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Published: November 4th 2009
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This was second stop in Gujarat !!
A small town named 'Paatan'.....little known , but archeologicaly rich !
This is about 2 hrd from Ahmedabad, and taxis/buses etc are easily available ....
I was surprised as to how did people during that time understand the concept of air-conditioning. This place (though in ruins) is actually a "centralised air-condidtioned resort for Summers" for the royal family. The main source of water is a well, around which the rooms were built. each room has intricately carved window panels and doors, all set in the right direction to increase the flow of air and maintain temperature. Wow !!
The coolest rooms were to the royal family and the ones little farther , to their minsters...
The angle at which the mid-day (hottest) sun rays could penetrate the complex, was also known.
Its is technologically superb, and yet mythologically rich (with 108 forms of lord Vishnu depicted, some famous mytho-stories and ofcourse not to miss are the enchanting dancers)
The ancient city of Anahilvada Patan was founded by Vanraj Chavda, the first of the Chavda dynasty. Legend has it that he laid the foundation at the place pointed out by Anahil, a shepherd
friend from his younger days, and named the city after him.
The city was the capital of Gujarat for 650 years, from 746-1411, after the center of power moved from Saurashtra around the same time that the separate kingdoms of the area were integrated into roughly what we today call Gujarat. It was ruled by a series of dynasties: the Chavda, Solanki, and finally Vaghela. Under the Solanki rule, 942-1244, Anahilvada shone as a center of trade, learning, and architectural achievements. It was also a thriving center for Jainism, and the Solanki rulers commissioned a large number of Hindu and Jain temples, as well as other civic and religious constructions.
During the Vaghela rule towards the end of the 13th century, Ulugh Khan, commander under Alauddin Khilji, plundered the town and destroyed it completely. In 1411 the capital shifted to the newly founded Ahmedabad, leaving Patan as a shadow of its former glory. One of the positive effects of Muslim rule in Patan is the presence of some of the earliest the Muslim buildings in Gujarat, built before even the earliest famous constructions in Ahmedabad.
Some details about the Structures........Another fine example of the Solanki period architecture
can be seen at Anahilwada Patan, the capital of Gujarat from the 8th century till Ahmed Shah moved his seat of power to the larger and more impressive citadel of Ahmedabad in the 15th century. It saw the The greatest reminder of the golden period of Gujarat under the Solanki kings can be seen at the Rani-ki-Vav stepwell some distance from the town centre. Built in the 1050s and named for Rani Udamati, wife of Maharajah Bhim Deva and daughter-in-law of Mulraja, founder of Solanki rule in Gujarat, the stepwell is the oldest and perhaps the grandest among the 120 plus step wells in Gujarat. It's massive size can best be measured by comparism with the tourists who descend the steps and seen from above look little more than ants swarming an anthill. The stepwell was silted up for centuries, and only a major excavation and restoration work in the 1980s, which has helped resusticate something of its former glory.7 storeys down to the water level. Steps are string-coursed by sculpture of the Avatars of lord Vishnu, Hindu Goddesses, Jain idols and beautiful apsaras. Behind the water are sculpture of lord Vishnu.
Chambers, where the royal families came to
rest in summer, the water from the well skimming some of the heat from the breezes, the whole acting as a natural airconditioning There is talk now of excavating the surrounding areas, because there must have been palaces and other royal residences in the vicinity, which used the stepwell as a water source of aircooling system. Sahasra Linga talao, a large lake surrounded by beautiful temples, but these shrines are no longer in good condition, and this form of architecture can be better appreciated at the Musar tank in Viramgam, an hour away from Modhera, where another string of temples was erected by the same family. Hindu temples like the 12th century Maheshwara mandir, Kali mandir and Panchmukhi Hanumana mandir and the Jain temples like Doshiwar mandir and those in Kapur Mehtano pol follow the Solanki architectural tradition. The location of Patan on the banks of river Saraswati, one of the 3 holy rivers of India alongside the Ganga and the Yamuna, and its tributary the Chandrabhaga, has contributed considerably to its religious importance, and this explains the number of temples in this region, besides the fact that it was a major centre for learning and business in medieval times.
Hope you enjoyed reading thru'...and the pics...
My intention here is to introduce little known places to travellers, especially out of India....
The Archelogical Survey of India definitely deserves praise to keep our monuments and history alive !....
😊
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rich in every respect
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Raniki Vav at Paatan
This is a rich stepwell