Location:: Adalaj village- 18 kms to the north of Ahmedabad .

Built by- Queen Ruda, wife of Virasimha,the Vagehla chief.

Time of construction- 1498
Building type: intricately carved, five level octagonal step-well complex
Shape of the well:Oblong

Architectural features:

Laid out in the south-north direction,with entry from

south
 the well in the north and the entrance in the south, has a total
length of 75.3 metres.
 It is about 30 m deep.
 Famous over 120 other step wells in Gujarath and four in
Ahmedabad.
 Having three entrance stairs leading to spatial landing.
 These three entrances meet in the first storey,
underground, in a huge square platform.
 The platform has an octagonal opening on the top, supported
on eight pillars.

The Structure:

The stepped corridor begins from this square platform.

The octagonal shaft is five storeyed
Its four upper storeys are entered through spiral staircases on eastern
and western sides.
The corridor is entirely surrounded by a one-metre high parapet wall
with a rounded topping.
It descends with four pavilion towers for five storeys.
The walls of the 'Vav' are veritable showcases of sculptures and
ornamentation.
The sculptures range from a king sitting on a stool under a parasol and
from ladies churning buttermilk to dancing girls.
An extraordinary form of underground water conservation
system.
It has 101 steps, 270 pillars, 65 enclosures with statues and
mythological depictions.
There are two wells one for drinking water and otherfor washing
purposes.

Materials: sandstone procured from Rajasthan for building the wells is

Decoration:
elephants, horses, and mythical animals, dancing maidens, musicians,
floral themes, creeper patterns and lotuses.

Ornamentation-

The frames of the doors around the entrances of the spiral staircases
to the octagonal shaft are surrounded by a 'parikrama', which is an
enlarged version of the frames around the niches.
Stringcourses running along the sidewalls embellish all parts of the
structure, sometimes dividing the wall into horizontal sections.
They also appear on the walls of the octagonal shaft, depicting
floral or leaf patterns, or rows of animals.
The corridor railings around the octagonal
shift,pillars,enabulatures,lintels,and architectural members are
profusely decorated.
There are four big balconies where the members of the royal family
could relax and watch the rituals in progress down below.
the steps leading to water, with landings in between, not only creates
convenient stops to rest,
platforms for conversation with friends and neighbours.

http://www.hindu.com/yw/2004/02/07/stories/2004020700560100.ht
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