Rani ki Vav: A stepwell or a place of worship?

Rani Udayamati's Stepwell, one of the great works of art in the world. It's a masterpiece that has been recognized by UNESCO for its excellence in stone carving. Rani Ki Vav, a memorial to a king, a shrine to water and to feminine beauty. In the Rig Veda, one of the oldest texts known to mankind is the mention of a mysterious river goddess, referred to as the best of mothers, rivers and goddesses, the Saraswati. Emerging from the Himalayas, the river Saraswati was deified as the goddess of knowledge, flowing through northwestern India, nurturing life in her path. All that's left of that legendary river in modern-day Gujarat is this dry sand, arid scrub. The people that were nurtured by her magical waters are gone. Their descendants now live in extreme environments. The Saraswati slowly dried up. Over thousands of years, earthquakes and tectonic shifts changed the geography of this region. But buried beneath the ground was an architectural treasure that lay hidden for six centuries. In the case of Rani Ki Vav, it got practically forgotten. When they started digging it up, there was a little bit on top and then literally as you dug more and more and more, this whole almost universe emerged. Only a part of a cylindrical well and some pillars were visible when excavation started in the 1940s and then again in the 1960s. The dig revealed a step well or a vav as it is called in the local language. Restoration of these ruins began in 1986, transforming the site into the wonder it is today. Rani Ki Vav, the Queen's step well. It stands today as an excellent testimony of subterranean water architecture in India, not only in India, across the world. Rani Ki Vav is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built by Rani Udayamati, the Queen Mother of the Solanki Kingdom, in memory of her husband, King Bhima I. The step well is located in the town of Patan, 125 kilometers from Ahmedabad. Originally known as Ahilwara Patan, it was the ancient capital of the Solankis. Ahilwara Patan was a great capital from which people traded in different directions, from which it was easy to get to the sea. Over a thousand years ago, caravans made their way along the ancient trade routes carrying silk from China. These silks found their way to Patan, where the now famous Patan patola designs were created. These ancient patterns are still woven exactly in the same manner as a thousand years ago. Patola designs appear on the walls of Rani Ki Vav and so much more. The monument is like an ancient sculpture gallery, with almost 500 main sculptures and over 1000 minor ones. Hindu, Jain and Buddhist deities, demigods, apsaras. We look at the sheer beauty of something like Rani Ki Vav, which very rightly is now a World Heritage Site. But we also need to look at how it meant life in a dry land and therefore the beauty is really celebrating being alive. However, this celebration of life owes its creation to a death. In the year 1064, the reign of a great king had come to an end. King Bhima I of Ahilwara Patan had died after 42 years of rule. Bhima was a great patron of art and architecture. Rani Udayamati would build on that legacy. Udayamati step well was a massive public project for the city. The construction started in 1062 and it is believed to have taken about 20 years. It isn't clear exactly how much the queen spent, but quite apparent that she spared no expense. Rani Ki Vav is over 210 feet long and 65 feet wide. It goes down to a depth of 90 feet. Among the magnificent artworks, the female form stands out. The patron's own perspective is actually coming through. The sheer beauty is coming through. The rust of the building is coming through in what we can see today. This aesthetic is clearly inspired by Shringar, the art and emotion of beautification. This aspect of femininity has been celebrated by Indian artists for millennia. Rani Ki Vav is one of its finest examples. A woman arches her back with sensual grace. Another colors her lips. Beauty and sensuality have been frozen in time on the walls of the queen's step well. The sandstone structure was built in the Maru Gurjara style of architecture. No cement or binding material is used anywhere. Every stone is joined with the other with interlocking pieces of wood. It was divided into a series of steps leading to the water level at one end and a cylindrical well on the other. What is really unique about it is the depth that it goes to, the various levels that have been created. There are seven pillared floors. Out of an original 292 pillars, 226 still stand, many fully intact. Some of the colonnades have been lost to time. But the remaining ones give an insight into the clever design. They were built not just for respite from the desert heat, but also to reduce the rate of evaporation. In the 11th century, water scarcity was already a severe problem here. The Saraswati that the locals worshipped had all but gone. The remains of an elaborate water harvesting system near Rani Ki Vav tell a unique story. Sahestra Ling Talav, named for the thousand shivlings that are believed to have once stood here. This existed before Rani Ki Vav. A bird's eye view reveals how sophisticated hydrology took centre stage over a thousand years ago. In the rainy season, water was channelised from the Saraswati river. The harvested water then flowed through deep trenches and collected in the Rudra Kuppa, a filtration reservoir 40 metres in diameter. Here, the silt in the water would settle. The clean water would flow onwards. An ingenious system, very similar to 21st century canal works. The water management and storage system replenished the water table, aiding Rani Ki Vav and other wells in the area. Was this step well Rani Udayamati's homage to her late husband? Or was there more to it? Many believe that she created not just a well, but a place of worship where the deity itself was water. Some say that the queen created a temple, except mysteriously enough, hers was inverted. In fact, if you really look at Rani Ki Vav, it is an inverted shikhara of a temple. One thousand years after it was built, Rani Udayamati's step well has become a symbol of pride for modern India. The queen must have known that her creation would keep her memory alive. If only she knew that one day her legacy would also be immortalised on India's currency.