adi kadi vav
The stepwell is located in the Uparkot fort of Junagadh, and it served as a water source for those who lived inside the fort’s stone walls. The Adi Kadi Vav is descended by an extensive flight of steps (162 to be precise) leading to the shaft of this enormous well. It’s 41 m deep, 81 m long and 4.75 m wide, and the entire structure was cut out of solid rock. The step well has no external elements whatsoever. You won’t find here any kutas (pavilion towers), niches or bracing beams, which are so typical for the ornate stepwells of Gujarat, but the rock strata along the walkway look fantastic. There were hardly anyvisitors, so I had the stepwell more or less entirely to myself.