Sayaji Baug (Kamati Baug)

Imagine a sprawling park with pathways shaded by huge leafy trees and lawns bordered with lush green bushes, in the center of the city. Sayaji Baug is one such park located in the heart of Vadodara. Also known as “Kamati Baug”, it was commissioned by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1879, as a gift to the citizens of his Baroda State.

A Floral Clock and two brave boys

Earlier the site of a village called Kamatipura, the park is situated on banks of river Vishwamitri. Sayaji Baug, (also known as Public Park in olden time) is spread over 113 acres of land and is the largest garden in Western India. Apart from being rich in flora and fauna with over 98 species of trees, the park houses a huge museum, a zoo, a planetarium, and a miniature toy train.

The park is dotted with water fountains, several bronze sculptures, and groups of fitness and children’s playground equipment. It is also home to an open-air theatre and the famous Sayajibaug Floral Clock. Located just a few meters from the second gate, this enormous clock has become the most photographed feature in Vadodara since the arrival of digital technology.

Designed by Shri Prakash Pethe and built at a cost of 44,000 rupees, the project required 30,000 cubic feet (840 cubic meters) of earth filling. Its striking dial, measuring 20 feet in diameter, features alternate triangles beautifully planted with red and green Alternanthera grass. The machinery itself is housed underground in a specially created pit, where a concrete box protects the motor and rotator. This system works on a synchronized weight and train mechanism, where a master clock located a short distance away runs on DC current and sends signals to the motor to move the hands.

When it was inaugurated on January 25, 1976, by the Gujarat Minister for Power and Industries, Mr. Bhailalbhai Contractor, the celebration was full of pompous fanfare, set to the lively tunes of a brass band. Over the years, the clock’s iconic status grew; its postcards were sold in massive numbers, and it even shared the spotlight in three films—two Gujarati and one Hindi. It is the exact kind of wonder that captures the imagination: a huge, living timepiece surrounded by the lush trees and flowers of a spacious Sayaji Baug.

While roaming through the park, one will come statues of two small boys named Hari Koli and Arjan Koli, (one located at the gate in front of MSU Fine Arts & other is located in the garden area near the bandstand). These statues were actually commissioned as a tribute to the two boys from Dhari, Amreli, by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. These were the boys who saved the Maharaja from a tiger during a hunting expedition in 1933.

Cable-stayed Suspension Bridge

A cable-stayed Suspension Bridge over the Vishwamitri River is too a part of the garden. The present bridge is a later addition on the site of an old cable-stayed suspension bridge. The old bridge was built by John Fleming & Co Engineers, Bombay, at the time when the garden was also being set up. But in a tragic turn of events, the bridge broke down due to heavy rush on the day of Fugga Agiyaras in 1964. The bridge currently standing on the site is a new Cable Bridge constructed by the VMC in the year 2016.

An Egyptian Mummy and Whale’s skeleton & a Pavilion

Housed in a cozy corner of the park behind towering palm trees, the Baroda Museum was built in 1894, with the Picture Gallery being added in 1921. Designed by Robert Chisholm the Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery preserves a rich collection of art, sculpture, ethnography, and ethnology. The four feet tall Egyptian Mummy and the skeleton of a Blue Whale are some of the most famous exhibits of the museum. Along with these, the Picture Gallery exhibits artworks of some British Painters.

The Pavilion was constructed in 1878–1879 (VS 1935) for Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III as a Victorian-style structure located across from the Baroda Museum in Sayajibaug. Built under the guidance of Dewan Raja Sir T. Madava Row, State Engineer G. Knox-Hill, and contractor C.A. Stumpf, the building served as a royal retreat for the Maharaja during his visits to the park. Over its long history, the site has transitioned through several roles, including being a venue granted to the local Parsi community for various events and later housing a Health Museum.

Architecturally, the building is defined by its ornate arches, wrought iron pillars, and intricate embellishments, complemented by classic wooden flooring and staircases. A unique feature of its design is a terrace located on one side of the structure, which is absent on the other. Although the health museum has since closed, the Pavilion remains an active cultural space, occasionally hosting workshops and exhibitions, such as the recent display highlighting the works of architect Robert Fellows Chisolm.

