'We would also like to visit Adalaj Vav' I said to the young lad at the reception desk of the hotel we were staying at and paused to see his reaction. He was basically from Mumbai and had been in Ahmedabad only since a few months. Though the Vav was described as a popular tourist spot in the city, in my experience, such popular spots on the internet are seldom known to the common man in the city streets. I was, however, relieved when he nodded his head vigorously and sort of endorsed its inclusion in our itinerary.
It was blazing hot when our hired car started its journey from the Sabarmati Ashram towards the village of Adalaj in Gandhinagar district. But the roads were a Mumbaikar commuter's dream. No potholes, only roads - perfectly paved, lined with green trees and without any traffic whatsoever. I was to come face-to-face with the chaotic inner city traffic and totally insane driving during my trip to Kankaria Lake on the second day. But for now I was at peace as I watched the glimpses of daily life in Gujarat's villages float by as the car ate up the miles. When it finally did halt I was confused for a moment. Are we at the right place? Apparently so because I saw a few tourists clustering around a person who could only have been their tour guide. I walked towards them as if to ask for directions when I saw the steps and started climbing down.
Whoa! This one word summarizes my reaction to a structure the likes of which I had never seen in my life. I didn't even know anything about step wells till we planned this trip. If the internet is to believed, this well was built by Muslim king Mohammed Begda for the Queen of the Vaghela chieftain Veer Singh in 1499. That means the well has been in existence since five centuries and a dozen years or so. Obviously, the water at the bottom has turned green because of neglect and lack of use. The tourism department should clean and restore it to its formal glory. But when you start ignoring the smell of the bird (or was it bat?) droppings, this five story structure simply takes your breath away. The words 'intricately carved' simply don't do justice to its beauty. You are amazed at the dedication, hard work and time it must have taken to build this. How I wish I could travel back in time to the era when this well was frequented by travelers in caravans as rest stops during their long travels and sacred rituals were conducted during festive times.
As an aside, this well strongly reminded me of the scene in 'Bhool Bhulaiyya' in which Akshay Kumar is brushing his teeth in the morning and gets startled by the young guy who dives in to swim :-)
So if you are ever in Ahmedabad, make sure that Adalaj Vav is part of your itinerary.
It was blazing hot when our hired car started its journey from the Sabarmati Ashram towards the village of Adalaj in Gandhinagar district. But the roads were a Mumbaikar commuter's dream. No potholes, only roads - perfectly paved, lined with green trees and without any traffic whatsoever. I was to come face-to-face with the chaotic inner city traffic and totally insane driving during my trip to Kankaria Lake on the second day. But for now I was at peace as I watched the glimpses of daily life in Gujarat's villages float by as the car ate up the miles. When it finally did halt I was confused for a moment. Are we at the right place? Apparently so because I saw a few tourists clustering around a person who could only have been their tour guide. I walked towards them as if to ask for directions when I saw the steps and started climbing down.
Whoa! This one word summarizes my reaction to a structure the likes of which I had never seen in my life. I didn't even know anything about step wells till we planned this trip. If the internet is to believed, this well was built by Muslim king Mohammed Begda for the Queen of the Vaghela chieftain Veer Singh in 1499. That means the well has been in existence since five centuries and a dozen years or so. Obviously, the water at the bottom has turned green because of neglect and lack of use. The tourism department should clean and restore it to its formal glory. But when you start ignoring the smell of the bird (or was it bat?) droppings, this five story structure simply takes your breath away. The words 'intricately carved' simply don't do justice to its beauty. You are amazed at the dedication, hard work and time it must have taken to build this. How I wish I could travel back in time to the era when this well was frequented by travelers in caravans as rest stops during their long travels and sacred rituals were conducted during festive times.
As an aside, this well strongly reminded me of the scene in 'Bhool Bhulaiyya' in which Akshay Kumar is brushing his teeth in the morning and gets startled by the young guy who dives in to swim :-)
So if you are ever in Ahmedabad, make sure that Adalaj Vav is part of your itinerary.
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