History and culture of Vadhvan the city of Gujarat in Surendranagar district

Actually the city of the Surendranagar took shape later on. The original city is Vadhvan on the other side of the river Bhogavo. The ancient name of Vadhvan is Vardhmanpur. The new city is adjacent to the fort of old town.
The roads inside the fort are very narrow. Very few step wells in Gujarat are in usable condition and one of them is Madhavav of Vadhvan. People still use the water of the step well. There is a legend associated with the step well and poets have narrated the story in their poems.
The step well was dug for twelve years. Yet there was no water to be seen. An eminent astrologer was summoned. he gave verdict that the deity demanded the sacrifice of a young couple. the sheriff of the village offered his own son and his wife to the deity for good of the people. On receiving of the sacrifice the deity was pleased and thus plenty of water rushed into the step well miraculously. The story may look to be something related to blind faith and superstitions. But there is also an element of the public service and dedication.
The river side of the fort reminds us of many episodes of bravery and sacrifice. The old Samadhis , umbrellas and stones symbolising the martyrs have pages of history behind them. At the end there is a small temple of the sati Ranakdevi. The history and folklores together speaks a lot about Ranakdevi.