Rani Ki Vav Gujarat History and Interesting Facts

Rani Ki Vav Quick Facts

Rani Ki Vav Overview

Rani's Indian is located in the Patan district of the Indian state of Gujarat. This state is famous all over the country for its culture and business activities. In the Gujarati language, the stepwell (terraced well) is called Baw 'बाव', hence it is called the queen's bav. In July 2018, a picture of a historic site has been printed on a new note issued by the central bank of India RBI (Reserve Bank of India). The gorgeous Carvings, Artwork, and beauty of statues of this historic stepwell not only captivate the tourists who come here but also make sense of their glorious history.

Rani Ki Vav History

This Historical and unique stepwell was built by the wife of King Bhimdev I of the Solanki dynasty in about 1063 in memory of her husband Raja Bhimdev. King Bhimdev is also considered the founder of the Solanki dynasty of Gujarat. Due to the natural geological changes of Gujarat, this valuable heritage was buried under the layers of silt for about 700 years, which was later discovered by the Archaeological Department of India.

Rani Ki Vav Interesting Facts

1. This historic and grand stepwell was built in the year 1063 AD by Queen Udayamati of Solanki dynasty in memory of her late husband Raja Bhimdev.
2. This stepwell is located in the Patan district of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is believed that it is located on the Banks of the extinct Saraswati river.
3. This stepwell has been built in the Maru-Gurjara architectural style, which makes its excellence even more grand.
4. On the western end of this stepwell, the main sculpture is present, which is its well and whose diameter is about 10 meters and depth is about 30 meters.
5. The length of this stepwell is 64 meters, width 20 meters and depth is 27 meters.
6. This stepwell is one of the largest stepwells located in India, it is covered over an area of ​​about 6 acres.
7. Rani ki Vav was built in a complex in Maru-Gurjara architecture. There is also a temple and 7 rows of stairs inside it, in which more than 500 sculptures have been displayed.
8. There is also a small door under the stepwell, inside which there is a tunnel 30 km long, but at present this tunnel has been closed with mud and stones.
9. Rani-ki-Vav is a classic example of rain and other water harvesting systems, a system that is well-liked throughout the Indian subcontinent.
10. There are many artifacts and sculptures related to Lord Vishnu inside the stepwell. Here idols have been made in the form of Dashavatar of Lord Vishnu, mainly Kalki, Rama, Krishna, Narasimha, Vamana, Varahi and other main avatars are also included.
11. In the year 1980, the ASI cleaned it and took the responsibility of it on its head, for years it was filled with silt. About 50-60 years ago, a lot of Ayurvedic plants were found here, then people used to come here to get water to cure diseases.
12. In the year 2001, two idols made in the 11th and 12th centuries were stolen from this stepwell. One of these idols was of Ganapati and the other of Brahma-Brahmani.
13. This property is protected as a national monument according to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites Act 1958, which was amended in 2010.
14. The Archaeological Survey of India has been entrusted with the responsibility of managing the world famous stepwell.
15. Since this stepwell is located in an earthquake prone area, the Archaeological Survey of India has to be very careful about risk preparedness and disaster management.
16. In view of the structure, history and artwork of this grand stepwell, it was included in the list of World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 2014. UNESCO has honored this stepwell with the title of queen of all stepwells in India.
17. In 2016, this Wabri was awarded the 'Cleanest Iconic Place' award at the Indian Sanitation Conference held in the country's capital Delhi.
18. Rani ki Vav was named India's "Cleanest Iconic Place" at the 2016 Indian Sanitation Convention.