Why Rani ki Vav Scares a Patriarchal Sense of History | Nikhil Pattani Travels
I left Mumbai before the city could wake up—no traffic sermons, no honking hymns. Just a thermos of coffee, an overconfident playlist, and a destination most people treat like a tick-box heritage spot.
Patan, Gujarat. Rani ki Vav.
What I didn’t know then was this:
I wasn’t travelling to a monument.
I was travelling into one.
Mumbai to Patan: The Road That Peels You Layer by Layer
Mumbai → Surat → Vadodara → Ahmedabad → Mehsana → Patan.
NH48 does most of the heavy lifting. Smooth tarmac, chai breaks that turn philosophical, and landscapes that slowly detox you from urban arrogance. By the time you cross Mehsana, the air changes. It’s quieter. Older. Almost watchful.
Patan doesn’t announce itself. It lets you arrive.
And then—
you see nothing.
No towering structure. No grand dome.
Just a modest entrance that looks… underwhelming.
That’s the first trick Rani ki Vav plays on you.
The Shock: You Don’t Enter Rani ki Vav, You Descend into Her
One step down.
Then another.
Then another.
And suddenly, the earth opens up.
Seven levels deep.
Over 800 sculptures.
Carved not to impress gods—but to converse with them.
This is not architecture that rises.
This is architecture that bows.
Built in the 11th century by Queen Udayamati in memory of her husband, King Bhimdev I, Rani ki Vav is officially a stepwell. Unofficially?
It’s a stone autobiography of grief, power, and rebellion.
History They Teach vs History They Whisper
Textbooks say:
✔ Solanki dynasty
✔ UNESCO World Heritage Site
✔ Water management marvel
What they don’t tell you:
This wasn’t just about water.
This was a queen carving her authority underground.
In a deeply patriarchal era, Udayamati chose not a statue, not a palace—but a subterranean temple of narratives. Every sculpture of Vishnu, Durga, apsaras, yoginis—placed deliberately, like chapters in a coded manuscript.
This was a woman saying:
“If I can’t rule the land above, I’ll rule the depths below.”
The Mystery: Why Was It Buried… and Who Buried It?
Here’s where things get uncomfortable.
Rani ki Vav remained lost under silt for centuries—not destroyed, not looted, just… hidden.
Official explanation:
Flooding from the Saraswati River.
But locals will quietly say something else.
They say the stepwell was too powerful, too symbolic, too feminine in its assertion. Some believe it was deliberately buried to erase its influence. Others say invaders avoided destroying it because it felt alive—so they let the earth swallow it instead.
Even today, as you descend, there’s an odd sensation.
Not fear.
Recognition.
As if the walls remember you.
Eroticism, Spirituality & the Quiet Controversy
Let’s address the stone elephant in the room.
Some sculptures are unapologetically sensual.
Bodies curve. Eyes flirt. Desire exists—without shame.
That makes Rani ki Vav uncomfortable for modern sensibilities pretending to be anciently pure.
This place reminds us that Indian spirituality was never prudish. It was holistic. Earthy. Human.
We became awkward later.
Water as Metaphor, Not Resource
Rani ki Vav treats water like a goddess, not a utility.
You don’t draw water here.
You approach it.
Step by step.
In silence.
With humility.
Maybe that’s why it still stands—while our concrete cities, drunk on speed and surface-level development, are already cracking.
Walking Out Changed (And Slightly Disturbed)
When I climbed back up, sunlight felt louder.
Mumbai suddenly felt… shallow.
Rani ki Vav doesn’t scream for attention.
It waits for maturity.
It’s not a monument you photograph.
It’s a monument that photographs you back—measuring how much depth you actually carry.
I came looking for history.
I left questioning progress.
And honestly?
That’s the most dangerous kind of travel.
Rani ki Vav isn’t buried in Patan.
It’s buried in our collective ignorance.
Nikhil Pattani, the brains behind Destiniva Realty and Scholars' Takshashila, is shaking up the real estate world with 28 years of game-changing expertise across India and the UAE. Known for his bold sustainability moves, like launching India’s first Green Realtor Certification, Nikhil has helped 3,000+ families find their dream homes. With his ‘Sales Chanakya’ smarts and 1 lakh-word real estate manifesto, he's setting new rules for the industry. Ready to see what the future of real estate looks like? Nikhil's already built it.
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