There are several monuments in India which were constructed by kings in the memory of their queens, but this one is a rarity. Rani ki vav, a magnificent stepwell located in Patan district in India’s western state of Gujarat was built by Rani Udayamati in 1063 in the memory of her deceased husband. The famous stepwell was declared a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) world heritage site on June 22.
The decision to include the 11th century stepwell on the world heritage sites list was taken during The World Heritage Committee meeting in Doha, the capital of Qatar, under the chairmanship of Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani. Confirming the inscription, India’s Culture Ministry said in a statement, “UNESCO has recognised this masterpiece as an exceptional example of technological development in utilising ground water resources in a single component – a water management system — and it illustrates the exceptional capacity to break large spaces into smaller volumes following ideal aesthetic proportions.”
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who hails from Gujarat and had served as the state’s chief minister for over a decade, was jubilant. ‘Rani Ki Vav in Patan, Gujarat has been added to the UNESCO’s World Heritage list! A matter of great pride for us,” he said on the microblogging site twitter.
“Next time you visit Gujarat, you must visit Rani Ki Vav, an excellent symbol of our great art and culture,” said Modi.
Ruchira Kamboj, India’s ambassador to UNESCO, Paris, too, struck an upbeat note. ‘Congratulations to India flowing in from World Heritage Committee members for addition of Rani ki Vav to World Heritage list,” she tweeted.
Stepwells functioned as stops for travelers’ caravans and its water storage facility provided a blessed respite from heat. After the flooding and disappearance of River Saraswati due to changes in tectonic plates, Rani ki vav was silted for almost seven centuries before it was excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in 1980s. Only five storeys of the seven-storey structure are now preserved.
The subterranean architectural monument is considered one of the finest pieces of architecture from the Solanki period. Only 400 of the original 800 sculptures have survived the ravages inflicted by weather and time, but the splendid stepwell still stands tall as a treasured relic of the past.
The well is 64 meters long, 20 meters wide and 27 meters deep. The steps to the entrance begin at the ground well and lead to seven pavilions before reaching the well. As one descends further down the steps, the ambience becomes cooler. The pavilions on each level are intricately carved with motifs and sculptures of Hindu deities and apsaras (celestial nymphs). The sculptures and carvings are centered on the theme of Dasavatara (ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu). At the water level, a sculpture of Sheshashayi-Vishnu is stationed in the middle of the well. The Sheshashayi Vishnu is Lord Vishnu reclining on a thousand-hooded serpent called Seshnag, in the midst of infinity between two ages.
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