Category

Vadodara-Baroda

Bharatnatyam

Baroda’s connection with Bharatanatyam begun in 1883, when the then Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III , married the princess of Tanjore called Lakshmibai of Tanjore (Renamed as Maharani Chimnabai after marriage). As part of the wedding dowry, a troupe of temple dancers and musicians were sent to Baroda. The Troupe : The troupe consisted of the dancers and a group of musicians.The dancers…

Navnath Mahadev

Navnath actually refers to a group of nine temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is believed that these were established by the Rishi Vishwamitra himself when he was doing penance in the area. Apart from this, not much is known about the history of these temples. The Gaekwads started the development of the Navnath temples during the period of 1850…

Nawab Wada

Very few people know that the Gaekwads captured Baroda from the Babi Nawabs, who at that time ruled Baroda as the officers of the Mughals. A treaty was signed between the two families, which retained the Nawabs as the owners of some land in and around the Baroda State. The present Pratapganj area used to come under these Nawabs and still…

Kharchikar Wada

Located in Raopura area, Kharchikar Wada is most popular place, as here Idol of Lord Ganesha was installed on first floor of Kharchikar Wada’s Diwankhana. Many years later, now the idol is installed outside the Wada, but people still see Kharchikar Khancha ! Still today, the Kharchikar family stay in this 200 year old wada, in which Sardar Kharchikar resided….

Kotys Studio

Hidden behind a tall tree, this beautiful building was home of the Kotys Family Studio. Coming from Mysore, Kotys were the photographers to the royal Gaekwad family of Baroda. * Continuing with the trend of that time, this building also displays exposed brickwork. But what makes it different from the other buildings is the use of sandstone and the little domes…

Ghantiyada

Located near Sureshwar Desai’s lane, it dates back to around 300 years back, where people here used to earn with floor mills in their resident. Majority of houses in this area had flour mill & so the name Ghanti Wada & then Ghantiyada became popular !

Lad Wada

Located near Gendi Gate, Lad Wada, whose original named was Lad Bibi no Wado, is named after wife of Nawab Pathan of Patan, Lad Bibi, a muslim lady, who left her husband & stayed in this area. She had good relations with people who ruled Baroda at that time & was also rich & influential. Sureshwar Desai, who were also…

Pols

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…

Then & Now