Gendi Gate (Darwaja), serves as the Southern gateway to the old city of Baroda. It is one of the four entry gates to the walled city of Baroda, called Kila-e-Daulatabad and was built by Khalil Khan along with the now extinct fort wall. Rhinos (called Gendas in Gujarati) were kept near this gate, thus the name Gendi Gate, says the…
Pani Gate (Darwaja), serves as the eastern gateway to the old city of Vadodara (Baroda). It is one of the entry gates to the walled city of Baroda, called the Kila-e-Daulatabad and was built by Khalil Khan along with the now extinct fort walls during the 16th century. The name Panigate (literally translates to Water gate) is said to have…
What is royalty without some extravagance !!! This sentence perfectly seems to reflect the lifestyle of Maharaja Pratapsinhrao Gaekwad of Baroda. In an incident reflecting this extravagance, the Maharaja gifted his children a working scaled down model of the Flying Scotsman. Set up in 1941 on the grounds of the Lukshmi Vilas Palace, this train used to ferry the royal…
Tucked away in a quiet corner of the city, is the mausoleum/Hazira of Qutb-ud-din Muhammad Khan, which is one of the few reminders of the Pre-Gaekwadi era of Baroda. The mausoleum or the Hazira as it is locally known, contains the graves of Qutb-Ud-Din Muhammad Khan who was the tutor of Salim/Jehangir, the son & successor of Akbar. It also…
Found in the Art Collection of Sitadevi of Baroda, the Scene de Corrida was an ink drawing by the famed painter Pablo Picasso. While it is not known as to how Sita Devi came to possess the drawing, it is certain that it was in her possession for some time. This fact was proved to be true by the catalog…
Floods have been associated with the Baroda city for centuries. In fact, it was also the reason because why the ancient settlement of “Ankotaka” moved to the safety of higher grounds of “Vatapatraka”(the small settlements which were the roots of present day Baroda). Ghoda Pur : Although, there have been many floods in the city, like the one in 1878…
Sir Manubhai Nandshankar Mehta (મનુભાઇ મેહતા) (Kt, C.S.I., M.A., LL.B.) was the Dewan of Baroda state from 9 May 1916 to 1927. From 1927 to 1934 he was the Prime Minister (Dewans) of Bikanir (Bikaner state). He born on 22 July 1868. He has taken his education at Elphinstone College, Bombay. He has served as Professor of Logic and Philosophy…
Shrimant Maharaja Sir Khanderao II Gaekwad, Sena Khas Khel Shamsher Bahadur, GCSI (1828–1870) was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 12th December 1856 to 20th November 1870. He was the second son of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad II and succeeded to the throne, when his eldest brother and the king Maharaja Ganpatrao Gaekwad passed away in the year 1856. This king…
Just like it’s always said : “Behind every successful man, there is a woman”. Born as Shrimant Gajrabai Devi, to Shrimant Sardar Bajirao Amritrao Ghatge, Sarjerao, of Dewas, Maharani Chimabai II was the second wife of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. Renamed as Maharani Chimnabai II upon marriage, the queen was just as visionary as her husband. The Better-Half Maharani Chimnabai II…
Many characters from history often have disputable careers, including the royalty to which people usually refrain from pointing a finger at. Sita Devi of Baroda, may be considered one of these people. Sita Devi was born on May 12, 1917, in Madras. She was known as the “Indian Wallis Simpson”. She was a colorful lady who led an extravagant life…