Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat
Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat
Rani-ki-Vav, on the banks of the Saraswati River, was initially built as a memorial to a king in the 11th century AD. Stepwells are a distinctive form of subterranean water resource and storage systems on the Indian subcontinent, and have been constructed since the 3rd millennium BC. They evolved over time from what was basically a pit in sandy soil towards elaborate multi-storey works of art and architecture. Rani-ki-Vav was built at the height of craftsmens’ ability in stepwell construction and the Maru-Gurjara architectural style, reflecting mastery of this complex technique and great beauty of detail and proportions. Designed as an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water, it is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels of high artistic quality; more than 500 principle sculptures and over a thousand minor ones combine religious, mythological and secular imagery, often referencing literary works. The fourth level is the deepest and leads into a rectangular tank 9.5 m by 9.4 m, at a depth of 23 m. The well is located at the westernmost end of the property and consists of a shaft 10 m in diameter and 30 m deep.
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
Rani-ki-Vav (le puits à degrés de la Reine) à Patan, Gujerat
Situé sur les rives de la Sarasvati, à Patan, le Rani-ki-Vav a été construit au départ comme un mémorial pour un roi du XIe siècle. Les puits à degrés sont une typologie architecturale propre au sous-continent indien. Apparus dès le IIIe millénaire av. J.-C., ils ont évolué au fil du temps : depuis ce qui était simplement une fosse accessible dans un sol sablonneux jusqu’à des ouvrages artistiques et architecturaux à plusieurs étages et très élaborés. Rani-ki-Vav a été construit à l’apogée de la maîtrise des artisans aussi bien de la construction de puits à degrés que du style Maru-Gurjara, d’où sa technique complexe et sa grande beauté dans les détails comme dans les proportions. Conçu comme un temple inversé soulignant le caractère sacré de l’eau, il comporte sept niveaux d’escaliers et de panneaux sculptés d’une haute qualité artistique. Plus de 500 sculptures principales et un millier d’autres mineures composent une imagerie religieuse, mythologique et séculaire, avec de fréquentes références à des œuvres littéraires. Le quatrième niveau est le plus profond et il mène à une citerne de 9,5 sur 9,4 m à 23 m de profondeur. Le puits se situe à l’extrémité ouest du site ; profond de 30 m, il s’agit d’une cavité circulaire de 10 m de diamètre.
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
Rani-ki-Vav – Pozo escalonado de la reina en Patan (Estado de Gujarat)
Situado a orillas del río Saraswati, este monumento del siglo XI se construyó en un principio para honrar la memoria de un monarca. Los pozos escalonados constituyen un medio característico de captación y almacenamiento de aguas subterráneas en el subcontinente indio, donde se empezaron a construir desde el tercer milenio a.C. Con el correr del tiempo, los simples hoyos excavados en suelos arenosos se fueron transformando en refinadas obras arquitectónicas y artísticas de varias plantas. El Rani-ki-Vav se edificó cuando estaban en su pleno apogeo las técnicas artesanales de construcción de pozos y el estilo arquitectónico Maru-Gurjar, de ahí que este monumento sea un vivo reflejo de la consumada maestría técnica alcanzada entonces por los poceros y una obra artística de gran belleza, tanto por sus proporciones como por sus detalles. Concebido como un templo invertido para poner de relieve el carácter sagrado del agua, el Rani-ki-Vav posee siete plantas escalonadas con paneles esculpidos de gran calidad artística, en los que se pueden admirar unas 500 esculturas principales y otras 1.000 secundarias de temática religiosa, mitológica y profana, con referencias frecuentes a obras literarias. La cuarta planta del pozo es la más honda y da acceso a un depósito rectangular de 9,5 por 9,4 metros, a 23 metros de profundidad. El pozo propiamente dicho, que está emplazado en el extremo occidental del monumento, tiene 10 metros de diámetro y 30 de profundidad.
