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 The
capital of Gujarat till Ahmed Shah shifted it to Ahmedabad
in 1411 AD, Patan is famous for its exquisite silk saris and
the magnificent step - well, Rani-ki-vav. An ancient fortified
town founded by Vanraj Chavda in 746 AD, the older quarters
of this bustling modern town is a labyrinth of interesting
streets overlooked by carved balconies and lintels of Muslim
havelis, marble domes and canopies of Jain temples.
 Patan,
which served several Rajput dynasties reached its zenith during
the Solanki rule between eight and twelveth centuries. However,
except for traces of fortifications and the stunning Rani-Ki-Vav,
there is little of its former glory. Built for a Solanki queen,
Udaimati in 1050 AD, it is undoubtedly Gujarat’s greatest
step-well.
| Fact
File |
Air:
Ahmedabad 125 kms
Rail: Patan is a station on the Ahmedabad-Patan
line
Road: Regular bus services available from Ahmedabad
125 kms away and from Siddhapur 28 kms away |
The
deep octagonal well shaft with its wide flights of steps has
exquisite figures and foliate designs etched in dark grey
stone walls and pillars. It represents the finest of Indian
sculpture and architecture. Not one tiny area of stone has
been missed by the Silavat masons whose penchant for sculpting
voluptuous and shapely maidens has left Rani-ki-vav with almost
as many round bosoms and tilted hips as Hindu friezes. Several
sun motifs also adorn the well shaft but these are far outnumbered
by sculptures of Vishnu in various incarnations.
 Equally
amazing is the age old traditional art of weaving Patola saris
practised only by a handful families, which can be witnessed
in Sadvi Wada. Each sari takes from four to six months to
embroider and is a complex process. Silk threads are dyed
in a set pattern before being woven on a complex loom, and
utmost care is taken to ensure complete even tension throughout
the cloth. Once the preferred garments of queens and aristocrats
each sari is sold at nearly one lakh rupees.
 The
other sites of interest are Sahastralinga Talav, Khan Sarovar
and Hemachandracharya Gyan Museum. The talav is among the
many built under the patronage of Siddhraj Jaisinh (1093-1143
AD) and had a thousand Shiv temples on the edge of the tank.
While very few of these remaining they give a a feel of the
grandeur of the Talav. Khan Sarvorvar is yet another water
tank from the Solanki period with stone steps and masonry.
Those interested in Jainism and Indology will find a treasure
trove of rare ancient manuscripts in Sanskrit and Prakrit
housed in the Hemachanracharya Gyan Mandir, named after the
great scholar and grammarian, the first to formulate the grammar
of Gujarati language. Patan is also an important centre of
Jainism with over 100 Jain temples. Mahavir Swami Derasar
in Dhandherwad with exquisitely carved wooden dome is the
most important.
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