Rani ki Vav, also known as "The Queen's Stepwell," is a stepwell located in Patan, Gujarat, India. It sits along the banks of the Saraswati River. The stepwell was built by Udayamati, the wife of Bhima I, a king from the 11th-century Chaulukya dynasty. Over time, the stepwell became covered with silt and was rediscovered in the 1940s. It was later restored in the 1980s by the Archaeological Survey of India. Since 2014, Rani ki Vav has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in India. The stepwell is designed as an underground shrine or inverted temple, representing the importance of water. It features sculptures of many Hindu gods and goddesses. The structure has seven levels of stairs, with each level containing sculptural panels. These panels include more than 500 main sculptures and over 1,000 smaller ones, showing religious, secular, and symbolic images.
History
Rani ki Vav was built during the time when the Chaulukya dynasty ruled. It is located near the Saraswati River. The city where it was built was attacked and destroyed by Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak of Delhi between 1200 and 1210, and again by Allauddin Khilji in 1298.
A book called Prabandha-Chintamani, written by a Jain monk named Merutunga in 1304, describes how Udayamati, the daughter of Naravaraha Khengara, built the stepwell in Shripattana (Patan). It says the stepwell was started in 1063 and took 20 years to complete. Some believe it was built to honor Bhima I, who ruled from around 1022 to 1064, by his wife, Udayamati. Others think it was finished by Udayamati and Karna after Bhima I died. It is not certain if Udayamati was a widow when she began the project. Some experts suggest the stepwell was built in 1032 because it looks similar to the Vimalavasahi temple on Mount Abu, which was built the same year.
Over time, the stepwell was flooded by the Saraswati River and covered with dirt and sand. In the 1890s, Henry Cousens and James Burgess visited the site when it was completely buried. Only the well shaft and a few pillars were visible. They described the stepwell as a large pit measuring 87 meters (285 feet). James Tod wrote in Travels in Western India that materials from Rani ki Vav were reused in another stepwell in modern Patan, likely Trikam Barot ni Vav (Bahadur Singh stepwell). In the 1940s, the Baroda State conducted excavations that uncovered the stepwell. A major excavation and restoration were done by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) between 1981 and 1987. An image of Udayamati was also found during the excavation.
Rani ki Vav has been declared a Monument of National Importance and is protected by the ASI. It was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India on June 22, 2014. It was named India’s "Cleanest Iconic Place" at the 2016 Indian Sanitation Conference.
Architecture
Rani ki vav is one of the most impressive and largest examples of stepwell architecture in Gujarat. It was built during a time when skilled artisans were highly experienced in creating stepwells and using the Maru-Gurjara architectural style. This style shows the skill used in building complex structures and the careful attention to detail and balance in design. The architecture and carvings of Rani ki vav are similar to those found in the Vimalavasahi temple on Mount Abu and the Sun temple at Modhera.
Rani ki vav is classified as a Nanda-type stepwell. It is about 65 meters (213 feet) long, 20 meters (66 feet) wide, and 28 meters (92 feet) deep. The fourth level is the deepest, leading to a rectangular tank that is 9.5 meters (31 feet) by 9.4 meters (31 feet), located at a depth of 23 meters (75 feet). The entrance is on the east side, while the well is at the western end. The well has a shaft that is 10 meters (33 feet) wide and 30 meters (98 feet) deep. The stepwell has seven levels of stairs that lead down to a deep, circular well. A stepped corridor is divided into sections with pillared, multi-level pavilions. The walls, pillars, columns, brackets, and beams are decorated with carvings and scrollwork. The niches in the side walls are decorated with detailed figures and sculptures. There are 212 pillars in the stepwell.
Some of the sculptures include:
– Varaha in the center, a woman with a snake on the left
– Vamana incarnation
– Parashurama in the center
– Kalki incarnation in the center, a woman with lipstick or a twig on the left, and a woman with a monkey on the right
– Durga defeating Mahishasura
– Bhairava and Apsaras
– Ganesha with his wife and Apsaras
There are more than 500 main sculptures and over 1,000 smaller ones. These sculptures often include scenes from stories, religious symbols, and everyday life. The decorations show the entire universe, including gods, goddesses, celestial beings, people, monks, priests, animals, fish, birds, plants, and trees.
The stepwell is designed like an underground shrine or an upside-down temple, showing the importance of water. Many Hindu gods and goddesses are carved into the stepwell, such as Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha, Kubera, Lakulisha, Bhairava, Surya, Indra, and Hayagriva, as well as goddesses like Lakshmi, Parvati, Saraswati, Chamunda, Kshemankari, Suryani, the Saptamatrikas, and Durga (as Mahishasurmardini). Sculptures of Vishnu are the most common and include scenes like Vishnu resting on a snake, Vishnu’s cosmic form, and the ten incarnations of Vishnu. Other carvings show families of gods, such as Brahma and Savitri, Uma and Maheshwar, and Lakshmi and Narayan. Notable carvings include Ardhanarishwara (a combined form of Shiva and Parvati) and a group of Navagraha (the nine planets).
There are many carvings of Apsaras, which are celestial dancers. One Apsara is shown applying lip paint or chewing a fragrant twig, while a man attends to her feet. Another Apsara is shown pushing away a monkey clinging to her leg, with a nude woman holding a snake around her neck at her feet. There are also carvings of Nagkanya (a serpent princess) with long hair and a swan, as well as dancers in traditional poses.
Many sculptures show women in daily activities. One woman is combing her hair, adjusting her earring, and looking in a mirror. Another is writing a letter, while a young woman has a scorpion on her leg and her clothes are slipping off. A woman is pulling the beard of a small man, and another holds a plate of fish with a snake around her leg. A woman is shown coming out of a bath with wet hair, and a swan catches droplets from her hair like pearls. These women wear jewelry, such as bangles, earrings, necklaces, waistbands, anklets, and elegant clothing. Their expressions show beauty, love, and a range of emotions. Some sculptures show maternal love, such as a woman holding her child and pointing to the moon, a woman lifting her child to pick a mango, and a woman in a mango grove with children.
Other features include:
– Cantilevered brackets in the well shaft
– Geometric lattice patterns and designs similar to Patola textiles
The well shaft has increasing numbers of cantilevered brackets that are heavily decorated. Kalpavriksha carvings on the walls symbolize fertility and nature worship. Kirtimukhas and makaras are carved on the bases and tops of pillars. Lattice patterns and designs resembling local geometric textiles are found on the walls, and traditional Patola designs are visible near the northern entrance. These designs may have been inspired by wood carvings and temple ceilings. Pillars and bases are decorated with carvings of horses, elephants, and lions.
Depiction
Since July 2018, the ₹100 banknote from the Mahatma Gandhi New Series shows an image of Rani ki Vav on the back side.