Best Historical places in Gujarat

“It is rightly said that travelling gives you more knowledge and new insights. If you will never go you will never know.”

Here I am going to talk about the historical places in gujarat like step-wells of Gujarat, “Tha Adalaj Stepwell” & “Sevasi Stepwell”

The Adalaj Stepwell is located in a serene location of the village, which was constructed centuries ago to provide water to its locals. It became a leisure place for people to meet and seek solace from the harsh summer heat. This place provided people with the opportunity to interact thereby serving as today’s community hall. 

The village until now continues to gain recognition due to this majestic stepwell, which tourists from everywhere visit. In recent times, the place has gained a lot of traction for pre-wedding photography where couples love to get themselves clicked historical places in gujarat. 

People are in awe of its ancient architecture, which has carvings that symbolize the union of Hindu and Muslim cultures.  The intricate carvings beautifully depict the everyday life of people in some of the scenes. The stepwell is not just a well like a name suggests, it is located in a beautiful building that also consists of a carved balcony which is used as a backdrop for photographs. The building is three-storeyed with each having a balcony overlooking the well. 

The view from the top is mesmerizing especially when the rays of the sun merge with the water. The water displays varied colours depending on the angle at which the sun’s rays are. 

Never have I seen such wonderful shades of water. During each time of the day, the stepwell narrates a different experience. The mornings are blissfully depicting clear blue water, while the noons seem to tell a story of their own with birds gathered around and the water showcasing a greenish-blue colour. 

The evenings are more subtle where the water is sometimes yellowish. Each time you visit the place, you are sure to have a uniquely different experience.  It is seemingly breathtaking and the place leaves one feeling intoxicated. The stepwell has a historical symbol of love as the queen ensured its completion after the death of her husband – The King. 

Why It’s Historical:

It continues to remain a symbol of love couples visit temples in search of solitude and choose to spend time away from the hustle-bustle of the city. The stepwell has a witness to thousands of love stories of people from not just nearby places but from all across the globe. Even foreigners put this location on their list to visit here while visiting historical places in Gujarat, so I would like to call it a “multicultural heritage of love”.

“A stepwell that never seems to an end Sevasi Stepwell”

You might think about what’s there to visit a stepwell. But I would like to say that one must travel to whichever place you get an opportunity to. Step wells are wells or ponds with underground flights of stairs leading down to the level of water. They may be multi-storied, and often ornamented with intricate carvings on their pillars and walls. Step wells are known as Vav in Gujarati and Baori in Hindi. 

In ancient times, step-wells were a source of water mainly to balance out the water availability during seasonal fluctuations. During the old times, step-wells could be found in any and every part of India. Their water storage effectiveness helped local residents survive for years, in the semi-arid climate and seasonal fluctuations. They were mostly constructed by the wealthy families and the Royals of those times. Step wells are very deep and have steep steps to the structure. Step wells were also used mostly as a place for gatherings and social functions. It was like a getaway place for the women as they danced and sang together shared their grief and could be themselves for that short period of time. 

The architecture of step wells includes steep steps that extend down to the water table which provides water for drinking, washing, bathing, and farming. The construction of most step-wells had an inspiration or story behind it. The step wells are much more complicated and represent stunning examples of both the Hindu and Islamic architecture.

There were thousands of step wells present in India but modernization and a general lack of apathy towards these traditional structures have led most of them to ruins. Most of them are now nothing but a filthy place of garbage with the structure demolished on its own with no one to care for it. The surviving step-wells can be found in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. 

Situated on the outskirts of the city this Vav is located in Sevasi which falls on the way to sindhrot and is close to New Alkapuri. It is a 500-year-old vav that is said to be built in memory of the legendary spiritual leader, Shri Vidyadhar, in 1543 CE. 

About this vav, it is said that young girls decked in gold were sacrificed on full moon nights for prosperity. The Vav is built with a combination of brickwork and a system of stone columns that goes seven levels below the ground. This vav just like any other is situated in the east-west direction. There are few carvings of animals like elephants and tigers, still very much visible there. The structure starts through a gate-like structure with a dome in the centre. This gate is decorated with patterns of elephants and tigers in relief work on the right and left sides respectively. 

Because of lack of security, the vav got trespassed by a person who damaged the frescoes by painting them orange in order to make a living out of it. Despite the complaints being made no one is looking into the matter and therefore the vav is no more the same as it used to be even 3,4 years back. 

Sevasi Vav is becoming extremely popular for photography enthusiasts because the ruins do look beautiful. No wonder why a lot of pre-wedding photoshoots and fashion photo shoots have started taking place here.