Madhav Vav, Wadhwan

Madhav Vav is a stepwell on the western side of the old town of Wadhwan in Surendranagar district, Gujarat. A Sanskrit inscription records that Madhav and Keshav, Nagar Brahmin brothers who served as ministers to the Vaghela king Karandev II, raised it in honour of their parents in 1294, or Vikram Samvat 1350. It is a state protected monument, though poorly maintained.

The well runs east to west for 55 m, entered by a narrow stair from the west and descending through six flights and six pavilions with ogee-moulded roofs topped by kalasha finials, to a round shaft 5.3 m across. Niches along the walls hold worn images of Bhairava, the Saptamatrikas, the Navagrahas and Vishnu's avatars, and one shows a couple taken to be Madhav and his wife. Legend says the well stayed dry until a prince and his wife walked down into it and drowned, a story kept alive in folk songs and the 1977 film Vanzari Vav.