Vadodara
Vadodara, also known as Baroda, is the third-most populated town in Gujarat after Ahmedabad and Surat (the three towns with a population of over 1 million in Gujarat). It is located on the Vishwamitri river, southeast of Ahmedabad.
Vadodara is also a district in the state of Gujarat and the city is the administrative headquarters of this district. This district is surrounded by Panchmahal, Dahod (North), Bharuch, Narmada (South), Anand and Kheda (West) districts. To the east is the state of Madhya Pradesh.
It is home to almost 1.492 million people (as of 2001), the beautiful Maharaja Palace and the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (M.S.U.) which is famous for its faculty of technology and engineering (Techo) and fine arts department. It has a high literacy rate by Indian standards of 78% (2001).
It is the second biggest city of Gujarat (after Ahmedabad), and known as its Cultural Capital.
Major industries include textiles, petrochemicals, engineering and a small but growing software industry.
While not having major tourist attractions, Baroda is generally considered a good place to live, and it has an interesting mix of traditional Indian areas like the old city, various temples, etc., and modern developments like shopping centres and multiplex cinemas.
About 15,000 people lived in slums in Vadodara according to the provisional results of census 2001.
It was one of the cities affected by the 2002 rioting between Hindus and Muslims. The riots in Gujarat led to around 2,000 deaths, most of them Muslims.
Past & Present
The earliest mention of Baroda is in a grant or charter of [812] that identifies it as Vadapadraka, a village attached to the nearby town of Ankottaka. In the 10th century Vadapadraka replaced Ankottaka as the main town.
Baroda's more recent history began when the Maratha leader Pilaji Gaekwad (or Gaekwar) conquered the city from the Mughal empire in 1721. The Gaekwads were granted the city as a fief by the Peshwa, the nominal leader of the Maratha empire. After the Maratha defeat by the Afghans at the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, control of the further regions of the empire by the Peshwas weakened, and the Gaekwad Maharajas ruled Baroda until Indian independence. In 1802, the British intervened to defend a Maharaja that had recently inherited the throne from rival claimants, and Baroda concluded a treaty with the British that recognized their independence from the Maratha empire, and guaranteed the Maharajas of Baroda local autonomy in return for recognizing British sovereignty.
Maharaja Sayajirao III, who took the throne in 1875, did much to modernize Baroda, establishing compulsory primary education, a library system, a university, and model textile and tile factories, which helped to create Baroda's modern textile industry. With India's independence in 1947, the last ruling Maharaja of Baroda acceded to India. Baroda was added to Bombay state, which was divided into the states of Gujarat and Maharastra in 1960. Because Gujarati was Baroda's predominant language, it became part of Gujarat.
Modern Baroda is a great and fitting memorial to its late ruler, Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III (1875-1939 AD). It was the dream of this able administrator to make Baroda an educational, industrial and commercial centre and he ensured that his dream would come true.
Baroda is situated on the banks of the river Vishwamitri (whose name is derived from the great saint Rishi Vishwamitra). The city was once called Chandravati, after its ruler Raja Chandan, then Viravati, the abode of the brave, and then Vadpatra because of the abundance of banyan trees on the banks of the Vishwamitri. From Vadpatra it derived its present name Baroda or Vadodara.
Baroda has a rich historical background. The ardent historian can trace Baroda’s history over 2000 years and more. However, the recent threads can be picked up when the Moghul rule over the city came to an end in 1732, when Pilaji brought the Maratha activities in Southern Gujarat to a head and captured it. Except for a short break, Baroda continued to be in the hands of the Gaekwads from 1734 to 1949.
The greatest period in the Maratha rule of Baroda started with the accession of Maharaja Sayajirao III in 1875. It was an era of great progress and constructive achievements in all fields.
