engineering

Madhavav

Madhavav is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Madhavav rather than just read about it. In short: Madhavav or Madhav Vav is a stepwell located in Wadhwan town of Surendranagar district, Gujarat, India. It is located in the western side of old town.

Key takeaways

Madhavav belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Madhavav to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Madhavav from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Madhavav or Madhav Vav is a stepwell located in Wadhwan town of Surendranagar district, Gujarat, India. It is located in the western side of old town.

History

There are two inscriptions in the stepwell. The Sanskrit inscription states that it was built by Madhav and Keshav, the Nagar Brahmin minister brothers in the court of Karandev II of Vaghela dynasty in 1294 (Vikram Samvat 1350) in honour of his parents. The second inscription, which is much eroded, tells about Lashamidevi (Lakshamidevi), daughter of Nagar Brahmin minister Sodhal; and Sindhu, son of Soma who were probably the parents of Madhav. The stepwell is now state protected monument but is not maintained well.

Legends According to legend, the stepwell was dry for twelve years after its construction. The royal astrologer predicted the need of sacrifice by an ideal couple for water in the stepwell. The prince and her wife agreed for welfare of people even though they had an infant. They descended the stepwell in bridal clothes. As they reached the seventh step, the stepwell filled with water and they drowned. They sacrifice ensured water in the stepwell. The legend is popular folklore and is celebrated in folk-songs. It is also believed locally that a ghost haunts the stepwell and demands death of a person by drowning every three years.

Architecture The stepwell is constructed in east-west direction; the entrance is in the west while the well is in the east. It is 55 metres long and the stepped corridor are 49.80 metres long. It is entered by small narrow staircase. It has six kuta (pavilion towers) and six flights of steps to descend. The breadth decrease at each pavilion; 6 metres at the flight of steps to 3.6 metres at the pavilion. Each pavilion formed by four pilasters is 2.7 metres long. Due to height of 4.80 metre between two pavilion, the thick wall is necessary. There are slightly convex roofs on each kuta in ogee moulding formed by nine horizontal tiers. The roofs are crowned by small finials in form of kalasha. The well is 5.3 metres in diameter. At the top of the round well-shaft, there are six double-bent struts in the last storey; four in back wall covered with stone lintel for drawing up water, in leathern bags for irrigation purposes. There are stone screens on each side of first kuta forming its walls. Each screen has 16 squares, four in each of four rows. The pattern of these screens are identical to Vimal Vasahi temple of Dilwara Temples on Mount Abu and Queens' Mosque, Sarangpur, Ahmedabad. The door-frame has small sculptures of seated gods in compartments of vertical parts of frame and scenes of daily life in horizontal lintel. In the walls, upon either side, at intervals in the descend, are sculptured niches holding groups of images which are very much mutilated. It includes sculptures of Bhairava, Saptamatrika, Navagraha, Dashavatara and other gods and goddesses which are difficult to recognise due to its condition. There is sculptures of couple in one niche which is recognised as that of Madhav and his wife. There is a short inscription under it. It also has some erotic sculptures.

In popular culture The legend was depicted in Gujarati film Vanzari Vav (1977). Dehuna Daan Arthat Madhavav, a play was created based on the legend. The folk-song of Madhavav is collected in Radhiyali Ratna Raas by Jhaverchand Meghani. Lalit Trivedi published a poem on the legend in his poetry collection, Andar Bahar Ekakar.

References

External links Read and listen two versions of folk-song on Madhavav on Tahuko

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Madhavav

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Madhavav claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Madhavav before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Madhavav ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Madhavav

In research: Madhavav appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Madhavav in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Madhavav is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Buildings and structures completed in 1294, Monuments and memorials in Gujarat, Stepwells in Gujarat, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Madhavav outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Madhavav” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Madhavav in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Madhavav means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Madhavav out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Madhavav in simple terms?

Madhavav or Madhav Vav is a stepwell located in Wadhwan town of Surendranagar district, Gujarat, India. It is located in the western side of old town.

Why does Madhavav matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Madhavav?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Madhavav.