The sole purpose of traveling to Vadodara during a family trip to Ahmedabad was to visit Laxmi Vilas Palace and Tambekar wada. If you have missed reading about Tambekar wada, read it here.
A less than two hours drive from Ahmedabad through the immaculate Expressway had taken us to the city of 'Banyan trees'. Vadodara- is believed to be a corrupt form of the Sanskrit word 'Vatodar' that means belly of a Banyan tree. The British changed its name to Baroda to ease the pronunciation. But, in1974 it was renamed Vadodara. The wide and clean roads of Vadodara that sit on the banks of Vishwamitri River had welcomed us to our first stop of that day- the Laxmi Vilas Palace.
Built on a whopping 700 acres of land, the Laxmi Vilas Palace is reputed to be four times the size of Buckingham Palace. The palace was built during the reign of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1890 with an estimated cost of 180,000 pounds. Interestingly, Maharaja Sayajirao was the first Indian ruler to introduce compulsory and free education in 1906.
The Maharaja named the palace after his third wife, Rani Laxmibai from Tanjore. Set inside a sprawling ground replete with greenery and golf courses, it was initially designed by Major Charles Mant who had designed the palace in Kolhapur. However, the Major committed suicide out of guilt later convinced that the palace would not be stable but the palace withstood the tests of time and proved Mant to be wrong. Later, the palace was completed by Robert Fellowes.
It was originally built for only two people-the royal couple, with astonishingly 170 rooms in it! The palace architecture is a perfect blend of Indo Sarcenic architecture- with Mughal styled domes, Hindu and Jain motifs, and towers that resemble European style. The stones came from as far as Pune, Ajmer, and Agra. The palace's façade is made of golden stones from Songarh mines that give it a distinctive golden shine in dark and in the early morning. It is an amalgamation of details from nativity with a room for modern comfort and amenities.
The royal family still resides in the palace, hence only a few sections of the palace are open to the public. About 10 sections to be more precise. The sections that are open to the public include the Durbar Hall, Gaddi/Coronation Hall, the Royal Armory/ Pratap Shastragarh, the Museum, and the Gardens.
The Durbar Hall is exquisite with chandeliers (sadly they were all covered in white cloth)and bright Belgian stained glass windows. This engineering marvel which is 95 feet long was built without any supporting pillars. The first floor of the hall has intricately carved jharokhas.
The Coronation Hall is special as it has some of the most sought-after paintings from Raja Ravi Verma. In 1881, Raja Ravi Verma was invited by Sir. R. Madhavrao, the British Regent of the State of Vadodara, to paint the ceremonial portrait of Sayajorao III, the Gaekwad of Baroda. A special studio was created for him in the palace. During this stay, Raja Ravi Verma painted two dozens of paintings depicting episodes from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and a good number of life-like portraits of the royal family. Paintings like Nala-Daayanthi, Radha-Madhava, Shantanu-Matsyagandhi are some of the examples that are on display in the Coronation Hall. Check out the family portraits created by Raja Ravi Verma in the following link
The armory or Pratap Shastrgar houses some unique sword collections. There are charts depicting different parts of a sword. The Sunken Gardens, is the famous garden located just outside the mansion. A little walk in the garden, and pass through the fountain to get a panoramic view of the entire palace.
Some facts to be aware of for planning a visit to the palace
Photography inside the palace is strictly prohibited.
Audio guides are available that take you through the rooms and corridors of the palace as well as back in time to tell you stories about the rajas.
The entrance ticket is exorbitantly priced! Can't expect it to be reasonable like the Government property. WE have had similar experiences at Bangalore Palace.
The staff is very rude.
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