BackWeekend vacations: A step well to another world
Children find a great playground among pillars and stairs, stories and architecture keep the adults absorbed
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From the first of seven levels of a 1,000-year-old step well, I look at my travel companions on the journey from Ahmedabad: an old lady with her daughter and restless grandson. We’ve travelled on a private bus from Ahmedabad, sharing our excitement at reaching the first halt, a town called Patan.
I’m on a weekend break to Patan, 126km away from Ahmedabad, and Modhera, 33km south of Patan, to soak in the history and architecture.
At the step well, the boy gasps in wonder as his grandmother points deep down to the last level, which vanishes into the earth. “Do you know, kings and queens escaped to the next town through a tunnel dug deep into the sands?" she tells the boy. The little boy’s mother joins them, camera in hand, still lost in the sculptures that adorn the walls and pillars.
Studded with carvings, this is one of the grandest monuments I have ever seen. A guide tells us the story of this architectural marvel, which had literally been swallowed by the earth and was excavated just 70 years ago. This is Rani Ki Vav, the queen’s step well, built in the 11th century in the ancient town of Patan, the erstwhile capital of the Solanki dynasty.
The step well had a tunnel to the town of Sidhpur, 30km east, which was completely devoured by the Saraswati river and buried under sand centuries ago. Patan was then known as Anhilpur Patan.
It is early afternoon, and tourists are pouring in to see the 29m-deep, 65m-long and 20m-wide step well. Our eyes scan every carving on the walls. As we go down the steps, each level leads to a pavilion supported by pillars.
The guide says that the ancient step wells dotting the entire region were probably given as much importance as temples since water was scarce. This is the reason why every inch of the monument is carved with hundreds of gods and goddesses—much like a temple.
It suddenly becomes a bit cloudy, and the skies threaten to rain down as we leave Patan late afternoon and head to our next destination, Modhera, to see the sun temple built by king Bhimdev I.
The temple’s reflection, shimmering in the waters of a small step well filled with miniature shrines, is mesmerizing. The pillars and steps are a great playground for children, and the deities and stories keep the older people engaged. I, for one, am lost in the architecture. Walking past the temple’s tank or the Surya Kund, I enter the assembly hall, called the Sabha Mandapa, through an arched doorway of the temple.
The temple is not just a dedication to Surya but an ode to time. Starting with the sculptures and pillars, everything reminds me of the cycle of life and death. Etched in stone are sculptures that tell you about the finite nature of time. Fifty-two pillars speak to you about 52 weeks in a year, 12 niches represent the months in a calendar year, and the temple itself is built on the base of a lotus flower that represents day and night.
The guide tells us that the temple was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni in the 11th century. It lost its main gold idol of the sun god.
Walking back to the assembly hall, I meet the family again. The boy is busy counting the pillars, and the mother and daughter are absorbed in the beauty of the temple. Dark clouds gather. Ironically, the sun seems to have been blotted out.
Every fortnight, Weekend Vacations offers suggestions on getaways that allow for short breaks from metros.
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