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All India Patan Rani Ki Vav

Rani Ki Vav

This magnificent stepwell is designed as an inverted temple and adorned with 1,500 sculptures.

Patan, India

Added By
Mariellen Ward
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Rani Ki Vav   Bernard Gagnon / CC BY 3.0
Rani Ki Vav   Bernard Gagnon / CC BY 3.0
Rani ki vav.   Awara Diaries
Rani ki vav.   Awara Diaries
Carved idols on the inner wall and pillars of Rani ki vav.   RealityImages / depositphotos.com
Rani ki vav.   Bernard Gagnon
Rani ki vav.   Mahima Bhargava
Rani ki vav.   Bernard Gagnon
Rani ki vav.   Bernard Gagnon
Beautiful apsaras in Rani ki vav.   Siddhartha Joshi
Rani ki vav.   Siddhartha Joshi
Sculpture in Rani ki vav.   Siddhartha Joshi
Rani ki vav.   Siddhartha Joshi
Rani ki vav.   Siddhartha Joshi
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About

The first thing you notice about Rani ki vav is the size. It is mammoth, the largest stepwell of its kind, and also sumptuously beautiful.

But all of this is below ground. From the plain, as you approach, it descends suddenly. Designed as an inverted temple with four pavilions on various levels, it highlights the sanctity of water. As you descend seven levels, you pass sculptural panels of the highest artistic quality, comprised of 500 principal sculptures and 1,000 minor ones.

A masterpiece of architecture, construction, and adornment, Rani ki vav in Patan, Gujarat, is the only stepwell to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is considered the foremost example of this type of complex architectural technique, demonstrating great beauty in proportion and detail. 

It is believed that Rani ki vav (in Gujarat, a "vav" is a type of stepwell) was constructed by Rani Udaymati in the memory of Raja Bhimdev, son of Mularaja, the founder of the Solanki dynasty. The sculptures represent religious, mythological, and secular images. The central theme of the images is around 10 incarnations of Vishnu. At the water level, there is a sculpture of Vishnu reclining on a 1,000-headed snake. Other sculptures represent apsaras (celestial nymphs), strikingly beautiful in feature and pose.

Like other vavs, Rani ki vav was not only used for water collecting; it held great spiritual significance and was also a place for socializing. It was built on the banks of the Saraswati River, and it flooded and was silted over until the 1980s. It was restored to its original design and is now in very good condition.

Related Tags

Stepwells Infrastructure Religion Hinduism Architecture Unesco Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

Rani ki vav is situated in the town of Patan, about 77 miles from the capital, Ahmedabad, a three-hour journey. There are many trains and buses from Ahmedabad to Patan. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The best time to visit Rani ki vav is in the morning, when it first opens. There are few people there and the golden sunlight will make it very photogenic.

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Added By

mariellen

Edited By

Martin, Meg, Michelle Cassidy

  • Martin
  • Meg
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

March 20, 2018

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  • http://www.sid-thewanderer.com/2011/02/rani-ni-vav-in-patana-delight-to-senses.html
Rani Ki Vav
Mohan Nagar Society
Patan
India
23.858904, 72.101837
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Modhera Sun Temple

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