Rani ki Vav — literally, the Queen’s Stepwell — is symbol for Queen Udaymati’s undying love for her husband King Bhimdev I of the Solanki dynasty. She commissioned the construction of the stepwell as a memorial to her husband in 1063 AD. The stepwell is built on the banks of the now-extinct Saraswati River in the acclaimed Maru-Gurjara architectural style. It is built as an inverted pyramidal temple in four deepening stories with seven levels of stairs. Its sculptural panels are of fine artistic quality. When the vav was excavated in late 1980s by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), the carvings were found in pristine condition.
