Her Space, Her Story: Exploring the Stepwells of Gujarat by Purnima Mehta Bhatt

Author:Purnima Mehta Bhatt [Bhatt, Purnima Mehta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zubaan
Published: 2014-12-28T00:00:00+00:00

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An example of this comes from the inscription in the Dholka ni vav. See Chapter 5 for more details.

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Queen’s Stepwell (Rani ni vav) –

Patan, Gujarat

The Queen’s Stepwell or Rani ni vav is the most majestic and impressive of all the stepwells in Gujarat. It represents the pinnacle of stepwell architecture. Built in 1032 A.D. by Queen Udayamati during the rule of the Solanki dynasty, it was said to have been inundated by the waters of the Saraswati river. After nearly nine centuries of oblivion, it was painstakingly excavated and restored in early 1986. It has now been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. This stepwell built by Udayamati, the wife of Bhimdev I, the Solanki ruler (1022–63 C.E.), is the grandest, most elegant and spectacular of all the stepwells in Gujarat.

According to historical sources, the ancient capital of Anhilwad–Patan was established in 846 C.E. by Vanraj Chawda and served as the political and cultural centre of the Chawda, Solanki and Vaghela dynasties. Patan was the capital of the Capotkata and Chaulukya dynasties and also the early sultans of Gujarat until 1411 C.E. when Ahmedabad was chosen as the new capital. Patan was renowned as a centre of art, learning and scholarship for over 600 years. During the period when the Chaulukyas ruled Gujarat, trade and commerce flourished as never before and ships sailed from and to Cambay (Khambhat) from distant ports, contributing to the prosperity of Patan. This fabulous wealth from maritime activities was used to promote art and architecture.

Rani ni vav is described in a fourteenth century C.E. text, Prabandha Chintamani, by Merutungacarya: ‘Queen Udayamati, the daughter of Naravahana Khangara, built this novel stepwell at Patan or Sripattana, which surpasses the glory of the Sahasralinga Sarovara’ (quoted in Sadani, 1998, p. 3).1 According to the text, the stepwell commissioned in 1063 C.E. by Queen Udayamati is said to have taken 20 years to build. Until recently, scholars like Mankodi and others assumed that the stepwell was constructed by Udayamati, as a memorial for her deceased husband. It was, according to them, a testament of a widow’s devotion and love for her husband. However, this view has been challenged in recent times by scholars such as Professor Hariprasad Shastri (1964) who argue that the use of the term ‘Rajni’ in Prabandha Chintamani implies that she was not a widow when she built it. Had it been a memorial, the term ‘Rajmata’ would have been used (Sadani, 1998, p. 3).

It is believed that the stepwell was completely inundated by the floodwaters of the river Sarasvati. In the 1940s, excavations carried out under the auspices of the Gaikwad State revealed the existence of this ancient stepwell. Large-scale excavations undertaken by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1986 brought to light this magnificent seven-storeyed structure which has since been restored after nearly nine centuries of oblivion. In 1986, during the course of the excavations, a beautiful image of Queen Udayamati was unearthed.

The Queen’s stepwell is regarded as the finest example of stepwell

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