Rani ki Vav ..


Rani ki vav


King Bhimdev I is considered to be the founder of the Solanki dynasty of Gujarat.
In the 11th century Queen Udaymati wife of Bhimdev I of Solanki age built this stepwell on the banks of Saraswati river(now vanished) in patan in the memory of her husband.
The local people and the expatriates who come here also use the name of Rani ki Vav as Jal Mandir and stepwell.
Due to the natural and geological changes in Gujarat, this stepwell was buried under the layer of land for about 700 years which was discovered by ASI (Archaeological Survey of India).





This valuable stepwell has been built in the "Maru Gurjar" architectural style  which makes this stepwell even more grand.

The main craft of this stepwell is its well which is situated at the western side  of this stepwell.  The diameter of this well is 10 meters and the depth is 300 meters.
Rani ki Vav is 64 meters in length, 20 meters in width and 27 meters in depth.This stepwell is one of the largest stepwells in India and it is spread over an area of ​​about 6 acres.
The important contribution in making this stepwell special goes to its architecture. There is a temple and seven rows of stairs in this stepwell.
It has an excellent display of more than 700 sculptures.
There is also a small door under this stepwell, inside which there is a 30 km long tunnel.  At present, this tunnel has been closed by ASI with mud and stones.  The reason for this has not yet been publish by the ASI.
Many idols of Lord Vishnu are seen in this stepwell and these idols have been made keeping in mind the Dashvatar of Lord Vishnu in which mainly idols of Kalki, Vamana, Rama, Krishna Narasimha, Varahi and other main incarnations have been created.
In the year 1980, the ASI established its authority over this stepwell and took the responsibility of it.
In 2001, two idols made in the 11th and 12th centuries were stolen from this stepwell, in which one was the idol of Ganapati and the other was the idol of Brahma-Brahmani.According to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites Act 1958, this stepwell is protected as a monument.  The amendment was made in 2010. In view of the excellent and incredible architecture of this stepwell, Rani ni Vav  was included in the World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2014.  UNESCO also honored Rani ni Vav stepwell with the title of Queen of all Stepwell located in India.
Year 2016, Indian Sanitation Conference held in New Delhi (INDOSAN) which Rani Ki Vav got the awarded "Cleanest Iconic Place".
There are many historical monuments on the new currency notes introduced in India, in which the picture of Rani ki Vav has been put on the 100 ₹ note.