During my last trip to Gujarat for 2 weeks, I have visited many places. I have decided to take some day trips to the historic places around Ahmedabad. So, I have kept 3 days for Ahmedabad. On one of these days, I visited Rani Ki Vav and Sahastraling Tank in Patan, Modhera Sun Temple, a Patan saree weaving unit and ended our day at Adalaj Ki Vav.
There are buses and trains from Ahmedabad to Patan but I decided to go by taxi to make my travel comfortable. It is advisable to start the day early because in morning crowd is thin and it’s easy to see the Rani Ki Vav without the mad rush of tourist.
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I reached Ravi ki Vav in Patan around 9.00 AM and there were very few people in the complex. My driver stopped in an almost empty parking and pointed toward a small one-room building, which is the ticket counter. I entered from the gate and looked around in the garden area.
Initially, I thought….. where I came and what I am going to see after 2.30 Hours travel from Ahmedabad to Patan because there is nothing visible from the main gate.
There were gardeners working and I had asked them “where is vav”, one of them pointed with a finger. I moved but still could not see anything from that distance then I noticed a 3-4 feet high stone wall.
As I moved towards the wall and when I looked on the other side of the stone wall, I filled with joy to see the enormous structure.
I knew that Vav’s are made below the ground level but most of the Vav’s have some structure on top but in Rani ki Vav there is nothing on top of it.
The Rani ki Vav is surrounded by gardens and there is no structure on the top of it like Adalaj ki Vav.
Rani ki vav was built in 11th century on the banks of river Saraswati but later on, river disappeared. The Vav was built during the rule of the Chaulukya dynasty. It was built by Queen Udayamati in the memory of his late husband Bhima.
This stepwell was constructed as a functional structure to provide water to the local people. The religious designs on the walls of Rani ki Vav were made not only to decorate but also to symbolize the Vav as an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water.
This stepwell is east-facing and measures approximately 64 meters long, 20 meters wide & 27 meters deep. Rani ki Vav is a structure for water management and it is divided into seven levels of stairs.
The stepped corridor has pillared multistory pavilions at regular intervals. This is the deepest existing Vav in Gujarat. The depth of Vav helped in procuring the water in summer months when the water level drops.
The side of stepwell has sculptural of high artistic and aesthetic quality on both sides. There are around five hundred main sculptures and approximately a thousand minor ones of religious and mythological importance.
The stepwell was the main source of water in the area and it is said that it was the place where queen used to spend time with her maids and friends. Later on, Vav was flooded by the nearby Saraswati River and it remained silted over for centuries until the late 1980s. Only a small part of the upper floor of Vav was visible.
The Archaeological Survey of India excavated and restored it, the carving on the walls were discovered in pristine condition.
I climbed downed until the These two floors were closed 5th floor of the Rani ki Vav, the last two floors were closed by the Archeological Survey of India. These floors were closed after the 2001 Bhuj earthquake because of the damage occurred to the pillars of these floors.
There is a small gate at the end of the last floor of Vav, which is closed with the stones to restrict entry.
According to the records, this is the door of a 30 km long tunnel which leads to the town of Sidhpur. This hidden passage was made for the king’s escape in case of emergency or enemy attack.
This beautiful stepwell Rani ki Vav is beautiful and a unique structure. The name is apt for this Vav because it is truly a queen of all Vavs. The sculptures on it’s walls and pillars are beautifully crafted.
Rani ki Vav was added into UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites in 2014 and is got the award for the cleanest monument of India.
The gardens around Rani ki Vav has plants with unique medicinal properties and used for general ailments.
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Tips for Visiting Rani ki Vav Patan –
* It is 125 Km from Ahmedabad and driving time is approximately 2.45 Hours.
* The highway from Ahmedabad to Mehsana is in superb condition but from Mehsana to Patan road is not in good condition.
* There are trains between Ahmedabad to Patan but it is not the convenient way to travel because you need a vehicle if you are visiting other nearby places.
* Start early morning because it is an east facing monument and the light conditions are best before noon.
* There is no or very fewer people in the early morning to it is easy to explore the Vav and it’s sculptures.
* Entry tickets for Indian’s and SAARC is 15 INR and for foreign tourist 200 INR.
* It remains open from 08.00 AM to 06.00 PM.
* There are very few restaurants in the area, so carry some refreshment in case you won’t find anything suitable for your taste.
* Also visit a Saree making unit when in Patan to see the unique craft of “Patan Ka Patola saree”.
ah how did i miss this place during ahmedabad trip. pretty good one.. thanks for sharing sapna
It’s beautiful and photographs of mine had not did justice to the place.
There is another Vav -Adalaj Stepwell, it’s just 14-15 kms from Ahmedabad. It’s also another beautiful place though not as big as Rani ki vav but very nice.
incredible… as a traveler you are doing great by visiting so such less explored places and sharing the experience to the world.
Thanks a lot 🙂
Nice piece of write…keep writing
Thanks 🙂
Wow.. gorgeous photos.. great post
Thanks a lot 🙂
This place is such a stunner! The intricate details on the walls is so amazing..
Yes, it’s a beautiful place.
Hi, yeah this is an amazing place, even I have mentioned it in my blog. Good 1
I totally agree that it’s an amazing place.
Rani ki vav was built in 11th century on the banks of river Saraswati but later on river disappeared. It is stepwell, which was constructed as functional structure with as a religiously designed as an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water. Vav is a single-component structure for water management divided into seven levels of stairs. I think Vav is Gujrati word , actually this is Baoli ( Bawali in Hindi) . But this is a beautiful place to visit around.
Yes, it’s a Gujarati word. Infect it is called “Rani ni Vav” there.
Baoli is used in Rajasthan, Delhi NCR and it’s surrounding north India.
Vav, baudi bawdi, bawri, baoli, bavadi are different names used in different areas of India.
What a beautiful place!
Yes, it’s beautiful and peaceful.
🙂
Great pictures and very nicely written! 🙂
Thank you so much 🙂
Stunning pics Sapna!
It’s hidden treasure, though it’s becoming popular.
Gujarat has never been on my travel wishlist but your photos are so lovely that it might just make my list in future! Love that picture of the beautiful stepwell
Some parts of Gujarat are unique and beautiful. Glad to know that you liked 🙂
This is so cool! What intricate details, and so well preserved. Would love to see this one day.
Thanks
This looks amazing! Your post has convinced me to add Gujarat to my bucket list. I definitely need to see that beautiful stepwell structure.
Thant’s good to know.
I love all of your photos, there all amazing. Can you suggest things to do for one day in Ahmedabad?