Unqiue Statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

The story behind the statue of Chatrapati Shivaji at Sayajibaug, which was unveiled by Maharaja Sayajirao on 8th March 1934 !

In January 1934, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad toured the Amreli and Navsari districts of the Baroda State. At Navsari itself, he unveiled a statue of Sir Dadabhai Naoroji, who had been born there. He described Sir Dadabhai as “India’s Grand Old Man,” recalling that Baroda and Maharaja Sayajirao himself had given him timely help, which enabled him to further his political career in England.

Two months later, Maharaja Sayajirao unveiled another statue. This was in Baroda itself, and the statue was that of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire. This magnificent statue, which stands in heart of park near Msueum, has an interesting history that highlights an admirable facet of Maharaja Sayajirao’s character: his willingness to help artists in distress.

The statue had been made by G.K. Mhatre, an eminent sculptor from Bombay, and was originally intended for the Shivaji Memorial Park in Poona. However, when it was nearly ready, serious differences of opinion arose regarding some of its details between the sculptor and the committee in charge of the memorial. In the end, the committee decided to reject Mhatre’s statue and ordered another. Mhatre, who had spent the best part of two years and a significant amount of money creating it, faced a crippling financial loss; it was nearly impossible to find a ready buyer for a life-sized equestrian statue.

Ganpatrao Kashinath Mhatre was one of India’s foremost sculptors and had previously done commissioned work for the Baroda State. When someone mentioned Mhatre’s predicament to Maharaja Sayajirao, the Maharaja at once offered to buy the statue for the exact price the Poona Committee had originally agreed to pay, subsequently finding a suitable home for it.

(Excerpts from the book- “SAYAJIRAO OF BARODA- The Prince and The Man” penned by Maharaja Fatehsingh Rao Gaekwad of Baroda)

A Zoo, a Planetarium, and a Toy Train

Want to learn about outer space? Look no further !!! The Sardar Patel Planetarium at Sayaji Baug will answer all your questions about the space. The huge pyramidal building standing on the premises of the Park houses the Planetarium. Educating people about space for many years, it organizes shows in three languages namely Hindi, Gujarati, and English.

Picture yourself sitting in a small train that is running alongside shaded pathways on one side and huge fenced areas with different animals in them, on the other side, this would be the Sayaji Baug Zoo. One gets two options to traverse through the Zoo at the Sayaji Baug and to see different types of animals housed in it. One can stroll through the zoo either via the shaded pathways or via the miniature train.

Peep peep, Watch out !!! the Joy Train is coming through!!! For years, the Baug has been the home to a miniature railway line. Earlier called the Ajayab Ghar (The House of Wonders) the Toy Train was a scaled-down version of the trains normally seen running in India, and its bogies could only fit small children. A few years ago this was changed and the miniature train and its bogies were replaced with a Joy Train which could also fit grown people. The station’s name was also changed from Ajayab Ghar to Swami Vivekanada Station and the Toy Train became the Joy Train.

The park is ever full of people even in the mornings, people looking to stay fit, people looking for an escape from their busy lives and people simply looking for some happiness. Flocks of people especially crowd the park on the weekends. If you are lucky enough, you may even get to see the glee on the faces of little children out on a field trip from school, lining up outside the Ajayab Ghar waiting for the Toy Train to arrive at the station !!!

Even today after almost close 150 years, this gift by the visionary Maharaja is the joy and pride of the citizens of Baroda. A park full of joy and ever waiting to be discovered and rediscovered by its people. It is full of joy even outside its premises, with the Ballon-walas doing rounds outside the park with colorful balloons soaring the sky and the air filled with the tantalizing aromas arising from the street food carts from across the road. But wait there is some more left to be discovered! A visit to the park is never complete without the evening ride of the city in the decorated horse-drawn carts, taking you to a bygone era. So visit the Sayaji Baug to simply escape to a different world taking you from a concrete jungle to an almost real one !!!