Tale stitched by museums

Though I had visited Vadodara (known as Baroda in the late 70s) when my father was posted in the Air Force Station in Makarpura, little did I know that I would return nearly four decades later to delve into the history of this city as a tourist. Its historical Makarpura Palace is now under the occupation of the Air Force and closed for civilians. Built by Maharaja Khande Rao in 1870, the palace was not only renovated but also extended by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1883 at a cost of 11.2 lakh. The English architect Robert F Chishlom redesigned it to lend the grandeur that it boasts of today.

After a 16-hour journey from New Delhi, my wife and I checked into a hotel in the heart of the city — in Fatehgunj — on a Sunday morning. After breakfast, we set out for our first destination — Laxmi Vilas Palace.
With the entry ticket resembling a picture card, which costs Rs 225 each, we entered the reception hall where eight personnel of the palace staff were recording the details of visitors and handing over audio guides.

Emerging from the other door we found ourselves facing a well-manicured lawn and a 10-holed golf course occupied by golfers, trailed by their caddies. Having had a good view of the magnificent palace from a distance, we entered the palace. We saw the display items ranging from paintings and swords and weapons to sculptures and chandeliers.

The audio guide cautioned us not to enter places beyond the permitted areas as a major portion of the palace was still under the occupation of the royal family. Any intrusion into their privacy is frowned upon.

Love inspires
Known to be one of the largest palaces ever built, it has over 150 rooms; it was named so by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III after his wife Chimnabai I, whose maiden name was Laxmibai. She hailed from Tanjore (present Tamil Nadu). Her death at a young age due to pregnancy-related complications devastated him so much that he got a hospital offering better medical treatment built for his people. He then married Shrimant Gajrabai Devi, but changed her name to Laxmibai in memory of his first wife.

Constructed over a period of 12 years at a cost of 1,80,000 pounds, the palace was completed in 1890 by Robert Chislom, though the project was initially undertaken by Major Charles Mant, a royal British engineer. What lends grandeur to the royal residence is the blending of European, Persian and Rajputana styles of architecture. The palace has an elevator with a cushioned bench. Only for viewing.

After having gone around the palace, we visited the shop selling mementos. After an hour-long visit, we moved to the other museum in the same compound. We then hailed an autorickshaw and arrived at the Maharaja Fatesingh Museum in less than 10 minutes.

Having bought tickets for Rs 80 each and another Rs 30 for audio guides, we started our visit by going right in front of the museum where an engine of a toy train was displayed. Erected as His Highness The Maharaja’s School, the present museum building once served as the school for the prince and the princess.

In 1941, Maharaja Pratapsinghrao Gaekwad gifted a strange item to his three-year-old son, Prince Ranjitsinh Gaekwad. It was a miniature train known as the Flying Scotsman that carried a steam engine and three coaches. Covering a distance of three kilometres on the railway track within the Laxmi Vilas Palace grounds, the children of the royal family commuted to their school from the palace in this train! It was then handed over to the Baroda Municipal Corporation and the rail track was transferred to Sayaji Baug, where it can now be seen taking tourists around, though with a different engine.

Railways connection
It’s worth mentioning that the first narrow-gauge railway track in India was laid by Maharaja Sir Khanderao Gaekwad from Dabhoi to Miyagam. He inaugurated the first oxen-hauled train in 1862. Known as Gaekwad Baroda State Railway, it was the first railway to be owned by a princely state. In 1949, it was merged with Bombay, Baroda & Central India Railway, and is now part of the Western Railway.

The collection in the museum is at once impressive and gives a peek into the history of the royal families of Baroda. To Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III goes the credit of the impressive collection of not just the paintings of the famed Raja Ravi Varma, Fyzee Rehman Samuel and the like but also exquisite vessels of blended Japanese and Chinese porcelain, and wares of Tiffany, Lalique and Orrefors glasses.

The following day, we walked from our hotel to the nearby Sayaji Baug. As we had reached there early, the Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery guards asked us to wait till 10.30 am, when the gates would open. To while away our time, we visited the zoo nearby. Inside the museum, we were at once impressed by the variety of collections. Known to be the Principal State Museum of the state, the foundation stone of the Baroda Museum was laid in 1887 by Maharaja Sayajirao III and completed in 1894, while the Picture Gallery building, an adjunct of the museum, was completed in 1914.

Covering a floor area of 40,000 sq ft, the museum has sections dedicated to prehistory, archaeology, zoology, natural history, ethnology and geology. The galleries are devoted to Egypt, Babylonia, Nepal, Tibet, China, Japan, Indonesia and such other advanced civilisations. Not to be missed is the Egyptian mummy and an array of paintings by old European masters. It took us over two hours to go around the museum. One would truly be impressed not just by the history of this magnificent city, but also the manner in which it is preserved.