Just like any other town of Gujarat, Baroda also displays Pols as its basic housing unit in the old city areas. It is said that Baroda had about 200 Pols in total at one point of time.
What is a Pol ?:
A pol is basically an indigenous type of housing, seen commonly in Gujarat. A pol can be best described as a community housing, with houses that are placed tightly after one another. It usually consists of few elements which make it a “pol”. Each of these elements have their own significance, which make up the unique character if these “pols”.
Following can be classified as the elements of a typical pol :
Houses and the Lane : The houses of a pol are typically a set of narrow, 2-3 storeyed houses sharing a common wall, set perpendicularly along a narrow street. Narrow street, commonly seen in most of old Indian housing system, and now the headache of people with cars, were actually narrow on purpose. These narrow streets would be aligned in such a way that, they would remain shaded by the shadow of the houses, throughout the day.
Ootla : Actually the part of the houses, these are the platforms that extend a little beyond the houses and forms an informal gathering space. This is where you can see the aunties gossiping away in their free time, while doing their daily chores like cleaning the vegetables.
The Chowk: A “chowk” is big open space connected with narrow streets, and can be called the heart of the pol. This is the area where you can see old uncles sitting and chatting away in the evenings, over a cup of “cha”(tea). This would be the place for socializing in the olden days, usually on the benches arranged around a “chabutra”.
Chabutro: The “chabutro” is actually a bird feeder that would be placed in the chowk of a pol. These “desi” bird feeders are usually high, and are made up of wood and may even be painted in bright colors.
Animals: No Indian thing is ever complete without being associated with animals, and neither are the Pols. A cow is one of the animals that you will see loitering around the houses, this is because it is a custom to feed the cow the first “roti” (bread) cooked in the house to seek her blessings. Another animal is the dog, who are fed so that they protect the people of pol from any intruders.
These are the elements that make up a pol and make it a community housing that is unique to the region and deeply rooted in the culture.
Pols of Baroda:
Mama ni Pol: Named after Balchand Patel, and popularly known as “Mama ni Pol”, this pol(community housing) is situated in the Raopura area of the city. Curiously enough (curious because “mama” in Gujarati means maternal uncle) the Pol came to be known as Mama ni Pol because, Balchand Patel, worked at Atreni Kotwad & was the maternal uncle of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad II. This pol consists of 2 beautiful Jain Derasars.
At the end of this Pol are the government quarters, where once was the Wada of Dewan Venirambhai, who was a minister during the Gaekwadi era. While digging in the Wada a ‘Tambapatra’ or copper plate was found, which is the first written mention of Baroda as the “Vatapatraka” village.
The plate contains a detailed description of Vatapatraka (now Baroda), along with its boundaries. The 9th-century plate states that Karka Suvarnavarsha, a ruler of the Gujarat branch of Rashtrakutas, in 812 A.D. made a bequest of Baroda village to Bhanu, a Madhyandin Chaturvedi Brahmin of Vatsyayana “gotra” who had come from Vallabhi to Ankottaka! The plate is currently housed in the Oriental Institute of the Maharaja Sayajirao University.
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Ghadiyali Pol: Located in the densely packed area of the walled city, Ghadiyali Pol, is a narrow lane with tightly packed houses, just like any other pols of Baroda. Originally called the “Ghadial wali Pol”(means “the pol with a clock), it has a story behind its name, just like any other thing in India.
The Clock: It is said that an earlier king of the Gaekwad dynasty, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad II (1818-1847) lived & died in a house, in this area. During his period, everyone was notified of the time of day via a huge gong played at an interval of an hour. The gong was played with a huge mallet at every hour as many times, as the hour of the day(i.e. 7 times if it was 7 O’clock ). At that time, no other Pol had such a system, and this is what made the Pol popular as Ghadial wali Pol or the Ghadiyali Pol !!!!
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