Mata Bhavani's Stepwell or Mata Bhavani ni Vav is a stepwell in Asarwa area of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
Mata Bhavani's Stepwell | |
---|---|
Status | Active |
Location | |
Location | Asarwa, Ahmedabad |
Municipality | Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation |
State | Gujarat |
Geographic coordinates | 23°02′40″N 72°36′25″E / 23.0443357°N 72.6068337°E |
Architecture | |
Type | stepwell |
History and architecture
editMata Bhavani's stepwell was built in the 11th century during Chaulukya dynasty rule in Gujarat. It is one of the earliest existing examples of stepwells in India. A long flight of steps leads to the water below a sequence of multi-story open pavilions positioned along the east–west axis. The elaborate ornamentation of the columns, brackets and beams are a prime example of how stepwells were used as a form of art.[1] A much later constructed small shrine of Hindu Goddess Bhavani is located in the lower gallery from which the stepwell derived its name.[2] It was built before the establishment of the modern city of Ahmedabad.[3]
The stepwell is 46 metres long and 5.1 metres wide at its entrance. It has three stories and three pavilions. The diameter of the well is 4.8 metres.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Tadgell, Christopher (1990). The History of Architecture in India. London: Phaidon Press. ISBN 0-7148-2960-9.
- ^ Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ahmedabad. Government Central Press. 1879. pp. 282–283.
- ^ Shukla, Rakesh (24 June 2014). "ક્યારેક લોકોની તરસ છિપાવતા હતા ગુજરાતના આ જળ મંદિરો-માતા ભવાનીની વાવ". gujarati.oneindia.com (in Gujarati). Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Jutta Jain-Neubauer (1 January 1981). The Stepwells of Gujarat: In Art-historical Perspective. Abhinav Publications. pp. 35–36. ISBN 978-0-391-02284-3.