Underground Shrine Queens Stepwell Patan

Author(s): Jaikishandas Sadani
Publisher: B J Institute of Learning & Research

Page 62

The Eternal Woman of Grace and Beauty
51
Narrative lores from the Indian classical folk lores, Purānas and Sahitya literature, are engraved in horizontal rows in between the place above and below the panels, depicting the bigger size images of gods, goddesses and others.
The narratives from Rāmāyaṇa, depict life of Rāma, the battle of Lankā between Rāma and Rāvana, the battle scenes of monkeys fighting for Rāma, the duel between monkeys and Rāvaņa's soldiers etc.
The several popular stories of Mahābhārata are well engraved in the horizontal rows of the step-well. Besides these, there are rows of elephants in various playful poses, camels, deer, swans and birds, leaves and lotus flowers. These arvings animate the hard stone walls of the well and create and exquisite harmony of gods and goddesses, men and women, birds and animals, goblins and kinnars, flowers and fruits, forests and groves. All these enliven the beauty of the step-well. The rows of narratives look like embroidery of lovely tender designs engraved on the hard stone walls of the step-well.
Vanasthali or Forest of Pillars decorates the seven storeys of the Queen's step-well. There are 212 pillars, four pavilions and branching structure. They are so dense that at the first sight they appear as a dense forest or woodland of pillars. It is an experience to behold these pillars so well carved in most beautiful patterns. The rhythmic floral designs are engraved with such innovative skill that one is astounded to behold such lyrical expression of artistic sensibility. Apart from arboreal designs they embody popular episodes of monkey and the crocodile, where the monkey gets rid of the crocodile by telling it that he had left his heart on the tree, or the story of the Elephant and the alligator which is taken from the Bhagavata, known as the episode of Gajendra Moksa. We have the scene of Sakuntalā's son Bharata counting the teeth of a lion. Besides these there are engravings of quarrelling monkeys, pair of birds in cajoling love, the pair of dancers, the playful kinnars or fairies the hybrid vyālas, a united form of a lion and an elephant, lion faces, goblins with rounded eyes and decorated caryatids. The whole planning of these pillars is simply fascinating and brings to the fore the great insight, imagination and skill with which these creations of artistry adorn the Queen's step-well.