The 'Vav', laid out in the north-south direction, the step
well with the well in the north and the entrance in the
south, has a total length of 75.3 metres. It is the only
major monument of its kind, having three entrance stairs
leading to the stepped corridor. These three entrances meet
in the first storey, underground, in a huge square platform.
The platform has an octagonal opening on the top.
The platform rests on 16 pillars, eight on the corners,
and two in front of each main side. Four built-in shrines,
with doors, windows and balconies, mark the four corners
of the platform. The stepped corridor begins from this square
platform.
The corridor is entirely surrounded by a one-metre high
parapet wall with a rounded topping. It descends with four
pavilion towers for five storeys. The walls of the 'Vav'
are veritable showcases of sculptures and ornamentation.
The sculptures range from a king sitting on a stool under
a parasol, to erotic scenes; and from ladies churning buttermilk
to dancing girls.
The frames of the doors around the entrances of the spiral
staircases to the octagonal shaft are surrounded by a 'parikrama',
which is an enlarged version of the frames around the niches.
Stringcourses running along the sidewalls embellish all
parts of the structure, sometimes dividing the wall into
horizontal sections. They also appear on the walls of the
octagonal shaft, depicting floral or leaf patterns, or rows
of animals.
How to Get There
Road:
Adalaj is a village north of Ahmedabad, 18km by road.
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