CityDekho
Patan

Patan

heritage site · Gujarat

Patan is an ancient fortified town that stood as the capital of Gujarat's medieval Solanki kings.

State
Gujarat
Type
Heritage Site
Best season
Winter
Things to do
1+

Patan is an ancient fortified town that stood as the capital of Gujarat's medieval Solanki kings. It is known for hosting one of the world's finest examples of subterranean architecture.

When to go

October to March is ideal, bringing clear blue skies and mild weather suited for examining outdoor monument reliefs without intense heat.

Why visit

To view the intricate stone reliefs of the Rani ki Vav stepwell and interact with the last surviving artisan families weaving premium double-ikat Patola silk sarees.

Cultural notes

The town takes great pride in preserving the mathematical art of Patola weaving, where intricate geometric silk patterns are painstakingly matched down to each individual thread.

How to reach

By Train: Patan features its own regional railway terminal line. By Air: Ahmedabad International Airport is about 125 km away. By Road: Regular state-run GSRTC buses run directly from Ahmedabad or Mehsana.

Patan guide & itineraries

Shopping

The ultimate collector's item here is an authentic Patan Patola silk saree. You can also pick up beautiful local handmade clay toys and traditional pottery souvenirs.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Rani ki Vav uniquely shaped?
Rani ki Vav was designed as an inverted, subterranean stepwell temple to preserve water and provide cool gathering spaces, showcasing detailed religious carvings across seven tiers.

Reviews & ratings

What travellers say about Patan

CityDekho traveller reviews

★★★★★★★★★★

No CityDekho reviews yet

Be the first traveller to review this place.

Sign in to write a review

Community

Ask questions and share tips about Patan

Sign in to ask a question or share a tip about Patan.

Loading…

Been to Patan?

Write what you would tell a friend — where you stayed, what you would skip, the thing you wish somebody had mentioned before you went. We read every submission before it goes up.

Share your story

More heritage & forts

More places you'll love

Karnataka

Daria Daulat Bagh (Srirangapatna)

Daria Daulat Bagh is the elegant summer palace of Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, set in a garden on the river-island of Srirangapatna near Mysuru. Built largely of teak in 1784 in the Indo-Saracenic style, its walls and ceilings are covered in vivid frescoes, floral motifs and murals, including a famous depiction of Tipu's forces at the Battle of Pollilur.

Assam

Sivasagar

Sivasagar, once the capital of the mighty Ahom kingdom that ruled Assam for six centuries, is a town rich in monuments around its great tank. Its highlights include the Rang Ghar, often called Asia's oldest surviving amphitheatre, the Talatal and Kareng Ghar palaces, and the towering Sivadol temple.

Tripura

Unakoti

Unakoti, in the forested hills of northern Tripura, is an ancient Shaiva pilgrimage and archaeological site famous for its colossal rock-cut carvings and stone images dating back over a thousand years. Legend says there are one less than a crore of images here, giving the site its name, set amid waterfalls and greenery.

Tripura

Neermahal

Neermahal is a striking water palace rising from the middle of Rudrasagar Lake near Melaghar in Tripura, built by the Manikya king in the 1930s as a royal summer retreat. Blending Hindu and Mughal architectural styles, its white-and-red pavilions are reached by boat and beautifully reflected in the lake.

Delhi

Lotus Temple (Delhi)

The Lotus Temple is a Baha'i House of Worship and one of Delhi's most photographed modern landmarks, shaped like a half-open lotus with 27 marble-clad petals set among nine pools and landscaped gardens. Completed in 1986 and open to people of all faiths, it is kept silent, and that is the point of going.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Cellular Jail (Port Blair)

The Cellular Jail in Port Blair, known as Kala Pani, is a colonial-era prison built by the British between 1896 and 1906 to hold Indian freedom fighters in solitary confinement. Its original seven wings radiated from a central tower like spokes; today the surviving structure is a national memorial to the independence movement.

Delhi

India Gate (Delhi)

India Gate is a 42-metre war memorial arch on the ceremonial Kartavya Path, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and completed in 1931. It honours around 74,000 Indian soldiers who died in the First World War and the Third Anglo-Afghan War, their names inscribed on its sandstone walls.

Karnataka

Gol Gumbaz (Vijayapura)

Gol Gumbaz in Vijayapura (Bijapur) is the mausoleum of Sultan Mohammed Adil Shah, completed in 1656. Crowned by one of the largest masonry domes in the world, it is famous for its Whispering Gallery, where even a soft sound is carried clearly across the vast circular hall and echoes many times over.

Maharashtra

Daulatabad Fort

Daulatabad Fort (historically Devagiri) stands atop a steep 200-metre conical hill roughly 15-16 km northwest of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Maharashtra. It is a massive fortified hill-city built up over about 1,000 years, enclosed by three concentric fortification walls and two moats, best known for Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq's failed 14th-century attempt to shift the Delhi Sultanate's capital here.

Rajasthan

Kumbhalgarh Fort

Kumbhalgarh, a UNESCO-listed Mewar fort in the Aravalli Hills, is famed for its immense perimeter wall, which stretches roughly 36 km and is often called the second-longest continuous wall in the world after the Great Wall of China. Built mainly in the 15th century by Rana Kumbha, it was the birthplace of Maharana Pratap and a refuge of the Mewar rulers.

Maharashtra

Bibi Ka Maqbara (Aurangabad)

Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) is a grand Mughal mausoleum built in the 1660s to 1670s for Dilras Banu Begum, the wife of Emperor Aurangzeb. Closely modelled on the Taj Mahal, its marble and stucco dome earned it the nickname the Taj of the Deccan.

Delhi

Safdarjung's Tomb (Delhi)

Safdarjung's Tomb is a garden-tomb built around 1754 for Safdarjung, the powerful Nawab of Awadh and a prime minister of the Mughal empire. Set in a formal charbagh garden, its red-and-buff sandstone dome and symmetrical layout make it one of the last great monuments of the Mughal era.

Trending in Gujarat

Somnath

Somnath

Somnath is an ancient coastal spiritual town known for the legendary Somnath Temple, revered as the very first among the twelve sacred Jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva. Rebuilt meticulously several times across history following various destruction eras, the shore temple stands as an eternal beacon of resilience directly over the crashing waves of the Arabian Sea.

Dwarka

Dwarka

Dwarka is an ancient holy city resting on the westernmost tip of the Saurashtra peninsula. Revered as the legendary ocean kingdom of Lord Krishna, it forms a core part of the highly sacred Chardham pilgrimage circuit. It draws millions of continuous domestic and international travelers year-round to experience its historic temples and newly developed infrastructure marvels.

Gir National Park

Gir National Park

Gir is the last refuge of the Asiatic lion, the only place on earth outside Africa where wild lions roam. This dry deciduous forest in Saurashtra also shelters leopards, antelope and over 300 bird species across its safari routes.

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad's old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the way to see it is a walk that starts at seven in the morning. The heritage walk from Swaminarayan temple to Jama Masjid takes a couple of hours and goes through the pols — dense residential quarters, each historically one community, with shared courtyards, carved wooden facades and bird feeders on tall poles. Doing this without a guide means missing all of it, because the pols look like ordinary lanes from outside. The Sidi Saiyyed mosque's stone jaali — the tree-of-life screen — is the image the city is known for, and it takes five minutes to see. The Adalaj stepwell, half an hour out, takes longer and gives more. Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram is plain and unglamorous by design. Sit in it for a while rather than walking through. Gujarat is a dry state; alcohol is not served. The city eats vegetarian extremely well as a result — the Gujarati thali here is one of India's great meals. November to February. April and May routinely pass forty-two degrees.