Vadodara
Encyclopedia
Vadodara formerly known as Baroda is the third most populated city in the Indian State of Gujarat . It is one of the four cities with the population of over 1 million. Historical and archaeological findings date this place back to the 9th century when it was a small town called Ankottaka (present Akota) located on the right bank of the river Vishvamitri (whose name is derived from the great saint Rishi Vishwamitra). Ankottaka was a famous centre of Jainism in the 5th and 6th century AD. Some of the Akota bronze images can be seen in the Vadodara Museum . The city was once called Chandanavati after its ruler Raja Chandan of Dor tribe of Rajputs, who wrested it from the Jains. The capital had also another name "Virakshetra" or "Virawati" (a land of warriors). Later on it was known as Vadpatraka or Wadodará, which according to tradition is a corrupt form of the Sanskrit word Vatodar means 'in the heart of the banyan tree'. It is now almost impossible to ascertain when the various changes in the name were made; but early English travellers and merchants mention the town as Brodera, and it is from this that the name Baroda is derived. Again in 1974 the name changed to Vadodara.
Vadodara is the third most-populated city in the Indian state
of Gujarat after Ahmedabad
and Surat
. It is one of four cities in the state with a population of over 1 million, the other being Rajkot. It is also known as the Sayaji Nagari (Sayaji's City after its famous ruler, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
) or Sanskari Nagari (The City of Culture, a reference to its status as the Cultural Capital of Gujarat). Vadodara or Baroda, formerly the capital city of the Gaekwar State
, is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri, a river whose name derived from the great saint Rishi
Vishwamitra. It is located southeast of Ahmedabad
, 139 km from state capital, Gandhinagar. It is the administrative headquarters of Vadodara District
. Both the railway line and national highway connecting Delhi and Mumbai, passes through Vadodara.
Vadodara is home to almost 1.6 million people (as of 2005), the beautiful Lakshmi Vilas Palace and the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
(M.S.U.) which is the largest university in Gujarat. Its famous for the Science
, Fine Arts, Performing Arts
, Technology
, Management
, Psychology
, Social Work
, Law
and Medicine
streams. It has a high literacy rate by Indian standards of 78% (2001). Major industries include petrochemical
s, engineering
, pharmaceuticals, plastic
s and Forex. Famous companies such as ABB, Reliance Industries
, Larsen and Toubro, DuPont
, Bombardier
, ERDA
, General Motors
Chevrolet
, IPCL
, ONGC
, Sun Pharmaceuticals
, GSFC, Alembic
, Apollo Tyres
, Suzlon, CG Glass and JCT Electronics all have a strong presence in this city, also it has presence of IT multi-national companies.
kings ruling till the year 1297. The Gupta Empire
was the first power in the region in the early years of the Christian Era. After fierce battles, the region was taken over by the Chalukya Dynasty
. Finally, the kingdom was annexed by the Solanki
Rajput
s. By this time the Muslim
rule had spread across India, and the reins of power were then snatched by the Delhi Sultans
. The city was ruled for a long time by these Sultans, until they were easily overthrown by the Mughal emperors
. The Mughals biggest problem were the mighty Maratha
s who slowly but eventually took over the region. It became the capital of the Maratha Gaekwad
s. Sayaji Rao III (1875–1939), a most able ruler, made many public and bureaucratic improvements in the region. Although the British had a major influence on the region, Baroda remained a princely state
until Independence. Like many other princely states, Baroda also joined the Dominion of India
in 1947.
The eighteenth largest and one of the cosmopolitan cities of India, Vadodara alias Baroda is located on the banks of Vishwamitri River. This garden city is the industrial capital and the third most populated town of Gujarat and also the administrative headquarters of Vadodara District. Due to its rich cultural traditions, the district is referred to as Sanskari Nagari. With many museums and art galleries, this upcoming hub of industries and IT is a favorite spot of tourists. Vadodara was once called Chandravati, after its ruler Raja Chandan, then Virakshetra or Viravati, the abode of the brave and then Vadpatra because of the abundance of banyan trees on the banks of the narmada . From Vadpatra it derived its present name.
) on the western bank of the river narmada . The earliest mention of Vadodara is in a Granth or charter of 812 that identifies it as "Vadapadraka", a village attached to the nearby town of "Ankottaka". In 600 AD severe floods in the narmada forced the inhabitants to move to the eastern side of the river to a village known as "Vatpatrak" (Leaf of Banyan
tree) which developed into Vadodara. In the 10th century, Vadapadraka replaced Ankottaka as the main town.
The city was once called "Chandanavati" after its ruler "Raja Chandan" of the "Dor tribe of Rajput
s, who wrested it from the Jains. The capital had also another name Virakshetra or Viravati (Land of Warriors). Later on it was known as Vadpatraka or Vadodará, which according to tradition is a corrupt form of the Sanskrit
word Vatodar meaning In the heart of the Banyan tree. It is now almost impossible to ascertain when the various changes in the name were made; but early English travellers and merchants mention the town as Brodera, and it is from this that the name Baroda is derived. In 1974, the official name of the city was changed to Vadodara.
In 1907, a small village
and township
in Michigan
, United States, was named after Baroda.
It is also rumoured that the name Baroda originated from two words Vat which means the Banyan
tree and Aodh, which means a tent/canopy. According to a popular legend, the region in and around present day Baroda was full of Banyan trees that formed a dense cover that looked like a huge tent canopy from a distance. Thus the name Baroda stuck.
. This river must have formed the flood plain during that age. The movements of these hunter-gatherers, living on the banks of the river, grumbling the roots and killing animals with crude stone tools made out of the cobbles and pebbles available on the river bank, were necessarily controlled by the availability of convenient raw materials for their tools. There are evidences of the existence of early man in the Mahi river valley at a number of sites within 10 to 20 km to the north-east of Vadodara. No evidences however of the existence of this man are found in and around present Vadodara. This may be because of the absence of gravels and cobbles on the banks of the Vishwamitri rivulet.
The next phase of the pre-historic Vadodara witnessed the first human settlement on the right bank of the river Vishwamitri on a group of dunes resting on the alluvium of the river. It also means that men knew about where to set up settlements, as they had selected an elevated land. The Vishwamitri must have been prone to seasonal floods even then. These people still belonged to the stone age, crafting their tools with finely grained stones. From their material culture and physical environment, they seem to have belonged to the same culture as those whose implements were found in the Mahi river valley. This human settlement has been dated to 1000 B.C.
Around the beginning of the Christian Era, a small township developed at the same spot as the above mentioned settlement on the right bank of the river. It came to be known as Ankotakka (present day Akota), the mound on which this settlement was established came to be known as Dhantekri. The entire settlement was developed by clearing grazing land and forests of Ankhol and covered an area of ½ to ¾ km². This is indicative of the presence of thick forests during those times. Due to its location on the ancient trade route between Gujarat and Malwa, this small township flourished in to a commercial centre. There was a supposed commercial relation between this township and Rome
.
The township of Ankotakka developed during the rule of the Gupta
s and the Vallabhi
s. It was subjected to periodical heavy floods. But a severe flood which inundated the renovated public hall, forced the inhabitants to abandon this township and move away from the banks of the Vishwamitri.
The event occurred in 600 A.D. The inhabitants moved to the east of Ankotakka to another elevated portion located on the present Kothi area. This formed the nucleus of a new township.
The City of Vadodara aptly described by a medieval Jain writer as a Tilak on the Brove of Lata was a nodal center of the coastal plain of Gujarat. It was strategically situated at a junction of the main highways linking Gujarat with Rajputana
and the Punjab
in the north, Malwa and the Ganges valley in the north-east, Konkan
in the south and Khandesh
in the south-east. Significantly Vadodara today is a junction on the western railway of the lines leading to Ahmedabad
, Delhi
& Mumbai
. This confirms the historic role of Vadodara in the communication pattern for movements of people and culture. The history of Vadodara city amply bears out its cultural and commercial activities during the last two thousand years. Apart from the traditional stories, knowledge of the history of Vadodara is based mainly on Jain literature and a few old inscriptions pertaining to Vadodara.
Baroda State
was a former Indian State in Western India. Baroda's more recent history began when the Maratha
general Pilaji Gaekwad conquered Songadh
from the Muslim in 1726. Before the Gaekwads captured Baroda, it was ruled by the Babi
Nawab
s, who were the officers of the Mughal rulers. Mughal rule came to an end in 1732, when Pilaji Rao Gaekwad brought the Maratha campaigns in Southern Gujarat to a head and captured it. Except for a short period, Baroda continued to be in the reign of the Gaekwads from 1734 to 1948. Initially detailed to collect revenue on behalf of the Peshwa
in Gujarat, Pilaji Gaekwad remained there to carve out a kingdom for himself. Damajirao, son and successor of Pilaji Gaekwad, defeated the Mughal armies and conquered Baroda in 1734. His successors consolidated their power over large tracts of Gujarat, becoming easily the most powerful rulers in the region. After the Maratha defeat by the Afghans
at the Third Battle of Panipat
in 1761, control of the empire by the Peshwas weakened as it became a loose confederacy
, and the Gaekwad Maharaja
s ruled the kingdom until Indian independence in 1947. In 1802, the British intervened to defend a Maharaja
that had recently inherited the throne from rival claimants, and Vadodara concluded a treaty with the British that recognized the Kingdom as a 'Princely state' and allowed the Maharajas of Baroda internal political sovereignty in return for recognizing British 'Paramountcy', a form of suzerainty where the subject of foreign affairs was completely surrendered.
