Rani ki Vav : An Artistic Mastery

Situated on the bank of river Saraswati, Rani ki Vav is the perfect example of an artistic mastery of architecture, built by a queen in the memory of her deceased husband.

If we look out at the broader map of India, we can easily find out various monuments built by Kings for his beloved wife, commemorating their love. But yes at that map only, one can find, not more, but few tremendous beautiful architectural jewel built by Queen, celebrating her eternal love. Rani ki Vav is one among that few architectural jewel, witnessing the everlasting love of queen Udaymati & Bhimdev Solanki, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From centuries, the different step-wells worked as, subterranean water resources for human beings and we Indians also continued this legacy & used this as a water storage system too. As time moves on, depending on the power and wealth of royal families and their well-wishers, the style and grandness of these stepwells also flourished, from pit of sandy soil to multi-storey works of art & architecture.

Rani ki Vav is one such example of stepwell, whose grandness and architectural beauty can spellbind any one. Designed as an inverted temple, highlighting the sanctity of water, Rani ki Vav reflects the height of craftsman's ability of that era in stepwell construction.

This Maru-Gurjara styled stepwell is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels of high artistic quality. More than 500 princile scluptures and over a thousand minor ones combine religious, mythological and secular imagery, often referring various literary works. These figurative sculptures, and the proportion of filled and empty spaces, makes this stepwell totally asthetic in nature.

Most of the sculptures are in devotion of Vishnu, in the forms of Dashavatar, with eye-catching images of Varaha, Narasimha, Rama and Kalki. There is a particularly beautiful statue of Mahishasur-Mardini -the Mother Goddess slaying demon Mahishasur. Apsaras – the celestial beauties showcasing 16 different styles of makeup ( Solah Singar) is another highlight. Near the water level, you come to a carving of Sheshashayi Vishnu, in which the lord reclines on the thousand-hooded serpent Shesha.

The Vav was later flooded by the Saraswati River and silted over until 1960s, when it was excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India. Rani-ki-Vav is a well preserved monument and ASI deserves to be complimented for the good work.

After closely watching and witnessing the delicate works, that depict rhythm, beauty and various moods, all in stone, when one surely comes out of Rani-ki-Vav, while praising the living testimony to the artistry of 11 th century Solanki artisans.

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