Baroda House, as the name suggests was built for the Maharaja of Baroda, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. It was the residence of Sayajirao III in Delhi, located on Kasturba Gandhi Marg near Faridkot.
The building was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and it is said that he designed it on a train from Bombay in 1921. The construction of the building started in October of 1928 and it is said that it took 15 years to complete the edifice. Fashioned after the other buildings in Lutyen’s Delhi, the building features elements such as a dome inspired by Sanchi Stupa and semi-circular arches. It also features terraces, grand corridors, grand corridors, cooling arcades, beautiful gardens, and well-ventilated salons and richly done up living rooms.
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Today, the Baroda House houses the Zonal Headquarter of Northern Railway. Over the years, the building has been much modified as per the requirements of the Railway Offices and is said to be in a bad state. Despite the bad state, the building reminds one of the opulence of the princely State of Baroda.
Outside the building, in a small landscaped patch, a narrow-gauge MTR class steam locomotive is parked. Every weekday at 5 pm, the retired locomotive is made to turn its driving wheels and blow the characteristic horn!
Partial Sources: Hindustan Times, Lutyen’s Trust (for Image)
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