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HISTORY · CAPITAL · SOLANKISolanki Legacy
Patan was the capital of the Solanki dynasty that ruled Gujarat for centuries — and its crowning glory is Rani ki Vav, the UNESCO-listed stepwell so fine it graces the ₹100 note.
The capital of the Solankis
Patan — historically Anhilwad Patan — was the capital of the Chaulukya, or Solanki, dynasty that ruled Gujarat from the 8th to the 13th centuries. Its greatest surviving masterpiece is Rani ki Vav, an 11th-century stepwell built by Queen Udayamati in memory of her husband. Descending in tiers lined with hundreds of sculptures, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and so celebrated that it features on the ₹100 currency note.
A dynasty of builders
Anhilwad Patan was the Solanki capital, ruling Gujarat from the eighth to the thirteenth centuries.
Rani ki Vav was built in the eleventh century by Queen Udayamati in her husband's memory.
The Sahastralinga tank displayed the same dynasty's water engineering at city scale.
Rani ki Vav is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Patan's emblem.
Why come
Rani ki Vav
The queen's stepwell descends seven storeys, carved from top to bottom.
UNESCO site
UNESCO inscribed it in 2014 as the apogee of the stepwell form.
Carved tiers
More than five hundred major sculptures line its walls, most of Vishnu's forms.
On the note
The vav appears on India's hundred-rupee note — the country's own tribute.
Sahastralinga
Sahastralinga Talav, the thousand-linga tank, survives as evocative ruin.
Solanki past
All of it belongs to the old capital — a city that once led western India.
What to see
THE STEPWELLRani ki Vav
The queen's stepwell, UNESCO-listed and carved through.
THE TANKSahastralinga
The ruined great tank of the Solanki capital.
How to experience it
Descend the vav
Descend Rani ki Vav tier by tier; the carving deepens as you go down.
Study the carving
Study the hundreds of figures — Vishnu's avatars above all.
Spot the ₹100 view
Recognise it from the hundred-rupee note, and see why it was chosen.
See the talav
Walk out to Sahastralinga Talav, the capital's ruined great tank.
Walk old Patan
Read Patan as the Solanki capital — the wealth explains the monuments.
Learn the story
Take the vav as it was meant: a queen's memorial to a king.
Water architecture of a golden age
The Solankis presided over a golden age of Gujarati architecture, and Patan’s monuments show their mastery of water. Rani ki Vav is an inverted temple in stone, its stepped corridor descending seven storeys past panels of gods and celestial maidens. Nearby, the ruined Sahastralinga Talav was a vast man-made tank fed by a canal, engineered to hold and sanctify water — twin expressions of an age that prized both beauty and utility.
It sits within Patan district — browse more places to visit in Patan.
Timing
October to February is the best season, and early morning the best hour for the carvings.
March is warm but clear; the descent stays cool inside the vav.
The monsoon greens the surrounds and the site stays open.
⏰ Rani ki Vav is open year-round; visit in the cooler months and go early to enjoy the carvings in soft light.
Getting there
By Air
Ahmedabad (~130 km).
By Rail
Patan / Mehsana.
By Road
Patan town.
More in Patan
LIVING CRAFT
Patan Patola
Double-ikat silk so intricate, one sari can take months. Explore →
PILGRIM
Kartik Fairs
On the full moon of Kartik, the Patan region fills with pilgrim fairs — days of ritual bathing, temple visits and country-fair life under the November moon. Explore →
CRAFT
Mashru Weaving
Mashru is Patan’s glossy striped cloth — a silk-faced, cotton-backed handloom fabric, once a clever answer to custom and now a craft being revived. Explore →
What to eat
THALIGujarati Thali
A hearty spread.
SWEETPuran Poli
A festive treat.
FARSANFarsan
Savoury snacks.
CHAASChaas
Spiced buttermilk.
Solanki Legacy FAQ
What is the Solanki legacy of Patan?
Patan was the capital of the Solanki (Chaulukya) dynasty that ruled Gujarat from the eighth to the thirteenth centuries — the age that built its great monuments.
What is Rani ki Vav?
An eleventh-century stepwell built by Queen Udayamati in memory of King Bhima I — seven carved storeys descending to the water, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Why is it on the ₹100 note?
Its exceptional sculpture and heritage standing earned it a place on India's hundred-rupee currency note.
What is Sahastralinga Talav?
A ruined medieval water tank at Patan — the 'tank of a thousand lingas' — once a masterpiece of Solanki water engineering serving the whole capital.
Who built Patan?
The Chaulukya, or Solanki, kings — whose capital Anhilwad Patan was among the great cities of its age, and whose patronage also built Modhera.
When should I visit?
In the cooler months, October to February, and early in the day, when soft light reaches the carvings in the upper tiers.
Across Gujarat
HERITAGEMS University
India’s famed Faculty of Fine Arts campus
Randarda Lakeside
Peaceful shrines by the bird lake
BEACH & PALACEMandvi Beach
Golden sands beside the royal Vijay Vilas Palace
MUSEUMWatson Museum
Saurashtra’s history, sculpture & relics
FORESTKhambha
A forest-edge town near eastern Gir
Swaminarayan Mandir
A graceful sampraday shrine in town
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Published 24 June 2026 · Updated 3 July 2026