Bagikhana (Stable)

School, Vadodara-Baroda By 3 Comments

Situated opposite Pologround, is a huge precinct which one may identify as an old building, once the Royal Stable and Garage known as the “Bagikhana” (the place where horse carraiges/baggis are parked). Once, a symbol of prestige and glory, the precinct now serves as the Baroda High School, Bagikhana.

The Stables :

The building was commissioned by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1909 and construction was completed on October 1, 1913 with A. H. Coyle as the chief engineer and architect. It is huge rectangular precinct with the stables, garages and other built masses encircling the huge open court. The enclosure is entered either through the bigger main gate or any of the other 5 smaller gates. There are more than a 100 rooms and some of the rooms are so big that they can house a 6 horsed chariot, which was the limit given by the Peshvas to the Baroda State.

The huge main gate is the impression of the main entrance gate of the Lukshmi Villas Palace itself. Just like the gate of the palace, the central structure of this gate as well is flanked by two towers. Two of the other 5 gates, are located on the two front corners of the structure. Each of these two gates is entered through a huge three centered arch and is topped with huge dome embellished with a finial. The two towers of the main gate and the two corner gates were used as watch towers to keep an eye on the neighboring areas as well as the activities going on inside the huge court.

Bagikhana (Stable)

The whole structure was divided into many “Khand” (portions) like Ashva Khand, Bagi Khand, Lavaj Khand, Yantrik Khand & Sevak Khand, Aishwarya Khand. The last of these two that is the Aishwarya Khand and the Sevak Khand were situated on the sides of the main gate. As the names suggest the Ashva Khand, Bagi Khand, Sevak Khand, Yantrik Khand, would have been used to house horses, chariots, servants and the weapons respectively. The Aishwarya & Dev khand were used during the festival of the Dusshera to worship the weapons and the horses (On the Dusshera festival it is a traditions to worship anything that helps one in their daily activities including tools and vehicles).

The stables also held the famed solid gold and silver carriages of the Gaekwads which were kept inside the Lavaj Khand. Apart from these it also used to house the “Golden Ambari”(solid gold howdah), the golden cannons and more than 120 royal cars and about 200 horses at one point of time.

*

Today this stable houses the Baroda High School, Bagikhana more famously known as BHS, which was the first co-educational English medium school of the time. The school was provided the premises of the stable on lease by Maharaja Fatehsingh Rao Gaekwad at a token amount of One rupee in 1961. The school is now managed by the Baroda Lions Club Education Trust who subsequently started 3 more schools with the same name in three different locations of the city.

Source: Divyabhaskar & Wikipedia
Share:
Author

Connecting people to Sayaji Nagri - #Vadodara (#Baroda)'s History & Heritage...

3 Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing this wonderful nugget of history ! – an alumnus of Baroda High School, Bagikhana

  2. Vibhuti kirtikumar shelat says:

    Thanks a lot.. To all who have contributed to this wonder clip.. Indeed it ‘s rare and most prized. I am. An alumnus of this prestigious BHS bagikhana
    And am. Proud to belong there during the most wonderful days of my life.. Studies and teaching was fun… Extracurricular activities nicely merged with curricular activities.. Teachers were more like gurus.. We used to have such fun while schooling.. It never was like burden to study there.. And the nice small canteen selling. Puffs n samosas Nd bread bhaji.. All these memories are embedded so deep. Inside me
    Once more thanks

  3. MEGHANA GUPTE says:

    Thank you so much for sharing this article.. Being an allumini of this school, I too have some of the best and precious memories of the school.

Leave a Reply

Then & Now