Step Wells Tourist Attraction
 Stretch
your imagination to wander among the caravans drifting in the semi
desert regions of Western India. You are travelling by night, guided
by the star strewn sky that tells you the time. It is going to be day
break and soon you will be approaching your cherished halt - a vav
(step well) where you will be spending a greater part of the day
relaxing and refreshing yourself for the next day’s (night)
journey.
¤ The Bygone Era of Gujarat
This is fifteenth century Gujarat and night journeys are in vogue, in
order to avoid the fierce midday sun or the afternoon storm that can
besmear you and your baggage. No one fears travelling in the night as
robberies are few and far between. Imagine the 32 years of Sultan
Ahmed Shah’s reign with only two murders on record!
¤ The Exquisite Wells
Back to our deluxe accommodation for the day - the pretty vav which
is characterized by a long stepped corridor descending down - beneath
the earth’s surface and punctuated in-between with spacious
storeys that finally leads to the pool of water with least possible
exposure to the sun.
A labyrinthine interior of the vav’s underground spaces is dark
and cool - the ultimate that a weary traveller can ask and expect. Our
vav is already crowded with traders and travellers from far flung
places with their horses and camel carts camped near the nearby tents.
Given Gujarat’s coastline and numerous harbours, it exposed the
land to the outside world and Gujaratis still recount the romantic
tales of caravans laden with silk, pearls, carpets, etc traversing
through Gujarat and almost the same routes were adopted by the armies
for offence and defence.
¤ Ritual Associated With These Magnificent Wells
There is a rush of villagers for their daily fill, few of the elderly
people are absorbed in their ritual oblations to the sun while some of
the women have gathered to appease the jal-deva (water deity) in order
to be blessed with a boon of fertility. Another group of girls
approach to propitiate the gods with offerings like milk, grain and
rice. A young mother with over a month old baby has come for the
thanks giving, besides praying for the longevity of the child. In fact
she will be considered impure until she invokes the jal deva with
various offerings.
¤ Gujarat- A Home of Numerous Step Wells
Gujarat is home to hundreds of step wells scattered throughout the
state. In fact constructing a well was held to be a pious deed that
absolved ones’ sin and certainly it earned more merit than mere
sacrifices.
Almost each village or town boasted of at least one vav. For
centuries the vavs have served their purpose but finally they have
given up to the ravages of time. But today a deserted lot they are
left for, select fly by wire tourists to peep in from the top or
descend the steps and appreciate the consummate skill of bygone
craftsmen.
Most of the step wells withered with time while others were left
unattended by the villagers who preferred to move in search of greener
pastures. However some of the vavs have survived as structures and
still fewer among them continue to supply water while some are
venerated for their spiritual presence.
¤ The Construction of Wells
 A
typical well is made up of the Mandapa (the entrance pavilion), which
forms the main approach at the ground level; the Kuta (the flight of
steps) leads down to the water or Kund (tank) at the bottom. Most of
the wells are decorated with sculptures on all available surfaces.
While appreciating these works of art we often forget to appreciate
the science and engineering skills with which so many pillars and
lintels are made to support the five or seven storeys and that too
everything under the surface of the earth.
¤ Earliest Step Wells of Gujarat
The earliest among the step wells in Gujarat are nestled among the
Junagarh hills - Navghan vav and Adi - Chadi vav. The two-step wells
appear to have been patiently carved out of soft rocks and these
stupendous projects have been executed to great depths - a marvel even
by modern standards. A local ballad sums it up - ‘if one has not
seen Adi - Chadi vav he has missed a great thing in his life.”
However in the long list of structurally created step wells one has to
revert to Dhank where sixth century Jhilani and Manjushri vavs can be
seen. Almost five centuries later another step well sprang up near the
famous Sun temple at Modhera. Besides there is a distinct kind of open
well or rather a tank, which is attached to the temple. The lateral
formation of steps make up for the large tank punctuated with a number
of miniature shrines at all levels.
¤ Rani Ki Vav In Patan- Most Significant Well
Rani
ki vav
in Patan is the most magnificent of all step wells created in 1032
A.D. by Rani Udayamati. She was the queen of the most powerful
Chalukiya king, Bhimadeva whose reign is marked with manifold building
activities. A greater part of this vav remained buried for years while
the exposed portions were dismembered to embellish another step well -
Bahadur Singh ki vav
in the same village. Though in ruins and dilapidated to a great deal,
the remaining part of Rani ki vav continues to impress for its
grandeur in dimension and profuse ornamentation.
¤ Splendid Carvings On Wells
 Almost
the entire horde of Hindu pantheon seems to have been chiseled on the
walls of the well, besides the sculptured niches and the corridors
that gradually diminishes as the well draws nearer at the depth of 285
feet.
Vaishnava affiliated sculptures depicting him in various forms can be
seen. The most pictorial among them is depicted on the walls of the
well that shows him reclining on the couch of Sheshnaga (Lord of
snakes). Apsaras / devanganas / surasundaris (female figures) are in
abundance. Possibly they are the best symbolic representatives of
reproductive powers of nature.
For instance, a scene depicts the devanganas in a standing posture
under a mango tree, holding her left breast, which suggests fertility
and maturity just like the mango and the mango tree. often female
forms have been visualised with a mirror, pitcher or child in hand or
simply emulating dance forms. In decorating the Rani ki vav, the
craftsmen appear to have been given a free will to play with their
imagination. Some of the gestures can be interpreted as religious and
they are often compared to sculptures in Modhera Sun temple, Buddhist
Stupa in Sanchi, Vimala Vasahi temple of Mt. Abu and even Khajuraho.
