Vadodara - The Cultural Capital of Gujarat

Vadodara, a city in Gujarat in India, also known as Baroda, is named for the vad (banyan) trees that flourish in the area. Vadodara City is also known as cultural capital of Gujarat. The city has a cosmopolitan mixture of Indian nationals as well as that of Non Resident Indians with various tourists visiting this city. The major residents of this City happen to be from the native land of Gujarat and speak Gujarati. Being a multicultural mix, the city has people who are generally found to be able to speak Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Sindhi as well as English.

For the people of Vadodara today, it's modern history begins with Sayajirao III. Maharaja Sayaji Rao III, who took the throne in 1875, did much to modernize Baroda, establishing compulsory primary education, a library system and the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. He also encouraged the setting up of textile factories, which helped create Baroda's textile industry. He is well known for offering B. R. Ambedkar a scholarship to study at Columbia University.

Vadodara’s identity can be summed up in its composite culture, catholicity of outlook and general enlightenment. There is a stamp of one person on Vadodara’s identity and that person is Sayajirao III. You cannot speak of any aspect of this city without reference to him. Vadodara’s identity is Sayajirao’s contribution. Under Sayajirao’s rule, Vadodara flourished so much so that it ranked second only to Hyderabad of Nizam among the princly states in the country. He introduced manifold reforms which included arrangement of electricity supply in Vadodara State, mechanization of manufacturing units, co-operative movements, free and compulsory education and introduction of prohibition.

That Vadodara is now on the cultural, educational and economic map of the country is largely owing to Sayajirao III. Whatever heritage this city has is the legacy of this great ruler who moulded the character of his subjects. After an illustrious life spanning over 76 eventful years, this great hero, who was adopted at the age of 12 by the widow of the Maharaja Khanderao, went for his heavenly adobe in 1939.

Vadodara's rich heritage is evident in all its places of tourist interest. Navratri is the biggest festival of Baroda. People worship the nine avatars of Goddess Durga, the manifestation of Shakti. The festival includes typical dances, known as Garbas and Dandiya Raas, performed by men and women wearing traditional, colorful dresses. The Navratri festival normally falls in the month of October every year. The United Way of Baroda organizes the largest Garba dance event in the world every year during Navratri, where more than one lakh people manage to synchronise, step by step, twirl by twirl.

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSU), formerly Baroda College is a public university offering undergraduate, post-graduate, and doctoral programs. It houses 89 departments spread over 6 campuses covering 275 acres of land. It has one of the oldest Physics departments in India. The Faculty of Arts building is known for its Gumbaz (The Dome) which has been modelled on the ‘Gol Gumbaz’ of Bijapur, and has often been rated as the finest dome for Educational Institutions in India.

A statue of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the architect of modern Vadodara

Sayaji Baug (garden) is the biggest garden in Western India with the area surrounding more than 100 acres. It has one of the biggest floral clock in the World and in India. It also houses the Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery.

Sayaji Baug also hosts a unique Health Museum, noted for health exhibits, models of human anotomy, maps and charts on the subjects of health and sanitation. It is run by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation.

The Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery was built in 1894 to resemble the Victoria & Albert Museum of London. The building was designed by Major Mant and R.F. Chisholm. It preserves a rich collection of art, sculpture, ethnography & ethnology. 

Various exhibits inside the Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery 

Various exhibits inside the Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery 

Various exhibits inside the Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery 

Various exhibits inside the Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery 

Various exhibits inside the Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery 

Various exhibits inside the Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery 

The picture gallery offers a collection of originals by famous British painters J. M. W. Turner and John Constable and many others. An Egyptian mummy and skeleton of a baby blue whale are major attractions for those who visit the museum.

Lakshmi Vilas Palace is styled on the Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture, built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1890 at a cost of £180,000.

Lakshmi Vilas Palace is reputed to be the largest private dwelling built till date and four times the size of Buckingham Palace. At the time of construction, it boasted the most modern amenities such as elevators and the interior is reminiscent of a large European country house. It remains the residence of the royal family, who continue to be held in high esteem by the residents of Baroda.

Lakshmi Vilas Palace is spread over 500 acres and houses a number of buildings, particularly the LVP Banquets & Conventions, Moti Bagh Palace and the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum building.

Several Bollywood movies have been shot in and around the Laxmi Vilas Palace

Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum, a museum housed within the Maharaja's palace (the Lakshmi Vilas Palace), contains works of art collected by Maharaja Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad III during his numerous trips out of India. The major works of art in this museum are the paintings by European and Indian artists including a collection of the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, who was specially commissioned by the then Maharaja of Baroda. The collection includes portraits of the Royal family in addition to the paintings based on Hindu mythology for which Raja Ravi Varma was famous.

Kirti Stambh (pillar) is one of the most popular landmarks in Vadodara. It is made out of pink Songadh stone and stands tall. The landmark was built to mark 60 years of rule of Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1935. It marks his renunciation of the world. Perched atop the landmark is a lion that is facing eastwards and has his back to the Laxmi Vilas Palace gate. Travelling towards east is considered to be a way of attaining salvation in Hindu philosophy. The lion’s back is towards the palace and it illustrates the king’s departure from his kingdom and luxurious life. The lion also appears fatigued. All the buildings and structures made by Sayajirao in the erstwhile Baroda state carried some meaning and had a philosophical touch.

A beautiful peacock in the Laxmi Vilas Palace premises