Things to do in Patan
Patan is a small city located in the north Gujarat region. The city is also the district headquarters. Patan is an ancient fortified town which has many remnants of ancient and medieval India. When you are planning to visit Patan, you will get different types of activities to perform which include sightseeing, shopping, eating out and others.
Sightseeing in Patan
Patan does not have many too many places have sightseeing but the few ones that this city has are very beautiful and worth visiting them. Rani Ki Vav is a step well and is one of the wonderful sightseeing places that depict craftsmanship and sculpting skills of artists during Solanki Rule. This step well was built by Rani Udayamati in 11th Century AD. The side walls of this step well are beautifully carved. The pillars, steps and the beams of this step well are also intricately designed and carved. The carvings show ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu including the Buddha incarnation. The images of Lord Vishnu’s incarnations are seen along with Brahmins, sages and apsaras. The most wonderful image of Lord Vishnu present in the step well is the one which is shows Lord Vishnu lying on his serpent “Sheshanaga” which has thousand hoods.
Another interesting place for sightseeing is the Sahasralinga Talav or pond which visitors must not miss out. This artificial tank was built during the rule of Siddhraj Jaisingh, a ruler of Chalukya Dynasty who ruled during 1093-1143 AD. This pond is located on the shores of River Saraswati and showcase wonderful architectural marvel. There are 1000 shrines of Lord Shiva here so the tank has been named as Sahasralinga Talav though only a few lingas are found here nowadays.
Shopping in Patan
While in Patan, one could never forget the most interesting activity, buying Patola sarees, the specialty of Patan. Patan is famous for its Patola silk sarees. These sarees showcase the most innovative and artistic skills of the weavers. Patola is also known as double Ikkat sarees. The patola sarees are made with silk fabrics and vegetable dyes are used for coloring them.
Apart from this specialty from Patan, you will also get opportunity to buy varieties of jewelry items in Patan jewelry shops. Ranging from traditional jewelry pieces to the most chic ones, you will get them all here. Costume jewelries of traditional Gujarati style are also found in local shops of Patan. Patan has got many shopping malls like Triupati Malls, City Point, and many family stores where you will enjoy doing shopping. Read More..........