The golden period in the Maratha rule of Baroda started with the accession of Maharaja Sayajirao III
in 1875. It was an era of great progress and constructive achievements in all fields. Maharaja Sayajirao III
, who ruled from 1875 to 1939, did much to modernise Baroda, establishing compulsory primary education, a library system, a university
, and model textile
and tile factories, which helped to create Baroda's image as a modern industrial hub. Modern Vadodara is a great and fitting memorial to Maharaja Sayajirao. It was the dream of this able administrator to make Baroda an educational, industrial and commercial centre and he ensured that his dream would come true. For this reason, the city is also referred to as Sayaji Nagari (Sayaji's City).
With India's independence in 1947, the last ruling Maharaja of Baroda State acceded to India. Baroda State was merged into to Bombay State
shortly after independence, which was divided into the states of Gujarat and Maharastra in 1960, with Baroda becoming a part of Gujarat.
In recent times, Vadodara was affected by the devastating January 26, 2001 earthquake
that struck Gujarat. The city was spared the devastation suffered by some of the other major cities in Gujarat. However there were some casualties as poorly constructed buildings collapsed in the wake of the earthquake and the after shocks.
& Narmada River
s. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, the town falls under seismic zone-III
, in a scale of I to V (in order of increasing proneness to earthquakes).
Vadodara is divided by the Vishwamitri into two physically distinct eastern and western regions. The eastern bank of the river houses the old city, which includes the old fortified city of Vadodara. This part of Vadodara is characterised by packed bazaars, the clustered and barricaded Pol
system of shanty buildings, and numerous places of worship. It houses the General Post Office and landmark buildings like Laxmi Vilas Palace, Mandvi
area and Nyay Mandir
. The colonial period saw the expansion of the city to the western side of Vishwamitri. This part of the city houses educational institutions like the MS uni, the Vadodara Railway Station
, modern buildings, well-planned residential areas, shopping malls, multiplexes and new business districts centred around harni road, Alkapuri
, Nawayard and more recently, the Old Padra Road and Gotri.
under Koppen's Climate classification
. There are three main seasons: Summer, Monsoon
and Winter. Aside from the monsoon season, the climate is dry. The weather is hot through the months of March to July — the average summer maximum is 36 °C (97 °F), and the average minimum is 23 °C (73 °F). From November to February, the average maximum temperature is 30 °C (85 °F), the average minimum is 15 °C (59 °F), and the climate is extremely dry. Cold northerly winds are responsible for a mild chill in January. The southwest monsoon brings a humid climate from mid-June to mid-September. The average rainfall is 93 cm (36.7 inches), but infrequent heavy torrential rains cause the river to flood. The highest temperature recorded is 47 °C (116 °F) and the lowest is -1 °C (30 °F).
In recent years, Vadodara has suffered from increasing air, water and soil pollution from neighbouring industrial areas. This has also amounted into a constant and uncomfortable increase in average temperatures across all three seasons. Uncontrolled chemical dump from nearby industries has arguably turned the local river Vishwamitri into one big sewer
.
by Sayajirao III
in 1908 also help industrial growth.
In 1962, Vadodara witnessed a sudden spurt in industrial activity with the establishment of Gujarat Refinery
and Indian Oil Corporation Limited at the nearby village of Koyali. Several factors like raw material availability, product demand, skillful mobilisation of human, financial and material resources by the government and private entrepreneurs have contributed to Baroda becoming one of India’s foremost industrial centres.
The discovery of oil and gas in Ankleshwar led to the industrial development of Gujarat in a big way. The Vadodara region is the largest beneficiary in the process of this industrialisation. Gujarat Refinery
went into the first phase of production in 1965. The refinery being a basic industry made vital contributions on several fronts at the regional and national levels.
In Vadodara various large-scale industries such as Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals (GSFC)http://www.gsfclimited.com/, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited
(IPCL, now owned by Reliance Industries Limited) and Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) have come up in the vicinity of Gujarat Refinery
and all of them are dependent on it for their fuel and feedstock. Other large-scale public sector units are Heavy Water Project, Gujarat Industries Power Company Limited (GIPCL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
(ONGC) & Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL
). In addition to these public sector enterprises, a number of other large-scale enterprises have come up in the private sector such as Bombardier Transportation, a Canadian company manufacturing the Delhi Metro from its site in Savli. Baroda also has quite a few established manufacturing units such as; General Motors,ALSTOM, ABB, Philips, Panasonic, FAG, Sterling Biotech, Sun Pharmaceuticals and Areva T&D, Bombardier, and GAGL (Gujarat Automotive Gears Limited). There are also a number of glass manufacturing companies in and around Vadodara, including Haldyn Glass
,HNG Float Glass Ltd., Piramal Glass or Gujarat Glass, etc.
The establishment of large industrial units in a region automatically brings into existence a number of smaller enterprises. Vadodara is no exception and the city and the surrounding areas are today humming with industrial activity. The industrialisation of Vadodara has attracted entrepreneurs not only from Vadodara but also from all over Gujarat and the rest of India.
In line with the 'Knowledge City' vision of the Confederation of Indian Industry
, Vadodara is gradually becoming a hub in Gujarat for IT and other development projects.
Vadodara is also home to the Vadodara Stock Exchange
(VSE).
Vadodara is administered by the Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan(VMSS) . Some of the regions surrounding the city are administered by the Vadodara Urban Development Authority (VUDA)
. The VMC was established in July 1950 under the Bombay Provincial Corporation Act, 1949. For administrative purposes, the city is divided into four zones and 26 wards.
The two main institutions involved in planning and development in Vadodara are the Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan and the Vadodara Urban Development Authority
. The jurisdiction of both these agencies is demarcated clearly not only physically but also functionally. The governing acts for both the institutions differ. The principal responsibility of VUDA is to ensure a holistic development of the Vadodara agglomeration covering an area of 714.56 km². whereas VMC is involved in the development of a limited area of 148 km².
Three corporators
are elected from each ward, who in turn elect a mayor. Executive powers are vested in the municipal commissioner, who is an IAS
officer appointed by the Gujarat state government. The mayor is responsible for the day-to-day running of the city services, municipal school board, the city bus service, the municipal hospital and the city library. The Vadodra City Police are headed by a Police Commissioner
, an IPS
officer.
The City elects 1 member to the Lok Sabha
and 5 to the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha
. All of the 5 assembly seats of Vadodara were won by the BJP
during the legislative elections in 2002. In the 2006 Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan elections, the BJP
won 74 seats, 6 seats went to the Congress.
with Delhi
and Mumbai with Ahmedabad
. Due to this Vadodara is known as a Gateway to the Golden Quadrilateral
.
(IATA: BDQ) is located north-east of the city. Vadodara has air connectivity with Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad,and Nagpur. Vadodara is set to have an International Airport in near future.
. Railway had arrived in Vadodara in January 1861. On November 5, 1951 the BBCI Railway was merged with the Saurashtra, Rajputana
and Jaipur
railways to give rise to the Western Railway. Now, the Vadodara Railway Station
belongs to the Western Railway
zone of Indian Railways
and is a major Junction on the Wstern Railway Main Line. Vadodara junction is Gujarat's Busiesit Junction with almost 150 trains passing everyday. One can travel to almost all the parts of India from Vadodara Junction, where there is a Junction of rails from the directions of Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Kota
(4 sides). It has one of the largest Electric Locomotives Shed in Gujarat and various trains have a loco change over at Vadodara. Trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi and important Mail/Express Trains halt at Vadodara Junction. Vadodara has 5 railway stations namely Vadodara Junction (BRC),Pratapnagar, Vishwamitri, Makarpura & Bajwa.
Vadodara also has a Locomotive Shed homing numerous WAP-4,WAM-4,WAG series of Indian Locos.
and Gandhinagar with Ahmedabad
to Mumbai
, passes through the city. Vadodara is also connected with Ahmedabad through Indian National Expressway 1, a stretch of 97 km Super Highway with exits at Anand, Nadiad, S.P.Ring Road and finally Ahmedabad.
Public transport vehicles within the city include buses, autorickshaws and taxis. Now there are buses owned by VTCOS for an easy public transportation operated by the private bus operators VTPL which now runs over a hundred buses of 33 and 50 seater configurations. It has taken a lot of two wheeler traffic off the road and helped the people in easy safe and cheap transport service. A significant proportion of the population uses their own vehicles – cars, scooters, motorcycles and bicycles.
, Vadodara metropolitan area had a population of 1,492,398. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Vadodara has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 74%. In Vadodara, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. Gujarati
, Marathi
, Hindi
and English are the languages spoken in the city.
Vadodara is also known as ‘Sanskari Nagari’, i.e. Cultured City. It is the most sought after location for Garba in the entire Gujarat. Vadodara is one of India’s most cosmopolitan cities. Thanks to the vision and broadmindedness of the Gaekwad
s, the subsequent industrialisation, the proliferation of academic activities and a strategically important geographical location, Baroda has welcomed a wide variety of people from all over India and also from all over the world. In all of this, the sprawling and cosmopolitan MS University campus and the large number of local, national and foreign industries act as a catalysing and unifying force.
The great museums on the palace grounds such as the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum
and art gallery are unique and carry artifacts from around the nation and the world. There are Gujarati film studios in the city as well as a large number of large old-style movie theatres in addition to the newer multiplexes that have sprung up in the past few years.
Diwali
, Uttarayan, Holi
, Eid
, Gudi Padwa
and Ganesh Chaturthi
are celebrated with great fervour. Classical music and dance have their patrons, and so does the modern stage and pop culture. The culture and the traditions are both alive and being forever experimented with.