Maharaja Sayajirao was one of the foremost administrators and reformers of his times. He initiated a series of bold socio-economic reforms. He attached great importance to economic development and started a number of model industries to encourage initiative, and then handed back the working industries to private enterprise. He started model textile and tile factories. It is as a result of his policy of industrial development that Baroda is today one of the most important centres for textile, chemical and oil industries today. He introduced a number of social reforms. In no department of administration has the far-sighted policy of this wise ruler been more conspicuous than in education, and in none have the results been more real and tangible. He boldly introduced compulsory primary education and a library movement (the first of its kind in India) to augment his adult education scheme.
It was he who visualised a general scheme of development in all branches of knowledge at different stages, with the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda at the apex. Modern Baroda owes its beauty, its educational institutions and its masterpieces of architecture to the insight and vision of this great ruler.
There is a saying that nothing grows under the banyan tree, but this is not true for Baroda. Having witnessed the rise and fall of the empires and kingdoms of the Hindus, Pathans, Moghuls, Marathas and British Raj, it now occupies a unique position on the educational, cultural and industrial map of India. Yet, it has been fortunate enough to retain the beauty of its rich and varied past. And it is one of the few cities in India which is still influenced by the lost might of its ruling dynasties.
The People & Culture
The people of Baroda like to tell visitors that their city is a ‘Sanskari Nagari’, that is, a ‘Cultured City’. By and large, the visitors agree. The city does indeed have rich cultural traditions. And today’s Barodians have quite a full and hectic cultural life throughout the year.
The outstanding trait about Baroda’s cultural life is that it is remarkably cosmopolitan. And while there are hundreds of different identities, everyone participates in all activities. So, the culture of the city is not just history or heritage; it is dynamic, ever-changing and alive.
Baroda is one of India’s most cosmopolitan cities. Thanks to the vision and broadmindedness of the Gaekwads, the subsequent industrialisation, the proliferation of academic activities and a strategically important geographical location, Baroda has welcomed a wide variety of people from all over India and also from all over the world.
More or less every Indian community has an active identity in this city. And this happy co-existence is reflected in the social and cultural life of the people. In all of this, the sprawling and cosmopolitan MS University campus and the large number of local, national and foreign industries act as a catalysing and unifying force.
The average Barodian is open to the world and overflowing with hospitality, as the history and growth of the city aptly testify.
If you want to see Baroda’s cultural enthusiasm, you should visit this city during any festive occasion Navratri, Diwali, Uttarayan, Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Id, New Year, campus fun fairs, etc. On any given day, some cultural activity or the other is going on in the city. Classical music and dance have their patrons, and so does the modern stage and pop culture. The culture and the traditions are both alive and being forever experimented with.
Can you expect anything less from a city which is blessed by its geography and its history, which is the home of a vibrant internationally renowned university and which is a key component of India’s industrial base? The people of Baroda have not only hung on to the cultural heritage, they embellish it as they exuberantly go on with their daily lives.
The official language of Gujarat is Gujarati, but Hindi, Marathi and English are also widely used in Baroda. State and local government offices in the city use both Gujarati and English, Central government offices use English and Hindi and industrial and commercial organisations use English. The medium of instruction at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSU) is English. The medium of instruction in the city’s schools varies Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, English, etc.
The cultural life is of course in many languages. And on the streets, in the markets and at other public places you can hear ‘AKHA INDIA’ (the whole of India).
Industry & Commerce
Baroda enjoys a special place in the state of Gujarat. Till the early 1960’s Baroda was considered to be a cultural and educational centre. The first modern factory (Alembic Pharmaceuticals) was established in Baroda in 1907 and subsequently companies such as Sarabhai Chemicals, Jyoti, etc., came up in the 1940s. By 1962 there were 288 factories employing 27510 workers. At that time, the dominant industrial groups were chemicals and pharmaceuticals, cotton textiles and machine tools. The estabilsment of Bank of Baroda by Sayajiroa Gaikwad III in 1908 also help industrial growth.
