Rani ki vav Patan
Rani ki vav patan is one of the only few architectural masterpieces and UNESCO world heritage site which was built by a queen as a memorial to a king. Literally translating to “The queen’s step well”, it was built by Rani Udaymati on the banks of Saraswati river in the 11th century AD.
Did you know Rani ki Vav was named as the cleanest iconic monument in India and also appears on the 100 rupee note.
Location and Reaching here
Patan is a small town located at around 120kms from Ahmedabad and by a car it takes 2.5hrs if you take the Ahmedabad Palanpur highway. If you’re reaching Ahmedabad with a late night flight, you may find it a bit difficult to leave early in the morning. Since its a 2.5hr journey one way, its best to leave by 9:30am so you can visit the Rani ki vav in time and grab some lunch on your way back. Carrying some snacks if traveling with kids is recommended.
Check out our itinerary and our experience of a road trip in Gujarat.
What to see?
There are 7 floors in this stepwell and over 200 intricately carved pillars. Along the walls of the stepwell, you will see over 500 beautiful sculptures and scrolls based on religious and mythological stories. There are 5 things to definitely look out for:
1. On the North wall are the geometric lattice patterns and designs resembling designs of local textile tradition of Patola. At a walking distance from Rani ki Vav Patan, you will find a Patan Patola Heritage center where you can know more about this textile tradition and even pick up a few pieces.
2. Sculptures portraying Dashavatar and different forms of Lord Vishnu. There are also many other sculptures with Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and other deity families but not immediately visible.
3. Goddess Durga in her Mahishasurmardini form and other forms like Goddess Laxmi and Goddess Parvati among others.
4. There are large number of sculptures portraying women in their everyday life and activities. A wide variety of expressions and emotions are depicted in them including maternal love with women shown with children doing everyday activities.
5. Celestial Beings: There are Makaras adorning the basements and capitals of pillars and many principal sculptures are flanked on both sides with sculptures of Apsaras.
Worth going with kids?
With the amount of intricate carving there is in Rani ki vav, it truly deserves to be a world heritage site and if you’re interested in visiting it despite the long drive from Ahmedabad, I think its truly worth it. What might also be useful if you have the time to visit Modhera Sun temple and the Patola textile weaving center close to Rani ki vav to make the entire trip worthwhile too.
if you have young kids like ours, they will not be able to appreciate the step well very much on its own. So we actually told them stories about why they created it and what was the historical significance. This gave them a peek in how people might have lived in the historical times and a better appreciation of why this work of art is worth seeing and visiting.
History
Since the 3rd millennium BC, stepwells were constructed as a form of subterranean water storage system. Over time the architectural and artistic complexity of these structures increased. Rani ki vav reflects the best of Maru-gurjara architecture and sculpting prowess of the bygone era through a great beauty of details and proportions.
Architecture
The stepwell is designed and constructed as an inverted temple
it is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels of high artistic quality; more than 500 principle sculptures and over a thousand minor ones combine religious, mythological and secular imagery, often referencing literary works.
Check out all the other UNESCO World Heritage sites we have been to, to add to your travel wish-list.