source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
ラニ・キ・ヴァヴ グジャラート・パタンの女王の階段井戸
ラニ・キ・ヴァヴはインド北西部、パタンのサラワティ川の川岸に築かれた階段井戸。階段井戸とはインド亜大陸における独特な地下構造物で、その中でも稀有な例のラニ・キ・ヴァヴは、11世紀に造られた。信仰と水管理の機能をあわせ持ち、水の神聖性を高める寺院として設計された。水利システムは7階建てで、階段と芸術性の高い彫刻壁で構成されている。特に、大小合わせて1500以上を数える彫刻は、宗教的で神秘的、かつ世俗的な心象が組み合わされており、内部空間に神聖な空気を漂わせている。source: NFUAJ
Rani-ki-Vav (de ‘stepwell van de koningin’) in Patan, Gujarat
De ‘stepwell’ Rani-ki-Vav in Patan ligt op de oevers van de Saraswati rivier in Gujarat, India en werd aanvankelijk gebouwd als herdenkingsmonument voor een koning in de 11e eeuw na Christus. Stepwells zijn karakteristieke ondergrondse systemen voor watervoorraad en -opslag op het Indiase subcontinent, aangelegd sinds het 3e millennium voor Christus. In de loop der tijd ontwikkelden ze zich van een gewoon gat in de zanderige bodem tot ingewikkelde, uit veel verdiepingen bestaande werken van kunst en architectuur. Rani-ki-Vav is een hoogtepunt van vakmanschap, gebouwd in de architectonische stijl Maru-Gurjara. Het weerspiegelt de beheersing van deze complexe techniek en toont grote schoonheid in detail en verhouding. De stepwell is ontworpen als een omgekeerde tempel, om de heiligheid van het water te benadrukken en is verdeeld in zeven trappengalerijen met gebeeldhouwde panelen van hoge artistieke kwaliteit. Meer dan 5000 hoofdsculpturen en meer dan duizend kleinere combineren religieuze, mythologische en seculiere voorstellingen die vaak verwijzen naar literaire werken. De vierde verdieping van Rani-ki-Vav is de diepste en leidt naar een rechthoekige tank van 9,5 bij 9,4 meter op een diepte van 23 meter. De bron ligt op het meest westelijke deel van het terrein en bestaat uit een 30 meter diepe schacht met een diameter van 10 meter.
Source: unesco.nl
पाटन, गुजरात में रानी-की-वाव (रानी की बावड़ी)
सरस्वती नदी के किनारे पर स्थित रानी की वाव शुरुआत में 11वीं सदी में एक राजा के स्मारक के रूप में बनाई गई थी। सीढ़ीनुमा कुएं भारतीय उप-महाद्वीप में भूमिगत जल स्रोत एवं संचयन प्रणालियों का विशेष तरीका रहे हैं और इन्हें 3 हजार ई.पू. से बनाया जाता रहा है। यह कलात्मक कार्य और वास्तुकला समय के साथ-साथ रेत के एक गड्ढे से विकसित होकर बहु-मंजिला निर्माण कार्य तक पहुंच गई। रानी की वाव का निर्माण बावड़ी-निर्माण में शिल्पकारों की बेहतरीन क्षमता और मारू-गुर्जर वास्तुकला शैली की उत्कृष्टता दर्शाता है, जो इस जटिल तकनीक की बेहतर समझ तथा विस्तार और आनुपातिक रूप में अद्भुत सौंदर्य को दर्शाता है। औंधे रूप में डिजाइन किए गए मंदिर जल की पवित्रता को दर्शाते हैं। यह उच्च स्तरीय कलाकारी से सज्जित मूर्तियों के पैनलों सहित सीढ़ियों के सात तलों में विभाजित है; इसमें 500 से अधिक बड़ी मूर्तियां है और एक हजार से अधिक छोटी मूर्तियां हैं जिनमें धार्मिक, पौराणिक और धर्मनिरपेक्ष चित्रों को उकेरा गया है जो प्राय: साहित्यिक कार्यों का संदर्भ प्रदान करती हैं। इसका चौथा तल सबसे गहरा है जो एक 9.5 मीटर गुणा 9.4 मीटर के आयताकार तालाब तक जाता है, जो 23 मीटर गहरा है। यह कुआं इस परिसर के बिल्कुल पश्चिमी छोर पर स्थित है जिसमें 10 मीटर व्यास और 30 मीटर गहराई का शाफ्ट शामिल है।
Source: India
Outstanding Universal Value
Brief synthesis
Rani-ki-Vav is an exceptional example of a distinctive form of subterranean water architecture of the Indian subcontinent, the stepwell, which is located on the banks of the Saraswati River in Patan. Initially built as a memorial in the 11th century CE, the stepwell was constructed as a religious as well as functional structure and designed as an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water. Rani-ki-Vav is a single-component, water management system divided into seven levels of stairs and sculptural panels of high artistic and aesthetic quality. It is oriented in an east-west direction and combines all of the principle components of a stepwell, including a stepped corridor beginning at ground level, a series of four pavilions with an increasing amount of storeys towards the west, the tank, and the well in tunnel shaft form. More than five hundred principle sculptures and over a thousand minor ones combine religious, mythological and secular imagery, often referencing literary works.
