Balaram | Little Rann of Kutch | Lothal | Modhera | Nal Sarovar | Patan | Pawagarh | Shanku’s Water Park | Taranga

Patan

Another  fine  example  of  the Solanki period  architecture  can  be  seen  at Anahilwada Patan, the capital of Gujarat from the 8th century till Ahmed Shah moved his seat of power to the larger  and more impressive citadel of Ahmedabad in  the 15th century. It saw the  The greatest reminder of the golden period of Gujarat under the Solanki kings can be seen at the Rani-ki-Vav stepwell some distance from the town centre. Built in the 1050s  and named for Rani Udamati, wife of Maharajah Bhim Deva and daughter-in-law of Mulraja, founder of Solanki rule in Gujarat, the stepwell is the oldest  and perhaps  the  grandest  among  the 120 plus  step wells  in Gujarat. It's massive size can best be measured by comparism with the tourists who descend the steps and seen from  above look little more than ants swarming an anthill. The stepwell was silted up for centuries, and only a major excavation and restoration work in the 1980s, which has helped resusticate something of its former glory.7  storeys  down  to  the  water  level. Steps  are   string-coursed  by  sculpture  of  the  Avatars  of  lord  Vishnu, Hindu  Goddesses, Jain idols  and  beautiful  apsaras. Behind  the  water  are  sculpture  of  lord  Vishnu.

Chambers, where the royal families came to rest in summer, the water from the well skimming some of the heat from the breezes, the whole acting as a natural airconditioning There is talk now of excavating the surrounding areas, because there must have been palaces and other royal residences in the vicinity, which used the stepwell as a water source of aircooling system. Sahasra Linga talao, a large lake surrounded by beautiful temples, but these shrines are no longer in good condition, and this form of architecture can be better appreciated at the Musar tank in Viramgam, an hour away from Modhera, where another string of temples  was erected by the  same  family. Hindu temples like the 12th century Maheshwara mandir, Kali mandir and Panchmukhi Hanumana mandir and the Jain temples like Doshiwar mandir and those in Kapur Mehtano pol follow  the Solanki  architectural  tradition. The location of Patan on the banks of river Saraswati, one of the 3 holy rivers of India alongside the Ganga and the Yamuna, and its tributary the Chandrabhaga, has contributed considerably to its religious importance, and this explains the number of temples in this region, besides the fact that it was a major centre for learning and business in medieval times.

Balaram | Little Rann of Kutch | Lothal | Modhera | Nal Sarovar | Patan | Pawagarh | Shanku’s Water Park | Taranga

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