ADALAJ VAV
The stepwells (vavs) of Gujarat are an ingenious answer to the water scarcity in this arid region. Many of these elaborately ornamented, underground wells are dedicated to deities, acknowledging the hand of God in providing life-sustaining water. Adalaj Vav, perhaps Gujarat’s finest stepwell, was built in 1499 by Rudabai, the wife of a local chieftain, to conserve water and provide a cool and pleasant ambience for social interaction. A series of beautiful platforms and galleries are built into the sides of the stepwell, all the way down to its subterranean depths.
- Gandhinagar district. 17 km (11 miles) N of Ahmedabad.
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Taxis and autos are the best options from Ahmedabad.
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daily.
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flash photography is prohibited.
Ornamental Detail
The well-shafts are profusely carved with intricate floral and geometric motifs, interspersed with figurines.
Wall Niches
Niches feature in all the pavilions, carved with motifs of pots, horses, flowers and leaves.
The 11th-century Rani ni Vav in Patan is among the most elaborately carved stepwells, with some 800 sculptures. Built in 1499, Dada Harir Vav in Ahmedabad, is one of the finest examples of a vav from the Muslim period in Gujarat. The 15th-century Ambarpur Vav , 18 km (11 miles) from Ahmedabad, is one of the few vavs still in use.