Navarātrī or Garba
is the city's largest festival, with song, dance and lights during every October. Many of the residents spend their evenings at their local Garba
grounds where local musicians play traditional music while people dance the Raas and Garba
dances which often goes on past midnight. This is also a time when the youth are more visible outdoors and until later than other times of the year. The people of Vadodara have preserved the original and the traditional part of the Navarātrī. Garba
in baroda attracts a fairly large number of international tourists.
The most followed religion in the city is Hinduism
, practised by 90% of the population. The second most followed religion is Islam
, followed by 6% of the population. All other religious groups make up the remaining 4% of the city's population.
The patronage of education started with Maharaja Sayajirao and the city has built further on the academic infrastructure established by him.
The present educational foundation rests on over 120 public schools and over 100 private schools. Towering over all is the MS University
, the jewel in the Baroda crown, so to speak. It has 13 faculties and 17 residential hostels, 4 of them for women students. The university caters to over 100,000 students. There are various courses on offer, ranging from Medicine to Commerce. The university has been divided into several departments and there are number of courses offered in each of the department. The Fine Arts faculty is famous worldwide for its contribution in arts. The faculty of Performing Arts is also a very reputed institution teaching music, drama, dancing etc.
Apart from many good schools, there are landmark schools which are still epitome of high value Education like Baroda High School. There are many students who are alumni of the school and settled in many developed countries. Many students of the school also pursue courses like Dairy Technology and work in MNC at the doorstep of Baroda( Vadodara ) - ( Pranav Shah, GEA Niro, Vadodara, GEA Niro ). Many engineers having done MBA from MSU, Vadodara grab good opportunities in city itself which has lot to offer.
The recent decision of CII
to develop Vadodara as 'KNOWLEDGE CITY'. has been well received by the Barodians all over the world
is by far the most popular sport in the city, as it is in the rest of the country (except Goa). However, the interest in basketball
, football (soccer)
, field hockey
, volleyball
, table tennis
and tennis
is much greater than the average Indian city.
Not only Vadodara has its own first-class cricket team that competes at the national level, but it also boasts of the oldest cricket ground in Asia, called Moti Baug
(The same ground on which Mohammad Azharuddin
had scored a record fastest century of 62 balls, now broken). Apart, from that there is also a private cricket ground owned by Reliance, which also hosts ODIs. Prominent cricket
ers from Vadodara include Atul Bedade
, Vijay Hazare
, Chandu Borde
, Kiran More
, Nayan Mongia
, Anshuman Gaekwad
(former coach of the Indian cricket team), Jitendra Patel
and more recently, Irfan Pathan
, Yusuf Pathan
,, Pinal Shah
, Jacob Martin
, Ajitesh Argal, and Connor Williams
. The Cricketers like Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel who are part of the Indian cricket team, were started to play on domestic level from Baroda Cricket Association. The Baroda cricket team
has been a consistently good performer at the national domestic Ranji Trophy
championship and has won it 6 times. At schools a huge range of sports tend to be played. Vadodara has a rich tradition in which various schools compete against each other in various inter-school sporting competitions.
Vadodara also has a couple of large-sized swimming pools at Lal Baug and Sardar Baug which have become learning centers of swimming for lots of students from different schools in and around the city.
Vadodara also holds International Marathon every year. It became the first non-metro city of India to have held a Marathon of such a large scale and success.
, though none of them are published locally. There are three local Gujarati
dailies in the city — Sandesh
, Gujarat Samachar
and Divya Bhaskar
. A large number of national and regional magazines, periodicals and journals are regularly published and circulated across the city. The Gujarati
film
and television
industry has a small but significant presence in the city. The city has five local FM
stations: Radio Mirchi
(98.3 MHz
), now Red FM
(93.5 MHz
), Big FM (92.7 MHz
), Radio City
(91.1 MHz
) and All India Radio
, Vividh Bharti (93.9 MHz
). All India Radio is broadcast on the AM
band. Satellite radio
was launched in nearby city of Ahmedabad by WorldSpace
in 2005. Vadodara News Magazine(VNM) is a local news TV channel that covers events in the city. Households receive television through two main cable networks, InCablenet
and Siti Cable
, while DTH
is steadily gaining popularity in Vadodara. A network of optical fibre
cables connects almost the entire city. The city's telephone services are provided by landline and mobile operators like BSNL
, Reliance Infocomm
, Airtel
, Vodafone
, Idep
, Uninor, Videocon and Tata Indicom. Broadband Internet services are provided in most parts of the city by the telecom companies.
Vadodara is the third most-populated city in the Indian state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Gujarat after Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
and Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
. It is one of four cities in the state with a population of over 1 million, the other being Rajkot. It is also known as the Sayaji Nagari (Sayaji's City after its famous ruler, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
165454565Sayajirao Gaekwad III was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is notably remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule....
) or Sanskari Nagari (The City of Culture, a reference to its status as the Cultural Capital of Gujarat). Vadodara or Baroda, formerly the capital city of the Gaekwar State
Gaekwad
The Gaekwad or Gaikwad was a Maratha dynasty that ruled the princely state of Baroda in western India from the mid-18th century until 1947...
, is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri, a river whose name derived from the great saint Rishi
Rishi
Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...
Vishwamitra. It is located southeast of Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, 139 km from state capital, Gandhinagar. It is the administrative headquarters of Vadodara District
Vadodara district
Vadodara District is a district in the eastern part of the state of Gujarat in western India. The city of Vadodara , in the western part of the district, is the administrative headquarters. Vadodara District covers an area of 7,794 km². It had a population of 3,641,802 of which 45.20% were...
. Both the railway line and national highway connecting Delhi and Mumbai, passes through Vadodara.
Vadodara is home to almost 1.6 million people (as of 2005), the beautiful Lakshmi Vilas Palace and the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, commonly referred as M. S. University , is a university in the city of Vadodara, in Gujarat state, India...
(M.S.U.) which is the largest university in Gujarat. Its famous for the Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, Fine Arts, Performing Arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
, Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, Management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
, Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, Social Work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
, Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
streams. It has a high literacy rate by Indian standards of 78% (2001). Major industries include petrochemical
Petrochemical
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....
s, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, pharmaceuticals, plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
s and Forex. Famous companies such as ABB, Reliance Industries
Reliance Industries
Reliance Industries Limited is an Indian conglomerate company headquartered at Mumbai, India. The company operates through three business segments: petrochemicals, refining, and oil and gas, other segment of the company includes textile, retail business, special economic zone development and...
, Larsen and Toubro, DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
, Bombardier
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....
, ERDA
Energy Research and Development Administration
The United States Energy Research and Development Administration was a United States government organization formed from the split of the Atomic Energy Commission in 1975...
, General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
, IPCL
Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited
Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited is a petrochemicals company in India. It was established on March 22, 1969, with a view to promote and encourage the use of plastics in India. Its business consists of polymers, synthetic fibre, fibre intermediaries, solvents, surfactants, industrial...
, ONGC
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited is an Indian state-owned oil and gas company headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is one of the largest Asia-based oil and gas exploration and production companies, and produces around 77% of India's total crude oil production and around 81% of...
, Sun Pharmaceuticals
Sun Pharmaceuticals
Sun Pharmaceutical is an international pharmaceutical company based in Mumbai, India. It should not be confused with Sun Pharmaceuticals Corp, which is a manufacturer of sun care products, owned by the Playtex branch of Energizer Holdings.Sun Pharmaceutical, often known just as Sun Pharma, makes...
, GSFC, Alembic
Alembic
An alembic is an alchemical still consisting of two vessels connected by a tube...
, Apollo Tyres
Apollo Tyres
Apollo Tyres Ltd is the world's 15th biggest tyre manufacturer, with annual revenues of Rs 88.6 billion in 2010. It was founded in 1976. Its first plant was commissioned in Perambra, Kerala. In 2006 the company acquired Dunlop Tyres International of South Africa...
, Suzlon, CG Glass and JCT Electronics all have a strong presence in this city, also it has presence of IT multi-national companies.
History
The first noted history of the city was of the early trader settlers who settled in the region in 812 AD. The province was mainly Hindu-dominated with HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
kings ruling till the year 1297. The Gupta Empire
Gupta Empire
The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed approximately from 320 to 550 CE and covered much of the Indian Subcontinent. Founded by Maharaja Sri-Gupta, the dynasty was the model of a classical civilization. The peace and prosperity created under leadership of Guptas enabled the...
was the first power in the region in the early years of the Christian Era. After fierce battles, the region was taken over by the Chalukya Dynasty
Chalukya dynasty
The Chalukya dynasty was an Indian royal dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty, known as the "Badami Chalukyas", ruled from Vatapi from the...
. Finally, the kingdom was annexed by the Solanki
Solanki
The Solanki was a royal Hindu Indian dynasty that ruled parts of western and central India between the 10th to 13th centuries. A number of scholars including V. A. Smith assign them Gurjar origin....
Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s. By this time the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
rule had spread across India, and the reins of power were then snatched by the Delhi Sultans
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty...
. The city was ruled for a long time by these Sultans, until they were easily overthrown by the Mughal emperors
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
. The Mughals biggest problem were the mighty Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
s who slowly but eventually took over the region. It became the capital of the Maratha Gaekwad
Gaekwad
The Gaekwad or Gaikwad was a Maratha dynasty that ruled the princely state of Baroda in western India from the mid-18th century until 1947...
s. Sayaji Rao III (1875–1939), a most able ruler, made many public and bureaucratic improvements in the region. Although the British had a major influence on the region, Baroda remained a princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
until Independence. Like many other princely states, Baroda also joined the Dominion of India
Dominion of India
The Dominion of India, also known as the Union of India or the Indian Union , was a predecessor to modern-day India and an independent state that existed between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950...
in 1947.
