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Entry for Moody Monday
Sportive: Archaic. Amorous or wanton
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The step well at Patan, about 130 kilometers north of Ahmedabad, is known as Rani ki Vaav, or `The Queen`s Well`. It consists of a series of steps descending from ground level, in seven tiers, to a natural spring at the bottom.
The historic town of Patan served as the capital of the state of Gujarat for around 600 years, between the 8th and 14th centuries AD, under the Solanki kings. The step well at Patan served as the private bathing pool of Rani Udayamati, the consort of King Bhimadeva, the most illustrious of the Solanki kings.
The walls and pillars, all the way down to the seventh, and lowest, level are adorned with sculptures of gods, godesses and mythological characters from the Hindu pantheon. The coquettish Apsara (or celestial nymph) revelling in her vanity is a recurring motif in a lot of Hindu architecture of that period.
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Nikon F75, 28-110mm
Fuji 400 ISO
2004, Patan, North Gujarat, India
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