In 1962, Baroda witnessed a sudden spurt in industrial activity with the establishment of Gujarat Refinery, Indian Oil Corporation. Several factors like raw material availability, product demand, skillful mobilisation of human, financial and material resources by the government and private entrepreneurs have contributed to Baroda becoming one of India’s foremost industrial centres.
The discovery of oil and gas in Ankleshwar and North Gujarat led to the industrial development of Gujarat in a big way. The Baroda region is the largest beneficiary in the process of this industrialisation. Gujarat Refinery went into the first phase of production in 1965. The refinery being a basic industry made vital contributions on several fronts at the regional and national levels.
In Baroda various large-scale industries such as Gujarat State Fertilisers & Chemicals, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited and Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited have come up in the vicinity of Gujarat Refinery and all of them are dependent on it for their fuel and feedstock. Other large-scale public sector units are Heavy Water Project and Gujarat Industries Power Company Limited. In addition to these public sector enterprises, a number of other large-scale enterprises have come up in the private sector. The products of these industries have wide applications in various sectors of the Indian economy.
The establishment of large industrial units in a region automatically brings into existence a number of smaller enterprises. Baroda is no exception and the city and the surrounding areas are today humming with industrial activity.
The industrialisation of Baroda has attracted entrepreneurs not only from Baroda but also from all over Gujarat and India. A large number of the entrepreneurs come with sound business backgrounds and the level of education and technical skills is exceptionally high.
Education
Baroda is synonymous with education. The patronage of education started with Maharaja Sayajirao and the city has built further on the academic infrastructure established by him.
The present educational foundation rests on over 20 public schools and over 100 private schools. Towering benevolently over all is the Maharaja Sayajirao University, the jewel in the Baroda crown, so to speak. MSU is the only university in Gujarat with English as the medium of instruction. It has 13 faculties and 17 residential hostels, 4 of them for women students. The university caters to over 30,000 students.
Statistics
The city is on the major rail and road arteries joining Mumbai with Delhi and Mumbai with Ahmedabad. Because of this Vadodara is known as a ‘Gateway to the Golden Corridor’. National Highway No. 8 passes through the city. All superfast and express trains halt at Vadodara Railway Station. Vadodara also has an airport which is very well connected with the other major airports of India.
Public transport vehicles within the city include buses, autorickshaws and taxis. There are a few private bus services too. Of course, there are many people who use their own vehicles – cars, scooters, motorcycles and bicycles. Private taxis are also available.
- Area: 108.22 sq. km.
- Altitude: 35.5 Mts. Above Mean Sea Level.
- Latitude: 22 deg 17’ 59’’ North
- Longitude: 73 deg 15’ 18’’ East
- Distance from Mumbai: 425 Km
- Distance from Delhi: 1039 Km
- Distance from Ahmedabad: 90 Km
- Pucca Roads: 1680 Km
- Kutchcha Roads: 400 Km
- Total Roads: 2080 Km
- Winter Temperature: Max 31 OC, Min 11 OC
- Summer Temperature: Max 45 OC, Min 24 OC
- Rainfall (mid-June to mid-September): 931.9 mm
- Population
1961: 298,398 1971: 467,487 1981: 734,473 1991: 1,031,346 (males 53%; females 47%) 1995: 1,200,000 1998: 1,400,000 2005: 1,860,000 (approx) 2010: 2,200,000 (projected)
- Number of households: 213,540
- Population density: 9,527 per sq km
- Literacy: 76.11% of total population (males 79.21%; females 68.41%)
- Motorised vehicles: 350,000
- Election Wards: 26
- Seats (Corporators): 78
- Population per ward: 31,122.50
- Seats reserved for women: 26
- Total voters (as on 17-1-97): 809,185
Climate
Lowest recorded temperature 30F (-1C) [1]
Places of Interest
- Laxmi Vilas Palace
- Sayaji Baug
- Ajwa - Nimeta
- Maharaja Sayajirao University
- EME Temple
- ISCON Temple
- Sindhrot
- Inox Multiplex
- Baroda Sight-Seeing