adalaj stepwell gujarat

Adalaj Stepwell, Gujarat

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Presented by:

Madhulika SanyalMohd. Sarim


LEGEND AND HISTORYAs per legend the 15th century, Rana Veer Singh of the

Vaghela dynasty, a Hindu ruler, reigned over this

territory, then known as Dandai Desh. His kingdom was

attacked by Mohammed Begada, the Muslim ruler of a

neighboring kingdom. The Rana king was killed and his

territory occupied by the invader. Rana Veer Singh’s

widow, a beautiful lady known by the name Rani

Roopba, though in deep grief at the death of her

husband, agreed to a marriage proposal made by

Mahmud Begada on the condition that he would first

complete the building of the Stepwell.

The Muslim king who was deeply enamored of the

queen’s beauty agreed to the proposal and built the

well in record time. Once the well was completed,

Begada reminded the queen of her promise to marry

him. instead the queen who had achieved her objective

of completing the Stepwell started by her husband,

decided to end her life, as mark of devotion to her

husband. She circumambulated the Stepwell with

prayers and jumped into the well, ending the saga of

building the well in tragedy. These events are depicted

on the walls of the well. Begada however allowed the

well to remain without any defacing.


Loca

tion:

Ada

laj,

Guj

arat

Adalaj is a census town

in Gandhinagar district in

the Indian state of Gujara

t..

ADALAJ

STEP WELL

VEG.MARKETSHOPPING

CENTRE


1

2

ACCE

SSIB

ILIT

Y AN

MO

DE

OF

TRAN

SPO

RT

BUS STOP: 10 METERS

ADALAJ CHOKDI RAILWAY

STATION: 1KM

MANEKBA RAILWAY SATION:

1.5KM apprx

HALTING POINT: 1.2METERS

1.BUS STOP

2.ROADS TOWARD GANDHINAGAR

HW

3. ROAD TOWARD NH71

4. ROAD TOWARD NH71

5. ROAD TOWARD NH71

6. ROADS TOWARD GANDHINAGAR

HW


VEGETATION

PEEPAL

EUCALYPTUS

NEEMClimatic Factors

Adalaj Lake


SOIL TYPE : SANDY

LOAM TO SANDY

Water Tablethe ground water level in the city

was 63 meters in 1997.

The level kept deadening at

fluctuating rates to touch 105

meters underground in 2006.

In 2007, the water level rose to

around 94 meters.

However, the level has dropped

again to around 100 meters now.

Climatic Factors


Built in sand stone in Solanki

architectural style, the Adlaj

stepwell is five stories deep.

Early stepwells were made of

stone, later step wells were

made of mortar, stucco, rubble

and laminar stones. over the

year.

The structural system is typically Indian

style with traditional trabeat with horizontal

beams and lintels. At the bottom of the well

is a square stepped floor in the shape of a

funnel extending to the lowest plane.

Each floor is spacious enough to provide

for people to congregate. It was dug deep to

access ground water at that level,

accounting for seasonal fluctuations in water

level due to rainfall.

Concept


The motifs of flowers and

graphics of Islamic architecture

blend very well with the symbols

of Hindu and Jain gods carved at

various levels of the well. The

dominant carvings on the upper

floors are of elephants (3 inches

(76 mm) in size, each of different

design).

The Islamic architectural style could be

attributed to the Muslim king Begda who

built it. The walls are carved with women

performing daily chores such as churning

of buttermilk, adorning themselves,

scenes of performance of dancers and

musicians, and the King overlooking all

these activities

Elem

ents


From the first story level, three

staircases lead to the bottom

water level of the well, which is

considered a unique feature. Built

along a North-South axis,

entrance is from the South, the

three staircases are from the

South, West and East directions

leading to the landing, which is on

the northern side of the well

It is octagonal in plan at the top on

intricately carved pillars

Four small rooms with

oriel windows decorated with

minutely carved brackets are

provided at the landing level, at the

four corners. The top part of the

well, however, is a vertical space

open to the sky.

Stru

ctur

e


The air and light vents in the

roofs at various floors and at

the landing level are in the

form of large openings

leading to the octagonal well.

However direct sunlight do

not touch the flight of stairs or

the well except for a brief

period of time

The temperature inside is

said to be 6 degrees cooler

than the outside.

This encouraged the women who came to fetch water to spend more time

in the cool climes here. They stayed to worship the gods and goddesses and

gossip.

Above the square floor, columns, beams, wall and arched openings spiral

around; a feature that continues to the top. The top part of the well, however,

is a vertical space open to sky.

Climatic Response

Thank You

adalaj stepwell gujarat

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