The eighteenth largest and one of the cosmopolitan cities of India, Vadodara alias Baroda is located on the banks of Vishwamitri River. This garden city is the industrial capital and the third most populated town of Gujarat and also the administrative headquarters of Vadodara District. Due to its rich cultural traditions, the district is referred to as Sanskari Nagari. With many museums and art galleries, this upcoming hub of industries and IT is a favorite spot of tourists. Vadodara was once called Chandravati, after its ruler Raja Chandan, then Virakshetra or Viravati, the abode of the brave and then Vadpatra because of the abundance of banyan trees on the banks of the narmada . From Vadpatra it derived its present name.
Origin of name
Two thousand years ago, there was a small town known as "Ankottaka" (present day AkotaAkota
Akota is an urban area in the western side of Vadodara City, in the state of Gujarat, in India.Earlier it was known as "Anakotakka". The suburb is located on the banks of river Vishwamitri....
) on the western bank of the river narmada . The earliest mention of Vadodara is in a Granth or charter of 812 that identifies it as "Vadapadraka", a village attached to the nearby town of "Ankottaka". In 600 AD severe floods in the narmada forced the inhabitants to move to the eastern side of the river to a village known as "Vatpatrak" (Leaf of Banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
tree) which developed into Vadodara. In the 10th century, Vadapadraka replaced Ankottaka as the main town.
The city was once called "Chandanavati" after its ruler "Raja Chandan" of the "Dor tribe of Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s, who wrested it from the Jains. The capital had also another name Virakshetra or Viravati (Land of Warriors). Later on it was known as Vadpatraka or Vadodará, which according to tradition is a corrupt form of the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word Vatodar meaning In the heart of the Banyan tree. It is now almost impossible to ascertain when the various changes in the name were made; but early English travellers and merchants mention the town as Brodera, and it is from this that the name Baroda is derived. In 1974, the official name of the city was changed to Vadodara.
In 1907, a small village
Baroda, Michigan
Baroda is a village in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 858 at the 2000 census. The village is within Baroda Township....
and township
Baroda Township, Michigan
Baroda Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 2,880....
in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, United States, was named after Baroda.
It is also rumoured that the name Baroda originated from two words Vat which means the Banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
tree and Aodh, which means a tent/canopy. According to a popular legend, the region in and around present day Baroda was full of Banyan trees that formed a dense cover that looked like a huge tent canopy from a distance. Thus the name Baroda stuck.
Old Ankotakka
The early man lived on the banks of the Mahi RiverMahi River
The Mahi is a river in western India. It rises in Madhya Pradesh and, after flowing through the Vagad region of Rajasthan, enters Gujarat and falls into the sea by a wide estuary near Khambhat. Its total length is 500 km. and its estimated drainage area 40,000 km2...
. This river must have formed the flood plain during that age. The movements of these hunter-gatherers, living on the banks of the river, grumbling the roots and killing animals with crude stone tools made out of the cobbles and pebbles available on the river bank, were necessarily controlled by the availability of convenient raw materials for their tools. There are evidences of the existence of early man in the Mahi river valley at a number of sites within 10 to 20 km to the north-east of Vadodara. No evidences however of the existence of this man are found in and around present Vadodara. This may be because of the absence of gravels and cobbles on the banks of the Vishwamitri rivulet.
The next phase of the pre-historic Vadodara witnessed the first human settlement on the right bank of the river Vishwamitri on a group of dunes resting on the alluvium of the river. It also means that men knew about where to set up settlements, as they had selected an elevated land. The Vishwamitri must have been prone to seasonal floods even then. These people still belonged to the stone age, crafting their tools with finely grained stones. From their material culture and physical environment, they seem to have belonged to the same culture as those whose implements were found in the Mahi river valley. This human settlement has been dated to 1000 B.C.
Around the beginning of the Christian Era, a small township developed at the same spot as the above mentioned settlement on the right bank of the river. It came to be known as Ankotakka (present day Akota), the mound on which this settlement was established came to be known as Dhantekri. The entire settlement was developed by clearing grazing land and forests of Ankhol and covered an area of ½ to ¾ km². This is indicative of the presence of thick forests during those times. Due to its location on the ancient trade route between Gujarat and Malwa, this small township flourished in to a commercial centre. There was a supposed commercial relation between this township and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
The township of Ankotakka developed during the rule of the Gupta
Gupta
Gupta is a common surname of Indian origin.According to some academicians, the name Gupta is derived from Sanskrit goptri, meaning military governor. A more direct translation of the Sanskrit word gupta is 'secret' or 'hidden'. According to prominent historian R. C...
s and the Vallabhi
Vallabhi
Vallabhi is an ancient city located in Saurashtra peninsula in Gujarat, in western India, near Bhavnagar. Also known as Vallabhipura, it was the capital of the ancient Maitraka dynasty.- Origins and history :...
s. It was subjected to periodical heavy floods. But a severe flood which inundated the renovated public hall, forced the inhabitants to abandon this township and move away from the banks of the Vishwamitri.
The event occurred in 600 A.D. The inhabitants moved to the east of Ankotakka to another elevated portion located on the present Kothi area. This formed the nucleus of a new township.
Recent history
The City of Vadodara aptly described by a medieval Jain writer as a Tilak on the Brove of Lata was a nodal center of the coastal plain of Gujarat. It was strategically situated at a junction of the main highways linking Gujarat with Rajputana
Rajputana
Rājputāna was the pre-1949 name of the present-day Indian state of Rājasthān, the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. George Thomas was the first in 1800 A.D., to term this region as Rajputana...
and the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
in the north, Malwa and the Ganges valley in the north-east, Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
in the south and Khandesh
Khandesh
Khandesh is a region of central India, which forms the northwestern portion of Maharashtra state.Khandesh was the terminal territorial part under the rule of Mughals. The Start of Deccan region demarcated by the boundary of Khandesh....
in the south-east. Significantly Vadodara today is a junction on the western railway of the lines leading to Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
& Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. This confirms the historic role of Vadodara in the communication pattern for movements of people and culture. The history of Vadodara city amply bears out its cultural and commercial activities during the last two thousand years. Apart from the traditional stories, knowledge of the history of Vadodara is based mainly on Jain literature and a few old inscriptions pertaining to Vadodara.
Baroda State
Baroda State
Baroda State was an Indian princely state in present-day Gujarat, ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty from its formation in 1721 until 1947 when it succeed to newly formed, India. With the city of Baroda as its capital, during the British Raj it was part of the Baroda Residency...
was a former Indian State in Western India. Baroda's more recent history began when the Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
general Pilaji Gaekwad conquered Songadh
Songadh
Fort Songadh is a city and a municipality in Tapi district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It has previously been known as "Soneri Gadh, later being abbreviated to the now common Songadh.-Geography:Songadh is located at...
from the Muslim in 1726. Before the Gaekwads captured Baroda, it was ruled by the Babi
Babi (title)
Babi enters in various Indian titles.*Khan Sahib Shri Babi: the title of the ruler of the Indian princely state of Bantva-Manavadar state which in September 1947 acceded to Pakistan, but on 15 February 1948 rescinded accession to Pakistan, to accede to India; the dynasty is called Babi.*Nawab...
Nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
s, who were the officers of the Mughal rulers. Mughal rule came to an end in 1732, when Pilaji Rao Gaekwad brought the Maratha campaigns in Southern Gujarat to a head and captured it. Except for a short period, Baroda continued to be in the reign of the Gaekwads from 1734 to 1948. Initially detailed to collect revenue on behalf of the Peshwa
Peshwa
A Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...
in Gujarat, Pilaji Gaekwad remained there to carve out a kingdom for himself. Damajirao, son and successor of Pilaji Gaekwad, defeated the Mughal armies and conquered Baroda in 1734. His successors consolidated their power over large tracts of Gujarat, becoming easily the most powerful rulers in the region. After the Maratha defeat by the Afghans
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
at the Third Battle of Panipat
Third battle of Panipat
The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761, at Panipat , about 60 miles north of Delhi between a northern expeditionary force of the Maratha Confederacy and a coalition of the King of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Abdali with 2 Indian Muslim allies—the Rohilla Afghans of the Doab, and the...
in 1761, control of the empire by the Peshwas weakened as it became a loose confederacy
Confederation
A confederation in modern political terms is a permanent union of political units for common action in relation to other units. Usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution, confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues such as defense, foreign...
, and the Gaekwad Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
s ruled the kingdom until Indian independence in 1947. In 1802, the British intervened to defend a Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
that had recently inherited the throne from rival claimants, and Vadodara concluded a treaty with the British that recognized the Kingdom as a 'Princely state' and allowed the Maharajas of Baroda internal political sovereignty in return for recognizing British 'Paramountcy', a form of suzerainty where the subject of foreign affairs was completely surrendered.
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
165454565Sayajirao Gaekwad III was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is notably remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule....
in 1875. It was an era of great progress and constructive achievements in all fields. Maharaja Sayajirao III
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
165454565Sayajirao Gaekwad III was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is notably remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule....
, who ruled from 1875 to 1939, did much to modernise Baroda, establishing compulsory primary education, a library system, a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, and model textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
and tile factories, which helped to create Baroda's image as a modern industrial hub. Modern Vadodara is a great and fitting memorial to Maharaja Sayajirao. It was the dream of this able administrator to make Baroda an educational, industrial and commercial centre and he ensured that his dream would come true. For this reason, the city is also referred to as Sayaji Nagari (Sayaji's City).
