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 has a small Nawab cemetery belonging to the family.
In 1789, Qazi Sayed Nuruddin Husain-Khan a member of the Nawab family was deputed along with as English officer as a native agent in the Peshwa’s court at Pune. His services were also appreciated by Anandrao Gaekwad who made his sons Nawabs of Baroda. Around the same time, there was a skirmish between the brothers of the Gaekwad household. To solve this the Peshwa sent an army from Pune with Nawab Kamaluddin to Baroda. This dispute was successfully settled with the help of Nawab ad he was titled Senapati.
The Wada:
After this, a Palace was made for Nawab in what may have been a jungle, in 1816, which is currently on Raopura Road & is known as Nawab Wada/Manzil. He was also granted the right to give decisions regarding criminal cases and this was also carried out in this Nawab Wada.
An old account recorded by a member of the family describes the Nawab Wada as: “Nawab Manzil was an opulent home. It housed our relatives and an array of staff – cooks, valets, sweepers, and butlers, alongside accountants and secretaries. It was a sprawling and spacious residence. You entered it through a high wooden gate, and the front was supported by impressive wooden pillars, painted in soft yellows and greens. There was an inner courtyard and an extensive garden, plus a majestic staircase leading to the bedrooms. It sparkled at nighttime, lit by gas lamps.”
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