"Climate change is the tipping point during migration, building local resilience is the key"
Sunita Narain (Environmentalist)
(Rani ki Vav, Patan, Gujarat)
Introduction
The beautiful and the ancient Stepwells of India has inspired me to produce a series of paintings titled: Descent into India's Incredible Stepwells. This is ongoing research-based art project and has led me to travel across Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. I am so inspired by these amazing structures that I have decided to dedicate a series of paintings to this project.
Stepwells, Vavs or Baoris are wells or man-made ponds in which the water may be reached by descending a set of steps. Baoris are most common in Western India and surviving stepwells can be found in Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Stepwells of India are pretty amazing structures not found anywhere else in the world. They are one of the most unique and very little-known parts of the Indian architecture, especially the beautifully carved walls of these subterranean water sources.
Rani-ki-Vav
So, along with my travel bags and with the help of a knowledgeable guide I ventured to see the majestic UNESCO designated world heritage site of Rani-ki-Vav at Patan, Gujarat in December 2022. After visiting the world-famous Sun temple of Modera and an awful lunch, it was time to visit the 'Rani-ki-Vav'. The road leading to the Vav was narrow and dusty. However, once inside I was transformed to the bygone days when Rani Udaymati built this stepwell in the memory of her husband Bhima I, the 11'th century Chaulakya king, who had passed away. It's almost 996 years old (estimated), built entirely of sandstone in the 11'th century AD. This has seven storeys, the topmost one is now broken and is a huge and a majestic structure.
Constructed on an area of 4.68 hectares, Rani ki Vav is the finest and largest stepwell designed as an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water. It is divided into seven levels of stairs with structural panels. These panels have more than 500 principal sculptures and over a thousand minor ones that combine religious and symbolic imagery. This stepwell has only one entry point so traditionally this is called 'Nanda'. It is estimated to be at least thousand years old and built entirely out of sandstone.
(Varaha or Boar, referring to one of the avatars of Vishnu)
This is truly the Queen of all Stepwells. It is 210 feet long and 89 feet deep. The stone blocks had been brought here from a quarry 140 kms away and were fitted by the inter-locking systems. There are innumerous sculptures adorning the walls on both sides and columns in the form of deities like Agni (the God of Fire), Bhairavi, Vishnu, Shiva and his celestial consort Parvati, Goddess Lakshmi (the Goddess of wealth). Each statue is intricately carved with jewelry and are wonderfully proportioned. It seems the ancient sculptors had studied human anatomy in great detail. There are apsaras, the celestial beings who danced in the court of Lord Indra, who are depicted applying kohl on their eyes, colors on their lips and applying a sandalwood paste as a sunscreen on their bodies. Some of them are wearing the fashionable high heels. Who says make up and dressing up in a modern concept!!
The architecture is in the Maru-Gurjara style. UNESCO describes the Rani-ki-Vav as displaying the pinnacle of craftmanship in stepwell construction. It has been designed as an inverted temple and is divided into seven levels, with sculptural panels of unmatched artistic quality. A flight of stairs built in distinct geometrical patterns lead me to the Rani-ki-Vav. I could see the numerous stone columns at the end of the stairs.
This was built near the Saraswati River but later there was a severe flood in the Saraswati River and the entire structure got buried in the silt and mud. In its wake, the stepwell was buried under sand for nearly seven centuries until it was discovered in the late 1940s and restored in the 1980s by the Archaeological Survey of India. It is classified as a Nanda type stepwell as it has only one entrance. The fourth level of the stepwell is the deepest and leads to a rectangular tank 31 feet by 30 feet at a depth of 75 feet. The entrance is located in the east while the well is located at the westernmost end and consists of a shaft 33 feet in diameter and 98 feet deep. The stepwell is divided into seven levels of stairs which lead down to a deep circular well. A stepped corridor is compartmentalized at regular intervals with pillared multistory pavilions. There are 212 pillars in the stepwell.
Sculptures at the Rani ki Vav
(A beautiful apsara applying lipstick)
(An apsara playing a musical instrument)
(Wall with sculptural panels)
(Carved pillars)
(The inner shaft of the well)
Adalaj Stepwells
(Inner shaft of the Adalaj Stepwell)
The next day I traveled 16 miles by road to meet my guide Nirav Panchal at the Adalaj Stepwells at Gandhinagar. According to Morna Livingstone, the author of the book: "Steps to water - The ancient Stepwells of India" this stepwell forms the trio of 'fusion wells'. These stepwells are the Adalaj, Rudabai Vav and the vav at Ambapur as they represent the Indo-Islamic fusion architecture that was the hallmark of the 14'th and 15'th century. They reflect an extravagant union of skillful Hindu construction and taste for ornamentation and the architectural innovations introduced by the Muslim rule. During the reign of the Muslim royals the destruction of stepwells were forbidden, and the stepwells built during this period was conceived specifically to appeal to both Hindus and Muslims. Domes, octagons, spiral stairs and other architectural features used throughout the Islamic world were now incorporated into these stepwells. Artisans turned their exceptional centuries-old skills to depicting flowers, trees and other carvings that found flavor with both faiths.
Nirav gave me a new insight into the purpose and use of these stepwells. They were also used as resting places for caravans of traders along the ancient silk route and were aptly termed "Caravanserai". Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering Asia, North Africa and Southeast Europe. The Hindu rulers of Gujarat built Stepwells or Caravanserais along the major trade routes that doubled as hubs for the exchange of goods, ideas and culture. They were needed as safe havens not just from extreme climates and weather but also from bandits who targeted caravans loaded with silk, spices and other expensive goods. Medieval caravanserais were the lively seedbeds for globalization in those times. Travellers from East to West speaking many different languages traded stories, news, merchandise and ideas while they mingled with the local population.
(Grand entrance to the Adalaj Vav)
The Adalaj Stepwell has three entrances and hence called Jaya type of stepwell. This is five Storey deep with the well shaft at the end. There are no sculptures here like the Rani ki Vav. However, the artisans have used iconographic elements like the 'Tree of Life' and made vast use of ornamental designs, leaves and flowers. Each pillar of this vav has three parts - the ghada or the base, the middle part or the stambh and the half-crown shaped top. Mainly made out of sandstone and construction on this was started by the king Rana Veer Singh of Vaghela dynasty in 1498. Veer Singh was killed by a neighboring ruler and his wife Queen Rudaibai had this vav completed.
(the octahedron shape formed by the pillars)
The pillars at the center are such placed to form an octahedron shape as viewed from the top and these lights up the inner well shaft with natural light. It was an amazing experience to sit by the cool steps near the waterfront and admire this beautiful and majestic vav. The temperature here was at least 5 degrees cooler than the outside temperature. My guide informed me that people were allowed to drink and refresh themselves from the cool waters of the well, but bathing was strictly forbidden. Water was drawn using animal drawn pulleys, which are still used in rural areas, and used for bathing and washing. Adalaj is the only stepwell that has three staircases at the entrance. Each of them meets on the first floor and this is where you can see the octagon shaped opening at the top. On the first floor you can see small chamber like windows which protrude out of the wall.
(Beautiful carvings at Adalaj)