With India's independence in 1947, the last ruling Maharaja of Baroda State acceded to India. Baroda State was merged into to Bombay State
Bombay State
The Bombay State was a state of India, dissolved with the formation of Maharashtra and Gujarat states on May 1, 1960.-History:During British rule, portions of the western coast of India under direct British rule were part of the Bombay Presidency...
shortly after independence, which was divided into the states of Gujarat and Maharastra in 1960, with Baroda becoming a part of Gujarat.
In recent times, Vadodara was affected by the devastating January 26, 2001 earthquake
2001 Gujarat earthquake
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake occurred on January 26, 2001, India's 52nd Republic Day, at 08:46 AM local time and lasted for over two minutes. The epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat, India...
that struck Gujarat. The city was spared the devastation suffered by some of the other major cities in Gujarat. However there were some casualties as poorly constructed buildings collapsed in the wake of the earthquake and the after shocks.
Geography
Vadodara is located at 22.30°N 73.19°E in western India at an elevation of 39 metres (123 feet). It is the 18th largest city in India with an area of 148.95 km² and a population of 4.1 million according to the 2010-11 census. The city sits on the banks of the River Vishwamitri, in central Gujarat. The Vishwamitri frequently dries up in the summer, leaving only a small stream of water. The city is located on the fertile plain between the MahiMahi River
The Mahi is a river in western India. It rises in Madhya Pradesh and, after flowing through the Vagad region of Rajasthan, enters Gujarat and falls into the sea by a wide estuary near Khambhat. Its total length is 500 km. and its estimated drainage area 40,000 km2...
& Narmada River
Narmada River
The Narmada , also called Rewa is a river in central India and the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent. It is the third largest river that completely flows within India after Ganges and Godavari...
s. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, the town falls under seismic zone-III
Earthquake hazard zoning of India
The Indian subcontinent has a history of devastating earthquakes. The major reason for the high frequency and intensity of the earthquakes is that India is driving into Asia at a rate of approximately 47 mm/year. Geographical statistics of India show that almost 54% of the land is vulnerable...
, in a scale of I to V (in order of increasing proneness to earthquakes).
Vadodara is divided by the Vishwamitri into two physically distinct eastern and western regions. The eastern bank of the river houses the old city, which includes the old fortified city of Vadodara. This part of Vadodara is characterised by packed bazaars, the clustered and barricaded Pol
Pol (housing)
A pol is a housing cluster which comprises many families of a particular group, linked by caste, profession, or religion. Pols are typical of urban centres in Gujarat especially of Ahmedabad....
system of shanty buildings, and numerous places of worship. It houses the General Post Office and landmark buildings like Laxmi Vilas Palace, Mandvi
Mandvi
Mandvi is a city and a Municipality in Kachchh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was once a major port of the region and summer retreat for Maharao of the Kachchh. The old city had a surrounding fort, and remains of the fort wall can still be seen to this day...
area and Nyay Mandir
Nyay Mandir
The "Nyaya Mandir", means Temple of Justice, is a piece of Byzantine architecture in India. It houses the District Court of Vadodara city in the state of Gujarat, western India. The central hall is decorated with mosaic tiles and a statue of Chimnabai, wife of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III....
. The colonial period saw the expansion of the city to the western side of Vishwamitri. This part of the city houses educational institutions like the MS uni, the Vadodara Railway Station
Vadodara Railway Station
Vadodara Railway Station is the main station in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat, India. It is the busiest Railway Station of Gujarat and one of the most busiest stations in the nation. The station is a major stop on the western railway zone of Indian railways...
, modern buildings, well-planned residential areas, shopping malls, multiplexes and new business districts centred around harni road, Alkapuri
Alkapuri
Alkapuri is an urban area in the western side of Vadodara City, in the state of Gujarat, in India.It is one of the oldest areas of the ever growing Western part of Vadodara. Alkapuri mainly refers to the New Vadodara, with large shopping malls and some of the best hotels in Gujarat. It is also a...
, Nawayard and more recently, the Old Padra Road and Gotri.
Climate
Vadodara features a tropical savanna climateTropical savanna climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories "Aw" and '"As."...
under Koppen's Climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
. There are three main seasons: Summer, Monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
and Winter. Aside from the monsoon season, the climate is dry. The weather is hot through the months of March to July — the average summer maximum is 36 °C (97 °F), and the average minimum is 23 °C (73 °F). From November to February, the average maximum temperature is 30 °C (85 °F), the average minimum is 15 °C (59 °F), and the climate is extremely dry. Cold northerly winds are responsible for a mild chill in January. The southwest monsoon brings a humid climate from mid-June to mid-September. The average rainfall is 93 cm (36.7 inches), but infrequent heavy torrential rains cause the river to flood. The highest temperature recorded is 47 °C (116 °F) and the lowest is -1 °C (30 °F).
In recent years, Vadodara has suffered from increasing air, water and soil pollution from neighbouring industrial areas. This has also amounted into a constant and uncomfortable increase in average temperatures across all three seasons. Uncontrolled chemical dump from nearby industries has arguably turned the local river Vishwamitri into one big sewer
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
.
Industry & Commerce
Vadodara enjoys a special place in the state of Gujarat. Until the early 1960s Vadodara was considered to be a cultural and educational centre. The first modern factory (Alembic Pharmaceuticals) was established in Vadodara in 1907 and subsequently companies such as Sarabhai Chemicals, and Jyoti came up in the 1940s. By 1962 there were 288 factories employing 27,510 workers. At that time, the dominant industrial groups were chemicals and pharmaceuticals, cotton textiles and machine tools. The establishment of Bank of BarodaBank of Baroda
Bank of Baroda is the third largest bank in India, after the State Bank of India and the Punjab National Bank and ahead of ICICI Bank. BoB is ranked 763 in Forbes Global 2000 list. BoB has total assets in excess of Rs. 3.58 lakh crores, or Rs. 3,583 billion, a network of over 3,409 branches and...
by Sayajirao III
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III
165454565Sayajirao Gaekwad III was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is notably remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule....
in 1908 also help industrial growth.
In 1962, Vadodara witnessed a sudden spurt in industrial activity with the establishment of Gujarat Refinery
Gujarat Refinery
The Gujarat Refinery is an oil refinery located at Koyali in Gujarat, Western India. It is the largest refinery owned by Indian Oil Corporation.-History:...
and Indian Oil Corporation Limited at the nearby village of Koyali. Several factors like raw material availability, product demand, skillful mobilisation of human, financial and material resources by the government and private entrepreneurs have contributed to Baroda becoming one of India’s foremost industrial centres.
The discovery of oil and gas in Ankleshwar led to the industrial development of Gujarat in a big way. The Vadodara region is the largest beneficiary in the process of this industrialisation. Gujarat Refinery
Gujarat Refinery
The Gujarat Refinery is an oil refinery located at Koyali in Gujarat, Western India. It is the largest refinery owned by Indian Oil Corporation.-History:...
went into the first phase of production in 1965. The refinery being a basic industry made vital contributions on several fronts at the regional and national levels.
In Vadodara various large-scale industries such as Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals (GSFC)http://www.gsfclimited.com/, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited
Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited
Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited is a petrochemicals company in India. It was established on March 22, 1969, with a view to promote and encourage the use of plastics in India. Its business consists of polymers, synthetic fibre, fibre intermediaries, solvents, surfactants, industrial...
(IPCL, now owned by Reliance Industries Limited) and Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) have come up in the vicinity of Gujarat Refinery
Gujarat Refinery
The Gujarat Refinery is an oil refinery located at Koyali in Gujarat, Western India. It is the largest refinery owned by Indian Oil Corporation.-History:...
and all of them are dependent on it for their fuel and feedstock. Other large-scale public sector units are Heavy Water Project, Gujarat Industries Power Company Limited (GIPCL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited is an Indian state-owned oil and gas company headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is one of the largest Asia-based oil and gas exploration and production companies, and produces around 77% of India's total crude oil production and around 81% of...
(ONGC) & Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL
GAIL
GAIL Limited is a state-owned natural gas processing and distribution company headquartered in New Delhi, India. It has six segments: Transmission services of natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas , Natural gas trading, petrochemicals, LPG and Liquid hydrocarbons, GAILTEL and Others.- History...
). In addition to these public sector enterprises, a number of other large-scale enterprises have come up in the private sector such as Bombardier Transportation, a Canadian company manufacturing the Delhi Metro from its site in Savli. Baroda also has quite a few established manufacturing units such as; General Motors,ALSTOM, ABB, Philips, Panasonic, FAG, Sterling Biotech, Sun Pharmaceuticals and Areva T&D, Bombardier, and GAGL (Gujarat Automotive Gears Limited). There are also a number of glass manufacturing companies in and around Vadodara, including Haldyn Glass
Haldyn Glass
Haldyn Glass Gujarat Limited is a public limited company in India manufacturing clear glass bottles and containers...
,HNG Float Glass Ltd., Piramal Glass or Gujarat Glass, etc.
The establishment of large industrial units in a region automatically brings into existence a number of smaller enterprises. Vadodara is no exception and the city and the surrounding areas are today humming with industrial activity. The industrialisation of Vadodara has attracted entrepreneurs not only from Vadodara but also from all over Gujarat and the rest of India.
In line with the 'Knowledge City' vision of the Confederation of Indian Industry
Confederation of Indian Industry
The Confederation of Indian Industry is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organisation, seeking to play a proactive role in India’s development process. The organisation works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of industry in India,...
, Vadodara is gradually becoming a hub in Gujarat for IT and other development projects.