Few of the images are simply of way erotic conjunctions like the
monkey pulling female attire or the damsels themselves undoing their
lower garments with scorpions climbing their thighs. With so many
sequences of love and passion, can war be far off? The artists rightly
included combats, weapons and warriors with war like postures
confronting opponents in shape of man or animal.
¤ Medieval Waterways-- The Tank
A little distance from Rani ki vav are some interesting outlines of
medieval waterways. It was early twelfth century when Jayasimha Siddha
Raja excavated artificial lakes.
The largest among them was Sahasarlinga Tank, which must have been an
immense reservoir as evident from the surviving remains of the brick
embankments and the giant size sluiceways. In the nearby museum one
can see the various statues that were recovered while excavating the
Rani ki vav and the Sahasarlinga waterways.
Mata Bhavani vav
Mata Bhavani vav in Asarva, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad is another
step well assigned to the Chalukiyan period and dedicated to
Amba-Bhavani. It is noted for its religious significance rather than
its architectural appeal.
The well is simple and modest in make with minor ornamentation in the
galleries leading to the stretch of steps that travels down to the
pool of water.
However, some pre-medieval carvings and sculptors can be admired on
the parapets that house the canopied roofs, niches and friezes.
Dada Harir ki vav
Asarva is famous for another step well popularly called Dada Harir
ki vav. This vav brings us to the early sixteenth century reign of
Sultan Mehmud Begarah (1458-1511) - the most outspoken among the
Gujarat sultans. Bai Harir Sultani was the superintendent of the royal
harem and she had planned the vav along with her mausoleum and mosque
amidst a sprawling garden interspersed with fruit bearing trees.
Bai Harir, whose mausoleum is adjacent to the vav must be turning in
her grave at the fate of her grand complex which has run out of water
and the trees have disappeared since long. Her only consolation may be
the muezzin’s call to prayer echoing from the mosque.
The courtyard of the mosque is worth observing for few of the sealed
passages that once gave way to the tunnel underneath were possibly
connected to the vav as well with some spacious underground alcoves.
In its hey days this place must have been an ideal halt for the
travellers to retire under the shady trees, slip into the cool
galleries of the vav or to be a part of the congregation, praying in
the mosque.
The vav is reached through a flight of steps that remain uniform
throughout the descent. The pool at the bottom leads to the shaft of
the well, which is divided by an arched doorway. Besides, there is a
narrow spiral stairway leading to the well. Being a Moslem monument,
it is bereft of figurative decorations, which has been replaced with
floral motifs. However Hindu hand or influences are evident from few
of the animal figures. Inscriptions in Sanskrit and Persian tell us
about the cost of construction, which was 329,000 Mahmudis (gold coin)
of the Begara era. Besides other details and obeisance to the Creator,
the epigraph reads, “ this well was built at a place where four
roads meet, crowded with good men, who come from four quarters. As
long as the moon and sun endure, may be sweet water of the well be
drunk by all men.”
Adalaj Vav
 Adalaj
vav, 18kms from Ahmedabad, closely resembles Dada Harir vav in its
size and layout but it is rich in ornamentation and was built just
prior to it. With the passage of time this step well has become
commemorative of unrequited love and thereby hangs the folk tale.
Water can still be seen in the well and it is attributed to the living
spirit of Rudba Devi, the beautiful wife of Veer Singh.
Sultan Begara in his quest for expansion had subdued Dandai Desh and
killed the Vaghela king, Veer Singh. He sent forth his matrimonial
proposal to Rudba Devi who begged for time in order to complete the
vav in memory of her dead husband. The Sultan agreed but he never knew
that the queen would drag the work for twenty long years. Still it
remained incomplete as evident from the missing canopy. The Sultan
renewed his request for marriage and the queen responded by plunging
herself from the balcony of the well and thus met her watery death. In
other words it became a jal samadhi and thus she sacrificed herself to
save her honour and also to appease the jal devi, who would be
responsible for the perpetual flow of water.
¤ Madha Stepwell Associated
With Great Sacrifices
A number of self-sacrifices are recorded in annals of Gujarat. Human
sacrifice is the most cherished one, so goes the general belief. In
fact one of the folk songs attributed to the Madha step wellin
Vadhavan records a fortuneteller who suggests that Madha vav demands a
pair - a son and a daughter - in - law! In fact the number of rituals
and practices associated with vavs, the various folk songs, myths and
legends still flourish in Gujarat.
The inscription at Adalaj vav suggests the construction cost to be
five lakh tankas (silver coins), which was spent by the queen, in
order to ensure her husband’s safe passage in the abode of gods.
The numerous pillars, balconies and niches that hold each storey of
the vav are profusely decorated with fine details. The ornamentation
here is of mixed nature. The Hindu motifs are prominent but the florid
and geometric patterns, popular among the Muslims can also be seen.
Though the inscription credits three Hindu masons but it is believed
that the queen employed Muslim masons as well. They are believed to
have earned their own death when they replied to the Sultan that they
were capable of building still better vavs.
¤ Halical vav
in Pavagarh is another interesting and unusual well attributed to
Visvakarma Vastushastra where the entrance staircase leads to a spiral
stairway that further culminates into the well. In fact the spiral
stairway gradually becomes the wall of the well and a timid soul
should avoid these steps that make him dizzy with the sight of water
that gets closer with each step. At Wankaner Palace one finds a more
recent (1935) step well built in sandstone but worked out with marble
surface. It reflects the palatial outlook and the purpose was simply
to provide a summer escape by lowering the temperature down below.
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