Rani-ki-Vav impresses not only with its architectural structure and technological achievements in water sourcing and structural stability, but also in particular with its sculptural decoration, of true artistic mastery. The figurative motifs and sculptures, and the proportion of filled and empty spaces, provide the stepwell’s interior with its unique aesthetic character. The setting enhances these attributes in the way in which the well descends suddenly from a plain plateau, which strengthens the perception of this space.
Criterion (i): Rani-ki-Vav (The Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat, illustrates an example of the artistic and technological height of stepwell tradition. It has been decorated with religious, mythological and at times secular sculptures and reliefs, illustrating a true mastery of craftsmanship and figurative expression. The stepwell represents an architectural monument of human creative genius in its variety of motifs and its elegance of proportions, which frame an intriguing space, both functional and aesthetic.
Criterion (iv): Rani-ki-Vav is an outstanding example of a subterranean stepwell construction and represents a prime example of an architectural type of water resource and storage system which is widely distributed across the Indian subcontinent. It illustrates the technological, architectural and artistic mastery achieved at a stage of human development when water was predominantly resourced from ground water streams and reservoirs through access of communal wells. In the case of Rani-ki-Vav, the functional aspects of this architectural typology were combined with a temple-like structure celebrating the sanctity of water as a venerated natural element and the depiction of highest-quality Brahmanic deities.
Integrity
Rani-ki-Vav is preserved with all its key architectural components and, despite missing pavilion storeys, its original form and design can still be easily recognized. A majority of sculptures and decorative panels remain in-situ and some of these in an exceptional state of conservation. Rani-ki-Vav is a very complete example of the stepwell tradition, even though after geotectonic changes in the 13th century it does no longer function as a water well as a result of the change to the Saraswati River bed. It was however the silting of the flood caused during this historic event, which allowed for the exceptional preservation of Rani-ki-Vav for over seven centuries.
All components including the immediate surrounding soils which adjoin the vertical architecture of the stepwell are included in the property. In terms of intactness, the property does not seem to have experienced major losses since its flooding and silting in the 13th century. However, Patan like many Indian urban centres is experiencing rapid urban growth and the western expansion of the city towards Rani-ki-Vav has to be carefully controlled to protect the integrity of the property in the future.
Authenticity
Rani-ki-Vav has a high level of authenticity in material, substance, design, workmanship and, to a certain extent, atmosphere, location and setting. While it maintained its authentic material and substance, it also required some punctual reconstructions for structural stability. In all instances reconstructed elements were only added where structurally required to protect remaining sculpture, and they are indicated by smooth surfaces and a lack of decoration which can be easily distinguished from the historic elements. Around the outer terrace at ground level, slopes of smooth descent, a so-called sacrificial terrace, were created to prevent soil erosion following stronger rain falls. Unfortunately the Rani-ki-Vav cannot retain authenticity in use and function as a result of the altered ground water levels following the relocation of Saraswati River.
Protection and Management requirements
The property is protected as a national monument by the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites Act of 1958 amended by its revision of 2010 and accordingly administrated by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). It is formally designated as an ancient monument of national importance and surrounded by a protective non-development zone of 100m to all sides of the architectural structure. The buffer zone has been included in the adopted Second Revised Development Plan, which ensures its protection from any inappropriate development.
The management of the property is under the sole responsibility of the ASI and steered by a Superintending Archaeologist with an in-house team of ASI archaeologists working and monitoring on site. Any proposed interventions require scientific review by the superintending archaeologist who may be advised by experts in a specific field. A management plan has been prepared by the ASI for the property and its implementation commenced in 2013.
The approaches taken to risk preparedness and disaster management planning should be further developed given that Rani-ki-Vav is situated in an earthquake prone area. Few interpretation facilities exist on site and the only information sources are two stone panels erected by the ASI. The Rani-ki-Vav would benefit from a more holistic concept to visitor management including local community concerns and revenue models. An information centre with food court and office building is planned on site but its location needs to be selected with care as some directions, in particular the western direction are more vulnerable with regard to developments which may change the view perspectives and settings of the property. For any future intervention in the property or buffer zone, Heritage Impact Assessments in accordance with the ICOMOS guidance for Heritage Impact Assessment on World Cultural Heritage properties should be carried out before any plans are approved and implemented.
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