Five interesting things to know about Rani-ki-Vav that featured in new Rs 100 note by RBI
New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released a new lavender Rs 100 currency note. The banknote highlights the rich and diverse cultural heritage of India as it prominently displays a photograph of ‘Rani-ki-vav’ (The Queen’s Stepwell), an 11th century architectural wonder.
Located in Gujarat’s Patan, the 900-year-old structure is a major tourist attraction, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and was awarded as the cleanest iconic place in India.
These are five interesting things to know about Rani-ki-Vav:
1. This stepwell was built by the Solanki dynasty’s queen Udayamati in the 11th century as a memorial to her deceased husband Bhimdev I. Over the years, as the Saraswati river changed its course, the massive structure was flooded and lay buried until its excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India in the late 1980s. Siltation has preserved the structure intact over the centuries.
Photo: ASI
2. Rani-ki-Vav highlights the sanctity of water as it is designed as an inverted temple under the earth’s surface. The central theme is the Dasavataras, or ten incarnations of Vishnu, including Buddha. The avatars are accompanied by sadhus, brahmins, and apsaras (celestial dancers).
3. Maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Rani-ki-Vav was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 2014.
4. The stepwell is not just a subterranean water storage system but also an architectural wonder. It is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptured panels of high artistic quality, featuring over 500 sculptures and over 1,000 minor ones combining religious, mythological and secular imagery, often referencing literary works. At the fourth level is the water tank.
5. Open from 8 am to 6 pm, it is located in Patan, about 125 km from Ahmedabad.