Rani Ki Vav or The Queens Stepwell

Rani Ki Vav or The Queens Stepwell Overview

Rani ki Vav is a stepwell located in the town of Patan in Gujarat, India. It was added to the list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites on 22 June 2014. It is located on the banks of Saraswati river was initially built as a memorial to a king in the 11th century AD. Stepwells are a distinctive form of subterranean water resource and storage systems on the Indian subcontinent, and have been constructed since the 3rd millennium BC. Designed as an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water, it is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels of high artistic quality; more than 500 principle sculptures and over a thousand minor ones combine religious, mythological and secular imagery, often referencing literary works. Rani Ki Vav is located at approx 3km from Patan, 113km form state capital Gandhinagar, 127km from Ahmedabad, 263km from Rajkot, 657km form Mumbai, Maharashtra.