasralinga Tank".According to it, the stepwell was commissioned in 1063 and was completed after 20 years. It is generally assumed that it was built in the memory ofBhima I(r. c. 1022– 1064) by his queen Udayamati and probably completed by Udayamati andKarnaafter his death but whether she was a widow when she commissioned it is disputed.Commissariatputs the date of construction to 1032 based on the architectural similarity toVimalavasahi temple on Mount Abubuilt in the same year.

The stepwell was later flooded by the Saraswati river and silted over.In the 1890s, Henry Cousens andJames Burgessvisited it when it was completely buried under the earth and only the well shaft and few pillars were visible. They described it as being a huge pit measuring 87 metres (285 ft). InTravels in Western India,James Todmentioned that the material from the stepwell was reused in the other stepwell built in modern Patan, probably Trikam Barot ni Vav (Bahadur Singh stepwell).In the 1940s, excavations carried out under theBaroda Staterevealed the stepwell. In 1986, a major excavation and restoration was carried out by theArchaeological Survey of India(ASI). An image of Udayamati was also recovered during the excavation. The restoration was carried out from 1981 to 1987.

Rani ki vav has been declared aMonument of National Importanceand protected by the ASI. It was added to the list ofUNESCOWorld Heritage Sitesin Indiaon 22 June 2014.It was named India's "Cleanest Iconic Place" at the 2016 Indian Sanitation Conference.

Architecture

Rani Ki Vav, view from the top

Rani ki vav is considered to be one of the finest and largest examples of stepwell architecture in Gujarat. It was built at the height of craftsmens’ ability in stepwell construction and theMaru-Gurjara architecturestyle, reflecting mastery of this complex technique and a beauty of detail and proportions. The architecture and sculptures are similar to theVimalavasahi temple on Mount AbuandSun temple at Modhera.

It is classified as aNanda-type stepwell. It measures approximately 65 metres (213 ft) long, 20 metres (66 ft) wide and 28 metres (92 ft) deep. The fourth level is the deepest and leads into a rectangular tank 9.5 metres (31 ft) by 9.4 metres (31 ft), at a depth of 23 metres (75 ft). The entrance is located in the east, while the well is located at the westernmost end and consists of a shaft 10 metres (33 ft) in diameter and 30 metres (98 ft) deep.The stepwell is divided into seven levels of stairs, which lead down to a deep, circular well. A stepped corridor is compartmentalized at regular intervals with pillared, multistorey pavilions. The walls, pillars, columns, brackets and beams are ornamented with carvings andscrollwork.Thenichesin the side walls are ornamented with delicate figures and sculptures. There are 212 pillars in the stepwell.

Sculptures

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  Varaha(centre), woman with snake (left)
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  Vamanaincarnation
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  Parashuramain the centre
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  Kalkiincarnation (centre), women with lipstick or twig (left) and with monkey (right)
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  Durgakilling Mahishasura
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  Bhairavaand Apsaras
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  Ganeshawith his consort and Apsaras

Wall with sculptural panels

Wall with sculptural panels

Carved pillars

There are more than 500 principal sculptures and over a thousand minor ones, often referencing literary works in combination with religious, symbolic and secular imagery.The ornamentation of the stepwell depicts the entire universe inhabited by gods and goddesses, celestial beings, men and women, monks, priests andlaity;animals, fish and birds including seen and unseen ones, as well as plants and trees.

The stepwell is designed as an underground shrine or inverted temple; this represents the sanctity of water.Sculptures in the stepwell depict numerous Hindu deities. These include gods such asBrahma,Vishnu,Shiva,Ganesha,Kubera,Lakulisha,Bhairava,Surya,IndraandHayagrivaandgoddesseslikeLakshmi,Parvati,Saraswati,Chamunda,Kshemankari, Suryani, theSaptamatrikasandDurga(as Mahishasurmardini). The sculptures associated with Vishnu outnumber all other deities, and include Sheshashayi Vishnu (Vishnu reclining on the thousand-hooded snakeSheshain the celestial ocean), Vishwarupa Vishnu (Cosmic form of Vishnu) and theDashavatara(ten incarnations) of Vishnu.Other sculptures include families of deities such as Brahma-Savitri,Uma-Maheshwarand Lakshmi-Narayan. Notable among other sculptures areArdhanarishwara(Shiva and Parvati in a combined, androgynous form) and a group ofNavagraha(the nine planets) as well.

There are a large number of celestial beings (Apsaras). One sculpture of an Apsara depicts her either applying lip paint or chewing on an aromatic twig while a man is attending to her feet. On the northern side of the third storey pavilion, there is a sculpture of an Apsara warding off a monkey clinging to her leg. At her feet, there is a nude female with a snake around her neck. There are also sculptures of Nagkanya (a serpent princess) with long hair and a swan, as well as depictions of celestial dancers in classical dance positions.

There are large number of sculptures portraying women in their everyday life and activities. One sculpture depicts a woman combing her hair, adjusting her earring and looking at herself in the mirror. Other sculptures include a woman writing a letter, a young woman with a scorpion climbing her right leg and her clothes sliding off, a young woman pulling the beard of a dwarf-like man, a woman with a plate of fish in her hands with a snake encircling her leg and reaching out to the fish. One sculpture depicts a young woman coming out of her bath with wet hair and a swan catching droplets of water falling from her hair like pearls. The women in these sculptures are adorned with jewelry, including bangles, earrings, necklaces, waist girdles, anklets, and elegant clothes and well-combed hair. A variety of expressions and emotions are depicted in them, representing beauty as well as love in its sublime and seductive forms. There are sculptures representing maternal love such as a woman holding her child and pointing to the moon to divert his attention, a woman raising her child high to let him pick a mango from tree, and a woman in a mango grove accompanied by children.

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  Cantilevered brackets in well shaft
• 
  Geometric lattice patterns and designs resemblingPatolatextile designs

There are gradually increasingcantileveredbrackets in the well shaft which are profusely ornamented.Kalpavrikshacarvings on the wall represent fertility and nature worship, whilekirtimukhasandmakarasadorn the basements and capitals of pillars.There arelatticeworkpatterns and designs resembling local, geometric textile designs, and traditionalPatoladesigns are featured on the wall at the stepwell's northern entrance. These may have been adapted from wood carvings and ceilings seen in temples.Figures of horses, elephants and lions decorate pillars and basement moldings.

Depiction

Since July 2018, the₹100banknote ofMahatma Gandhi New Series,features Rani ki Vav on the reverse.

The reverse of the₹100banknote featuring Rani ki Vav

See also

• Adalaj Stepwell
• Agrasen Ki Baoli

Further reading

• Mankodi, Kirit (1991).The Queen's Stepwell at Patan.Bombay: Project for Indian Cultural Studies.ISBN978-81-900184-0-1.OCLC28801053.

External links

• 3D modelat CyArk