Vadodara is also home to the Vadodara Stock Exchange
Vadodara Stock Exchange
Vadodara Stock Exchange or VSE is located in the city of Vadodara in Western India. It was established in 1990 at Vadodara. It is the third largest stock exchange in the state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad and Rajkot...
(VSE).
Civic Administration
| Vadodara City Officials | |
| Mayor | Dr. Jyoti Pandya |
| Municipal Commissioner | MK Das |
| Police Commissioner | Satish Sharma |
Vadodara is administered by the Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan(VMSS) . Some of the regions surrounding the city are administered by the Vadodara Urban Development Authority (VUDA)
Vadodara Urban Development Authority
The Vadodara Urban Development Authority is a civilian government body responsible for overseeing and sanctioning construction and infrastructure development across the suburbs of the city of Vadodara, in the state of Gujarat in India. The office of VUDA is at Karelibaug, Vadodara...
. The VMC was established in July 1950 under the Bombay Provincial Corporation Act, 1949. For administrative purposes, the city is divided into four zones and 26 wards.
The two main institutions involved in planning and development in Vadodara are the Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan and the Vadodara Urban Development Authority
Vadodara Urban Development Authority
The Vadodara Urban Development Authority is a civilian government body responsible for overseeing and sanctioning construction and infrastructure development across the suburbs of the city of Vadodara, in the state of Gujarat in India. The office of VUDA is at Karelibaug, Vadodara...
. The jurisdiction of both these agencies is demarcated clearly not only physically but also functionally. The governing acts for both the institutions differ. The principal responsibility of VUDA is to ensure a holistic development of the Vadodara agglomeration covering an area of 714.56 km². whereas VMC is involved in the development of a limited area of 148 km².
Three corporators
Local Governance in India
Urban Local Bodies of India are the constitutionally provided administrative units that provide basic infrastructure and services in cities and towns...
are elected from each ward, who in turn elect a mayor. Executive powers are vested in the municipal commissioner, who is an IAS
Indian Administrative Service
The Indian Administrative Service is the administrative civil service of the Government of India. It is one of the three All India Services....
officer appointed by the Gujarat state government. The mayor is responsible for the day-to-day running of the city services, municipal school board, the city bus service, the municipal hospital and the city library. The Vadodra City Police are headed by a Police Commissioner
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
, an IPS
Indian Police Service
The Indian Police Service , simply known as Indian Police or IPS, is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India...
officer.
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
and 5 to the Gujarat Vidhan Sabha
Vidhan Sabha
The Vidhan Sabha or the Legislative Assembly is the lower house or the sole house of the provincial legislature in the different states of India. The same name is also used for the lower house of the legislatures for two of the union territories, Delhi and Pondicherry...
. All of the 5 assembly seats of Vadodara were won by the BJP
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
during the legislative elections in 2002. In the 2006 Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan elections, the BJP
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
won 74 seats, 6 seats went to the Congress.
- Election Wards: 28
- Seats (Corporators): 84
- Population per ward: 31,122
- Seats reserved for women: 26
- Total voters (as on 17-1-97): 809,185
Transport
The city is on the major rail and road arteries joining MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
with Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and Mumbai with Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
. Due to this Vadodara is known as a Gateway to the Golden Quadrilateral
Golden Quadrilateral
The Golden Quadrilateral is a highway network connecting India's four largest metropolises: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, thus forming a quadrilateral of sorts. Four other top ten metropolises: Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Surat, are also served by the network...
.
Air
Vadodara AirportVadodara Airport
Vadodara Airport or Civil Airport Harni is a civilian airport located in the north-east of Vadodara, Gujarat, India in the suburb of Harni....
(IATA: BDQ) is located north-east of the city. Vadodara has air connectivity with Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad,and Nagpur. Vadodara is set to have an International Airport in near future.
Rail
Vadodara was part of historic BBCI RailwayBombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway
The Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway was a company incorporated in 1855 to undertake the task of constructing a railway line between Bombay and Vadodara in India. BB&CI completed the work in 1864...
. Railway had arrived in Vadodara in January 1861. On November 5, 1951 the BBCI Railway was merged with the Saurashtra, Rajputana
Rajputana
Rājputāna was the pre-1949 name of the present-day Indian state of Rājasthān, the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. George Thomas was the first in 1800 A.D., to term this region as Rajputana...
and Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
railways to give rise to the Western Railway. Now, the Vadodara Railway Station
Vadodara Railway Station
Vadodara Railway Station is the main station in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat, India. It is the busiest Railway Station of Gujarat and one of the most busiest stations in the nation. The station is a major stop on the western railway zone of Indian railways...
belongs to the Western Railway
Western Railway (India)
The Western Railway is one of the 16 zones of Indian Railways, and is among the busiest railway networks in India. The major railway routes of Indian Railways which come under Western Railways are: Ratlam - Mumbai Central, Surat - Mumbai, Surat - Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad - Vadodara and Palanpur -...
zone of Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
and is a major Junction on the Wstern Railway Main Line. Vadodara junction is Gujarat's Busiesit Junction with almost 150 trains passing everyday. One can travel to almost all the parts of India from Vadodara Junction, where there is a Junction of rails from the directions of Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Kota
Kota, Rajasthan
Kota , formerly known as Kotah, is a city in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located south of state capital, Jaipur. Situated on the banks of Chambal River, the city is the trade centre for an area in which millet, wheat, rice, pulses, coriander and oilseeds are grown; industries...
(4 sides). It has one of the largest Electric Locomotives Shed in Gujarat and various trains have a loco change over at Vadodara. Trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi and important Mail/Express Trains halt at Vadodara Junction. Vadodara has 5 railway stations namely Vadodara Junction (BRC),Pratapnagar, Vishwamitri, Makarpura & Bajwa.
Vadodara also has a Locomotive Shed homing numerous WAP-4,WAM-4,WAG series of Indian Locos.
Road
National Highway 8, connecting DelhiDelhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and Gandhinagar with Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, passes through the city. Vadodara is also connected with Ahmedabad through Indian National Expressway 1, a stretch of 97 km Super Highway with exits at Anand, Nadiad, S.P.Ring Road and finally Ahmedabad.
Public transport vehicles within the city include buses, autorickshaws and taxis. Now there are buses owned by VTCOS for an easy public transportation operated by the private bus operators VTPL which now runs over a hundred buses of 33 and 50 seater configurations. It has taken a lot of two wheeler traffic off the road and helped the people in easy safe and cheap transport service. A significant proportion of the population uses their own vehicles – cars, scooters, motorcycles and bicycles.
- Paved Roads: 1680 km
- Unpaved Roads: 400 kilometer
- Total Roads: 2080 km
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Vadodara metropolitan area had a population of 1,492,398. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Vadodara has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 74%. In Vadodara, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
, Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and English are the languages spoken in the city.
- Population trends in recent years
- 1961: 298,398
- 1971: 467,487
- 1981: 734,473
- 1991: 1,031,346
- 2001: 1,306,035
- 2007: 2,200,000 (projected)
- Number of households: 213,540
- Population density: 9,527/km²
- Literacy: 76.11% of total population (males 79.21%; females 68.41%)
- Sex Ratio: 909 Female per 1000 Male
Culture
Gaekwad
The Gaekwad or Gaikwad was a Maratha dynasty that ruled the princely state of Baroda in western India from the mid-18th century until 1947...
s, the subsequent industrialisation, the proliferation of academic activities and a strategically important geographical location, Baroda has welcomed a wide variety of people from all over India and also from all over the world. In all of this, the sprawling and cosmopolitan MS University campus and the large number of local, national and foreign industries act as a catalysing and unifying force.
The great museums on the palace grounds such as the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum
Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum
Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum is a museum housed within the Maharaja's palace in Vadodara, India.-Overview:The building was constructed as a school for the Maharaja's children. Today a large number of works of art belonging to the Royal family are displayed in the museum...
and art gallery are unique and carry artifacts from around the nation and the world. There are Gujarati film studios in the city as well as a large number of large old-style movie theatres in addition to the newer multiplexes that have sprung up in the past few years.
Diwali
Diwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...
, Uttarayan, Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
, Eid
Eid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...
, Gudi Padwa
Gudi Padwa
Gudi Padwa or Gudhi Padwa , is the Marathi name for the Hindu holiday of Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. It is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month to mark the beginning of the New year according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar...
and Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi , also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Hindu festival of Ganesha also called Vinayagar in Tamil Nadu, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival...
are celebrated with great fervour. Classical music and dance have their patrons, and so does the modern stage and pop culture. The culture and the traditions are both alive and being forever experimented with.
Navarātrī or Garba
Garba (dance)
Garba is an Indian form of dance that originated in the Gujarat region. The name garba comes from the Sanskrit term Garbha and Deep . Many traditional garbas are performed around a central lit lamp or picture/statues of different avatars of Goddess Shakti...
is the city's largest festival, with song, dance and lights during every October. Many of the residents spend their evenings at their local Garba
Garba (dance)
Garba is an Indian form of dance that originated in the Gujarat region. The name garba comes from the Sanskrit term Garbha and Deep . Many traditional garbas are performed around a central lit lamp or picture/statues of different avatars of Goddess Shakti...
grounds where local musicians play traditional music while people dance the Raas and Garba
Garba (dance)
Garba is an Indian form of dance that originated in the Gujarat region. The name garba comes from the Sanskrit term Garbha and Deep . Many traditional garbas are performed around a central lit lamp or picture/statues of different avatars of Goddess Shakti...
dances which often goes on past midnight. This is also a time when the youth are more visible outdoors and until later than other times of the year. The people of Vadodara have preserved the original and the traditional part of the Navarātrī. Garba
Garba (dance)
Garba is an Indian form of dance that originated in the Gujarat region. The name garba comes from the Sanskrit term Garbha and Deep . Many traditional garbas are performed around a central lit lamp or picture/statues of different avatars of Goddess Shakti...
in baroda attracts a fairly large number of international tourists.
