Matri Vav, Kankavati

Matri Vav, at Kankavati in Dhrangadhra taluka, Surendranagar district, is a stepwell under state protection. Its plain layout makes it hard to date, but it is thought to be from the early 17th century and is said to have been built by Rana Bimsinhji. Its name comes from the mother goddess Matri, an image of whom is said to lie in the lower storeys.

Unusually, the red sandstone well was built on the bed of an artificial lake, so that when drought dried the lake it could still draw water from below; much of the time it stays submerged, with only about a foot of stone embankment showing. It runs east to west, entered beneath a tin roof, through five pavilion-towers and four braced intermediate frames. Narrow ledges along the walls meet in a ring around the circular well, whose shaft is richly decorated. Niches hold Ganesha, Vishnu and a trident, the first tower serves as a temple, and it holds shrines to Koteshwar and Matreshwar Mahadev.