Question

Who built the famous stepwell “Rani-ki-vav”?
(a) Queen Padmavati
(b) Queen Udaymati
(c) Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar
(d) Rani Durgawati

Answer 1

Hint: A vav is a stepwell. Rani ki vav on the banks of the Saraswati river was built as a memorial to a king in the eleventh century AD. The Stepwells are a distinguishing form of existing water resource and storage systems on the Indian subcontinent and have been constructed.

Complete answer:
Rani ki vav was built by Rani Udayamati as a memorial to her husband, the eleventh-century king Bhima I of the Chalukya or Solanki Dynasty. Who ruled various parts of present-day Gujarat. Special features of the Vav:
(i) The vav is designed to appear like an inverted temple, signifying the sanctity of water.
(ii) It was believed that bathing in the waters of the vav could cure people of many ailments.
(iii)The quality of the vav’s water was apparently due to the herbs found in and around the premises.
(iv) It is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels of very high artistic quality.
Rani ki Vav is declared as the Monument of National Importance and it is protected by ASI (Archaeological Survey of India). Rani ki Vav is considered as one of the finest and largest examples of stepwell architecture in Gujarat and hence has its own importance.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option (b).

Note: In 2014, UNESCO had recognized Gujarat’s Rani ki Vav’ the eleventh-century wonder in Gujarat as a World Heritage site. As per UNESCO, Rani ki Vav displays the “height of craftsmen’s ability in stepwell construction. The latest variant 100 Rs note features Gujarat’s Rani ki Vav along with the Swachh Bharat logo.