Patan
A 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 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. Its 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 Ganges 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.
Read more about this topic: Jasma Devi