The most followed religion in the city is Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, practised by 90% of the population. The second most followed religion is Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, followed by 6% of the population. All other religious groups make up the remaining 4% of the city's population.
Education
The present educational foundation rests on over 120 public schools and over 100 private schools. Towering over all is the MS University
Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, commonly referred as M. S. University , is a university in the city of Vadodara, in Gujarat state, India...
, the jewel in the Baroda crown, so to speak. It has 13 faculties and 17 residential hostels, 4 of them for women students. The university caters to over 100,000 students. There are various courses on offer, ranging from Medicine to Commerce. The university has been divided into several departments and there are number of courses offered in each of the department. The Fine Arts faculty is famous worldwide for its contribution in arts. The faculty of Performing Arts is also a very reputed institution teaching music, drama, dancing etc.
Apart from many good schools, there are landmark schools which are still epitome of high value Education like Baroda High School. There are many students who are alumni of the school and settled in many developed countries. Many students of the school also pursue courses like Dairy Technology and work in MNC at the doorstep of Baroda( Vadodara ) - ( Pranav Shah, GEA Niro, Vadodara, GEA Niro ). Many engineers having done MBA from MSU, Vadodara grab good opportunities in city itself which has lot to offer.
The recent decision of CII
Confederation of Indian Industry
The Confederation of Indian Industry is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organisation, seeking to play a proactive role in India’s development process. The organisation works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of industry in India,...
to develop Vadodara as 'KNOWLEDGE CITY'. has been well received by the Barodians all over the world
Sports
CricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
is by far the most popular sport in the city, as it is in the rest of the country (except Goa). However, the interest in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
is much greater than the average Indian city.
Not only Vadodara has its own first-class cricket team that competes at the national level, but it also boasts of the oldest cricket ground in Asia, called Moti Baug
Moti Bagh Stadium
Moti Bagh Stadium is a cricket stadium located in Vadodara , Gujarat. The ground form part of the Lakshmi Vilas Palace building complex - a spawling complex in the heart of the city. The palace and the stadium, earlied belonged to the former rulers of Baroda and the patrons of cricket in Baroda -...
(The same ground on which Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin also known as Azhar, is an Indian politician and former cricketer. He was an accomplished batsman and captained the Indian cricket team for much of the 1990s, until his involvement in a match-fixing scandal forced him into retirement...
had scored a record fastest century of 62 balls, now broken). Apart, from that there is also a private cricket ground owned by Reliance, which also hosts ODIs. Prominent cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
ers from Vadodara include Atul Bedade
Atul Bedade
Atul Chandrakant Bedade is a former Indian cricketer. He played domestic cricket for Baroda and represented India in 13 One Day Internationals making his debut versus UAE at Sharjah in 1994....
, Vijay Hazare
Vijay Hazare
Vijay Samuel Hazare was an Indian cricket player from the state of Maharashtra. He captained the Indian cricket team in 14 matches between 1951 and 1953...
, Chandu Borde
Chandu Borde
Chandrakant Gulabrao "Chandu" Borde born 21 July 1934 in Poona In Marathi Christian Family, is a ex-cricketer who was a member of the Indian team between 1958 and 1970. Following his retirement, Borde became a cricket administrator, serving as the Chairman of national selectors...
, Kiran More
Kiran More
Kiran Shankar Murat More was the wicket-keeper for the Indian cricket team from 1984 to 1993. He was the Chairman of the Selection Committee of the BCCI till Dilip Vengsarkar took over the job in 2006. He is presently working with Indian Cricket League.-Early career:More played for the India...
, Nayan Mongia
Nayan Mongia
Nayan Ramlal Mongia is a former Indian cricketer. He played as a right-handed batsman and a wicketkeeper. Currently, he is a cricket analyst....
, Anshuman Gaekwad
Anshuman Gaekwad
Anshuman Dattajirao Gaekwad is a former Indian cricketer and two-time Indian national cricket coach. He played in 40 Test matches and 15 One Day Internationals....
(former coach of the Indian cricket team), Jitendra Patel
Jitendra Patel
Jitendra Motibhai Patel is a Ugandan-born former cricketer for Canada. He played three One Day Internationals in the 1979 World Cup, as well as appearing for the country in the 1979 ICC Trophy tournament.-External links:...
and more recently, Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan is an Indian cricketer who made his debut for India in late-2003 and was a core member of the national team until a decline in form set in during 2006, forcing him out of the team...
, Yusuf Pathan
Yusuf Pathan
Yusuf Pathan is an Indian cricketer. Pathan made his debut in first-class cricket in 2001/02. He is a powerful and aggressive batsman and a right-arm offbreak bowler. His brother Irfan Pathan is also an Indian cricketer...
,, Pinal Shah
Pinal Shah
Pinal Shah has been selected as the wicket-keeper for India U19s World Cup squad. He is an able batsman and has played five first-class matches for Baroda scoring 377 runs, including a blistering 217* against Services in early 2006...
, Jacob Martin
Jacob Martin
Jacob Joseph Martin is an Indian cricketer. He is a right-handed middle-order batsman. Martin has appeared 10 times for India at One Day International level, but never in Test cricket, at the turn of the 21st century. He is the current captain of Baroda.Martin made his first-class debut for...
, Ajitesh Argal, and Connor Williams
Connor Williams
Connor Cecil Williams is an Indian first class cricketer, who plays for Baroda. He is a left-handed opening batsman....
. The Cricketers like Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel who are part of the Indian cricket team, were started to play on domestic level from Baroda Cricket Association. The Baroda cricket team
Baroda cricket team
The Baroda cricket team is a domestic cricket team based in the city of Vadodara. The home ground of the team is the Moti Bagh Stadium on the palace grounds. The team is run by the Baroda Cricket Association. It has been one of the most successful teams in the Ranji Trophy in the new millennium...
has been a consistently good performer at the national domestic Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
championship and has won it 6 times. At schools a huge range of sports tend to be played. Vadodara has a rich tradition in which various schools compete against each other in various inter-school sporting competitions.
Vadodara also has a couple of large-sized swimming pools at Lal Baug and Sardar Baug which have become learning centers of swimming for lots of students from different schools in and around the city.
Vadodara also holds International Marathon every year. It became the first non-metro city of India to have held a Marathon of such a large scale and success.
Media
Vadodara has a number of newspaper publications. English-language dailies sold in the city are the Times of India, Indian Express and The Economic TimesThe Economic Times
The Economic Times is an English-language Indian daily newspaper published by the Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.. The Economic Times was started in 1961. It is the most popular and widely read financial daily in India, read by more than 8 lakh people...
, though none of them are published locally. There are three local Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
dailies in the city — Sandesh
Sandesh (newspaper)
Sandesh is a Leading daily newspaper in Gujarat. It is published in Gujarati. Sandesh started its journey in the world of Journalism in 1923. Since then, it has flourished into 5 editions and has played a critical and vital role in the upliftment and welfare of five crore Gujaratis. It covers the...
, Gujarat Samachar
Gujarat Samachar
Gujarat Samachar is the numero uno daily newspaper in Gujarat. It is published in Gujarati and its main office is in Ahmedabad. It has one branch in Surat as well.-External links:*...
and Divya Bhaskar
Divya Bhaskar
Divya Bhaskar is a Gujarati newspaper in Gujarat, India, owned by D B Corp Ltd.. It is the largest circulated Gujarati daily, with the most number of editions in Gujarat.- Launch :...
. A large number of national and regional magazines, periodicals and journals are regularly published and circulated across the city. The Gujarati
Gujarati people
Gujarati people , or Gujaratis are an ethnic group that is traditionally Gujarati-speaking and can trace their ancestry to the state of Gujarat in western India...
film
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
and television
Television in India
Television is one of the major mass media of India and is a huge industry and has thousands of programmes in all the states of India. The small screen has produced numerous celebrities of their own kind some even attaining national fame. TV soaps are extremely popular with housewives as well as...
industry has a small but significant presence in the city. The city has five local FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
stations: Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the Entertainment Network India Ltd , which is one of the subsidiaries of The Times Group....
(98.3 MHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
), now Red FM
Red FM 93.5
Red FM is an Indian FM radio brand, with stations broadcasting at 93.5 megahertz in the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Kanpur in addition to Jamshedpur, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Indore, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Gulbarga, Kochi, Trivandrum, Thrissur, Kannur,...
(93.5 MHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
), Big FM (92.7 MHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
), Radio City
Radio City (India radio station)
Radio City is a FM radio station in India. It broadcasts on 91.1 megahertz from Mumbai , Bangalore , Lucknow and New Delhi. It plays Hindi songs, English and regional songs. It was launched in Hyderabad in March, 2006 , in Chennai on July 7th 2006 and in Vishakapatnam October 2007...
(91.1 MHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
) and All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
, Vividh Bharti (93.9 MHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
). All India Radio is broadcast on the AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
band. Satellite radio
Satellite radio
Satellite radio is an analogue or digital radio signal that is relayed through one or more satellites and thus can be received in a much wider geographical area than terrestrial FM radio stations...
was launched in nearby city of Ahmedabad by WorldSpace
WorldSpace
1worldspace, formerly known as 'WorldSpace', is a currently defunct satellite radio network that provided service to over 170,000 subscribers in eastern and southern Africa, the Middle East, and much of Asia with 96% coming from India...
in 2005. Vadodara News Magazine(VNM) is a local news TV channel that covers events in the city. Households receive television through two main cable networks, InCablenet
InCablenet
InCablenet is one of the largest cable broadcasting companies in India. It provides cable television, internet, and telecommunications services for major cities such as Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi. InCablenet is part of the Media division in Hinduja Group called IndusInd Media & Communications Ltd....
and Siti Cable
Siti Cable
Siti Cable is a major cable broadcasting and telecommunications company in India, which provides cable television, cell phone and internet services in major cities such as Kolkata, Mumbai, Banglore, Ahmedabad, Kochi and Trivandrum...
