Adalaj Vav Stepwell

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Innocuous looking exterior to the Well. As you enter the complex this is all that you see made my host wonder! Built in 1498 by Ruda, wife of Vaghela Chief Virasimha. The octagonal shaft is 5 storied, spiral staircases on western and eastern sides. As you

Entrance to the Vav. As you move down each storey it gets cooler and cooler.

The entire Vav is split into 5 levels, you have to go down by steps. Alongside the walls & pillars are richly carved as you shall see later. This picture shows the starting point to the five levels. At the top of the picture you can see gaps between stone

The earlier picture showed you the top from the entrance side. This one from the opposite side shows you the length of the Vav and how it looks from top. The octagonal structure is the main well, which has five storeys below. Its interiors you shall see l

One of the pillars.

As you enter level one to your right is a Ambaji ka Mandir.

Next to that is a Yantra carving.

These are 9 kalashes on one of the sidewalls.

This door on the second floor has a panel (above door falling in shadow) showing the nine planets.

Clicked from level one this picture shows you a series of pillars from beginning to the end of the Vav. At the far end you can see the steps that are the entrance to the Vav. Below the pillar that you see right in front is the well. All around the well on

Clicked from the entrance side it shows a series of pillars, gap between two pillars represents a drop in storey ending in the well.

A closer view of the carvings between two floor balconies as explained in the last but one slide.

Part of the five storeyed structure clicked from the well i.e. lowermost point. Note the pillars and how they support the entire structure.

Clicked from the top is the well at the bottom and balconies surrounding it.

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