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Introduction: The Queen’s Stepwell, also known as Rani Ki Vav, is one of the several UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Gujarat. It was built in honour of Rani Udaymati’s spouse, King Bhima 1 of the Chalukya or Solanki dynasty, who reigned from 950 to 1300 CE. Rani Ki Vav is located on the Saraswati River’s banks.
The Rani-Ki-Vav is a magnificent example of the Maru-Gurjara style of architecture, according to UNESCO, demonstrating the peak of artistry in stepwell building. It is built in the shape of an inverted temple, with seven levels of sculpted panels of unsurpassed creative brilliance.
Structure:
The Rani ki Vav is reached through a series of steps with unusual geometrical designs. At the bottom of the steps, there are several stone columns.The new hundred rupee note from the Reserve Bank of India displays Rani-Ki-Vav. The fourth level of Rani Ki Vav is the deepest, leading to a rectangular tank that measures 9.5 metres by 9.4 metres and is 23 metres deep.
A strong flood in the Saraswati river is thought to have buried the Rani Ki Vav stepwell beneath. From 1958 onwards, the Archaeological Survey of India revived it after decades of meticulous cleaning and repair.
The Rani Ki Vav World Heritage Site is home to over a thousand small sculptures that portray religious, mythical, and non-sacred motifs. Lord Vishnu, in different avatars such as Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Lord Narsimh, and Lord Vaman, is the subject of the majority of the sculptures at Rani Ki Vav.
The walls of the gigantic stepwell’s multiple storeys are covered with finely carved sculptures, and the various portions of the stepwell are connected by magnificently carved pillars. Rani ki Vav’s pillars are ornately carved with towering floral designs and statues of gods and goddesses. The statues of ladies carved into the upper half of the pillars appear to be holding the roof with their shoulders. The stepwell is split into multiple levels, each supported by a pillar with exquisite carvings. The pillars’ bottom halves are unadorned, while their top portions are ornamented with magnificent decorations. Mythological sculptures adorn the columns on either side of the pillared flooring. The Rani ki Vav Stepwell’s lovely sculptures are either inspired by many avatars of Lord Vishnu or portray Apsaras, youthful heavenly beauties. The vertical panels of Rani Ki Vav rest at regular intervals on the basal course. The walls are adorned with statues of heavenly ladies and Lord Vishnu avatars. The Rani Ki Vav stepwell’s beautifully carved walls depict statues of heavenly goddesses and other legendary characters such as Nagakanya and Yogini. The centre niches of the wall, one above the other, are embellished with sculptures depicting Lord Vishnu in various incarnations, including the Anant asayana form. There are also rows of female goddesses on the walls.
History:
The Chalukya dynasty built Rani ki vav during their reign. It was situated on the bank of Saraswati River. “Udayamati, the daughter of Naravaraha Khengara, erected this innovative stepwell at Shripattana (Patan), exceeding the splendour of the Sahastralinga Tank,” according to the Jain monk Merutunga’s Prabandha-Chintamani, written in 1304. According to it, the stepwell was started in 1063 and finished 20 years later. It is usually considered that it was erected in memory of Bhima I (r. c. 1022–1064) by his queen Udayamati, and that it was probably finished by Udayamati and Karna after his death, although whether she was a widow when she commissioned it is debatable. Based on the architectural similarities to the Vimala Vasahi temple on Mount Abu, which was erected in the same year, the Commissariat dates the building to 1032. The Saraswati river later flooded the stepwell, causing it to silt up. Henry Cousens and James Burgess visited it in the 1890s, when it was totally buried under the dirt, with just the well shaft and a few pillars showing. They characterised it as a massive 87-metre-deep hole (285 ft). The material from the stepwell was reused in the other stepwell created in contemporary Patan, presumably Trikam Barot ni Vav, according to James Tod in Travels in Western India (Bahadur Singh stepwell). The stepwell was discovered during excavations under the Baroda State in the 1940s. The Archaeological Survey of India conducted a substantial excavation and restoration in 1986. (ASI). During the excavation, a picture of Udayamati was also discovered. The rehabilitation took place between 1981 and 1987.Rani ki vav has been designated as a National Monument and is protected by the ASI. On June 22, 2014, it was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. At the 2016 Indian Sanitation Conference, it was crowned India’s “Cleanest Iconic Place.”
Conclusion:
Rani-ki-Vav, a monument to a king, was built on the banks of the Saraswati River in the 11th century AD. Since the third millennium BC, stepwells have been a unique sort of subterranean water supply and storage system on the Indian subcontinent. Throughout history, they evolved from simple holes in sandy soil to intricate multi-story pieces of art and architecture. Rani-ki-Vav is the apex of stepwell construction and the Maru-Gurjara architectural style, exhibiting mastery of this complex technique as well as incredible beauty in detail and proportions.