, while DTH
Satellite dish
A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive microwaves from communications satellites, which transmit data transmissions or broadcasts, such as satellite television.-Principle of operation:...
is steadily gaining popularity in Vadodara. A network of optical fibre
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
cables connects almost the entire city. The city's telephone services are provided by landline and mobile operators like BSNL
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is a state-owned telecommunications company headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is the largest provider of fixed telephony and fourth largest mobile telephony provider in India, and is also a provider of broadband services...
, Reliance Infocomm
Reliance Communications
Reliance Communications Ltd. is an Indian broadband and telecommunications company headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. RCOM is the world's 16th largest mobile phone operator with over 144 million subscribers. Established on 2004, a subsidiary of the Reliance Group...
, Airtel
Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited , commonly known as Airtel, is an Indian telecommunications company that operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. It operates a GSM network in all countries, providing 2G or 3G services depending upon the country of operation...
, Vodafone
Vodafone Essar
Vodafone Essar, formerly Hutchison Essar, is a cellular operator in India that covers 23 telecom circles in India. It is based in Mumbai. On July 2011, Vodafone Group agreed terms for the buy-out of its partner Essar from its Indian mobile phone business. The UK firm paid $5.46 billion to its...
, Idep
Idea cellular
Idea Cellular, usually referred to as Idea, is an Indian wireless telecom company based in Mumbai, India. Idea is the 3rd largest mobile services operator in India, in revenue terms, and recorded of over 98.4 million customers as of August 2011....
, Uninor, Videocon and Tata Indicom. Broadband Internet services are provided in most parts of the city by the telecom companies.
Places of interest
- Palaces: Laxmi Vilas Palace, Nazarbaug PalaceNazarbaug Palace"Nazarbaug Palace" was Gaekwad Royal Palace in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat state, western India. Nazarbagh Palace was built in 1721. It has solid gold and silver guns, each barrel weighing over 100 kg...
, Makarpura PalaceMakarpura PalaceMakarpura Palace was Gaekwad royal palace in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat state, India. It was built by Maharaja Khende Rao in 1870, designed in the Italian style. It was extended and renovated by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. The palace is now used as a training school called No.17 Tetra School...
, Pratap Vilas PalaceRailway Staff CollegeThe Railway Staff College is the management training institute for the officers of the Indian Railways. The college trains not only newly appointed officers but also senior managers and executives...
which is converted to Railway Staff CollegeRailway Staff CollegeThe Railway Staff College is the management training institute for the officers of the Indian Railways. The college trains not only newly appointed officers but also senior managers and executives...
- Buildings & Monuments: Maharaja Sayajirao University of BarodaMaharaja Sayajirao University of BarodaThe Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, commonly referred as M. S. University , is a university in the city of Vadodara, in Gujarat state, India...
, Kirti MandirKirti MandirKirti Mandir, or Temple of Fame, is the cenotaph of the Gaekwads, located in the city of Vadodara.It was built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III to perpetuate the glorious memory of his beloved ancestors. The sun, the moon and the earth in bronze with the undivided map of India adorn the sikhara of...
, Kirti StambhKirti Stambh, Vadodara"Kirti Stambh", Tower of Fame/Triumph, is located in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat state, western India....
, Nyay MandirNyay MandirThe "Nyaya Mandir", means Temple of Justice, is a piece of Byzantine architecture in India. It houses the District Court of Vadodara city in the state of Gujarat, western India. The central hall is decorated with mosaic tiles and a statue of Chimnabai, wife of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III....
, Mandvi & Walled City, Khanderao Market, Aurobindo AshramAurobindo AshramSri Aurobindo Ashram is located at Dandia Bazar in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat, western India.it was the first ever ashram to become so popular in south areas....
, EME Temple (Dakshinamurty Temple)EME TempleThe EME Temple or "Dakshinamurty Temple" is a Shiva Temple run by Indian Army Authorities in the city of Vadodara in the state of Gujarat, western India. It is a unique in concept & design, geodesic structure covered with aluminium sheets. This temple is a major attraction for both tourist and...
, Hazira MaqbaraHazira MaqbaraHazira Maqbara is a Mausoleum of Qutbuddin Muhammad Khan and his son Naurang Khan generals and administrators of Gujarat Subah of the Mughal Empire during Emperor Akbar the Great's reign in the city of Vadodara, western India. Built around 1586, the Tomb has beautiful windows carved in stone; there...
, Tambekarwada, Kala GhodaKala GhodaKala Ghoda is a precinct or district in South Mumbai, India.The name means Black Horse, a reference to a black stone statue of King Edward VII mounted on a horse. It was built by the Jewish businessman and philanthropist [Albert Abdullah David Sassoon]...
, Anglo-Vernacular School now Music College, Juni Kothi, Central Jail, Kala Bhavan, Motibaug Palace, Sursagar Lake
- Museums & Gardens: Maharaja Fateh Singh MuseumMaharaja Fateh Singh MuseumMaharaja Fateh Singh Museum is a museum housed within the Maharaja's palace in Vadodara, India.-Overview:The building was constructed as a school for the Maharaja's children. Today a large number of works of art belonging to the Royal family are displayed in the museum...
, Baroda Museum & Picture GalleryBaroda Museum & Picture GalleryThe famous museum was built in 1894 on the lines of Victoria & Albert and Science Museums of London. Major Mant in association with R.F. Chisholm who refined some of Mant's finest works to make genuine Indo-Saracenic architecture designed the Building of this Museum. It preserves a rich collection...
, Sayaji BaugSayaji BaugSayaji Baug is a garden located in Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Sayaji Baug was dedicated to the citizens of Vadodara by Maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III in 1879. Sayajirao III built Sayaji Baug, well known as Kamati Baug, on the river Vishwamitri. Sayaji Baug is the largest garden in Western India,...
, Jubilee Baug, Lal Baug, Sardar Baug
- Malls and Multiplexes: Vadodara Central, 7 Seas, Big Bazaar, Center Square Mall, Spencer's Hyper, PVR Deep multiplex, Chandan multiplex, Inox multiplex, Fame Multiplex, Westside, More Megastore, Fame Vihar Multiplex, Cine Mall
- Other Interesting Places: Gandhi Nagar Gruh (Town Hall), Vadodara Central Library, ABS Tower Art Gallery, IPCL-Reliance Mandir Complex, Kirti Mandir
- Excursions: AjwaAjwaAjwa is a reservoir located about 10 miles east of the city of Vadodara, Gujarat, India.It is an earthen dam that was built early 20th century by the then ruler of Vadodara, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. Its main aim was to provide water to the residents of Vadodara...
& NimetaNimetaThe village of Nimeta is located 15 km near the city of Baroda, India. The name Nimeta is always used with Ajwa; the entire region is commonly referred to as Ajwa Nimeta.Nimeta has a water treatment plant. Its gardens make the town a popular tourist place....
, DabhoiDabhoiDabhoi is a city and a municipality in Vadodara district in the state of Gujarat, India. It was originally known as Darbhavati.- History :...
, PavagadhPavagadhPavagadh is a Hill Station, and a Municipality in Panchmahal district about away from Vadodara in Gujarat state in western India. It is known for a famous Mahakali temple which draws thousands of pilgrims everyday....
, ChampanerChampaner-Pavagadh Archaeological ParkChampaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is located in Panchmahal district in Gujarat, India. It was inscribed in 2004...
, Sindhrot Nature Park, Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, KayavarohanKayavarohanKayavarohan is a village in the Vadodara district of the state of Gujarat, India. Kayavarohan is popularly known as Karvan and is situated on the National Highway 8 at a distance of 30 km from Vadodara. Kayavarohan is the birth place of Lakulish, the 2nd Century C.E. Shaivite revivalist,...
, Chandod, Galteshwar, DakorDakorDakor is a city and a Nagarpalika in Kheda district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is prominent for its grand temple of Shree Krishna-Shree Ranchhodraiji.-History:...
, Nareshwar, SankhedaSankhedaSankheda in Vadodara, India is known for its lacquer works. The work is done on country wood, which being brown gives darker shades.It is world famous for its handicraft furniture. The furniture made from Teak wood. The furniture made here is exported all over the world.It is located on the bank of...
, Kabirwad
See also
- Gaekwar Dynasty
- Maharaja Sayajirao University of BarodaMaharaja Sayajirao University of BarodaThe Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, commonly referred as M. S. University , is a university in the city of Vadodara, in Gujarat state, India...
- Sita Devi Gaekwar - Maharani of Baroda
- "Moon of Baroda" DiamondMoon of BarodaThe Moon of Baroda is a cut diamond discovered in Vadodara , India. The diamond, canary yellow in colour, is cut in a pear shape. When found, the rough diamond weighed . The Moon of Baroda was originally owned by the Maharajas of Baroda. The royal family of Gaekwad Maharajas was in possession of...
- "The Star of the South" DiamondStar of the SouthThe Star of the South, also known as Estrela do Sul, is a diamond found in Brazil in 1853. The diamond is cut into a cushion shape and weighs . The Star of the South is graded as a type IIa diamond, with a colour grading of fancy light pinkish-brown and a clarity of VS2. At the time of discovery,...