(7) Nineteenth Century Buildings in Vadodara City: Their Location and

Historical Value

Introduction: Arts and Architectures – Art and architecture are true

manifestations of the culture of a period as they reflect the mind and approach of
the society.

The ideas and technique of a society find visual expression which can be seen in
terms of art and architecture.

The advent of the Turkish rule in India did only not rise to a socio-political system
but also marked the beginning of a new expression in art and architecture.

The style of architecture that evolved during this period is called as Indo-Islamic
or Indo-Sarsenic.

New structure – arch, dome, minar (tower); shikhar replaced by dome

Material – lime-mortar/plaster, gypsum, stone, bricks

Decoration – calligraphy, geometry, and foliation

Monuments of Baroda are a legacy of its rich cultural legacy and traditions. Once
a princely state of India Baroda or Vadodara, was the capital of the Gaekwad
state. The state arose as part of the expansion of Maratha power in the 18th
century and the family name 'Gaekwad' means literally 'Protector of Cows', a title
of religious merit. The monuments and other historical findings of Baroda date it
back to the ninth century. It was then a small town called Ankottaka, situated
along the bank of the river Vishvamitri. Baroda continued to be in the hands of
the Gaekwads from 1734 to 1949, except for a short period of time in 1732 when
it was captured by the rulers of the Mughal dynasty.

The city saw immense progress under Sayajirao Gaekwad, who made it a centre
of art and culture. Baroda is prosperous, neat and well maintained, with broad
tree-lined avenues, extensive parks and numerous buildings of considerable
distinction, including various exceptional museums and art galleries. A number
of monuments, both historical and religious, are found at Baroda.
 (8) Museum in Vadodara: Baroda Museum and Art Galley and
Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum

Museum – A Museum is an institution which conserves or preserves a collection of artifacts

and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical or scientific importance.

Vado dar a is r ecko ned a mo ng t he t o p indust r ia l c it ie s in Gu jar at . T his has

no t co me in t he wa y o f t he c it y's r et ent io n o f it s past g lo r y. Va do dar a
pr ima r i l y r e ma ins u nt o uc hed by t he mo der n de ve lo p me nt s. Ru le d by t he
Gaek wad Fa m i l y in ye st er year s, t his c i t y o f Bar o da o r Vado dar a bo ast s o f
t he leg ac y o f t he r o ya l fa m i l y. I t s lar g e we l l la id o ut par ks a nd gar d e ns,
bar o nia l pa la ce s l ik e La x m i V i la s a nd t he P r at ap P a la c e a nd r ic h mu s eu ms
c her is h t he t r aces o f t he r o ya l p a st . T o da y t o ur ist s in hu ge nu mber f lo c k t o
t his c u lt ur a l l y, edu cat io na l l y, ind ust r ia l l y a nd co m mer c ia l l y r ic h c e nt er o f
t he c it y t o enjo y t he ir va cat io ns t o t he ma x i mu m le ve l. O f a l l t he d if fer e nt
t ype s o f t he t o ur ist at t r act io ns in V ado dar a, mu s eu ms i n Vado dar a ho we ver
int er e st t o ur ist s mu c h.

O n t o ur t o Vado dar a yo u w i l l co me a cr o ss ver y beaut ifu l a nd r ic h V ado dar a

mu se u ms. T he se mu seu ms ar e t he e ss e nt ia l l ink bet we e n t he pa st a nd t he
pr es e nt o f t he c it y. T he s e ar e t he s it e s w her e t r aces o f t he Bar o da hist o r ic a l
backgr o u nd c a n be s ee n in t he fo r m o f t he o bje ct s a nd ar t ifa ct s.

U ndo ubt ed l y, t her e ar e a go o d nu mber of go r geo us mu seu ms i n V ado dar a.

Al l t he mu seu ms fe at ur e d ist inct char act er ist ic s. Ho we ver t he co mmo n
e le me nt bet wee n t he d if fer e nt mu seu ms i s t hat t he y ho us e so me o f t he mo st
e xo t ic a nd pr ice le ss it e ms fr o m t he p ast and a lso bo a st o f a n ec le ct ic m i x
o f t he it e ms fr o m I nd ia a nd acr o s s t he wo r ld o f w hic h C hina, J apa n a nd
E g ypt des er ve spe c ia l me nt io n.

O f t he var io u s Vado dar a mu seu ms Bar o da mu seu m a nd ar t galle r y a nd t he

Ma har a ja Fat e h S ing h Mu seu m pu l l huge cr o wd. I n t hese mu se u ms yo u w i l l
co me a cr o ss a co m me nd a ble co lle ct io n o f wo r ks by I nd ia n ar t ist s a nd
E ur o pean Ma st er s. Yo u w i l l a lso get t o see int er est ing a nd ver y r ar e
co lle ct io n on Ar t and Ar c haeo lo g y, Nat ur a l H ist o r y, Geo lo g y a nd
E t hno lo g y.

T he best par t o f t he mus eu ms i n Vado d ar a is t hat yo u ca n sa vo r t he mo st

r e fine d wo r ks o f t he o ld E ur o pea n Ma st er s l ik e V er o ne se, G io r da no ,
Zur bar a n, so me F le m is h a nd Dut c h S c ho o l pa int ing s, T ur ner a nd Co nst a ble.
Be s ide s, t he s ig ht o f t he co lle ct io n o f Mug ha l m in iat ur e s a nd inva lu a bl e
pa l m- le a f ma nu scr ipt s o f B udd hist a nd Ja in o r ig in a lso ha s a n i nt r igu in g
i mp act .

S o o n va cat io ns in V ado dar a yo u mu st vi s it t he e xqu is it e a nd r ic h mu s eu ms

in V ado dar a. T he mu se u ms w i l l no t o nl y so o t he yo ur e ye s a nd que n c h t he
t hir st fo r r e fine d ar t fo r ms but a lso enr ic h a nd e nha nce yo ur k no w ledg e
a bo ut t he c it y.

Baroda Museum and Art Galley: Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III founded this museum in
1887. The Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery in Vadodara was completed in 1894 on the
lines of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Science Museum of London.
Major Mant and R. F. Chisholm designed the Building of this Museum into the Indo-
Sarasenic style.
In 1894, it was opened to the public.
Construction of the Art Gallery commenced in 1908, was completed in 1914, but did not
open until 1921 as the First World War delayed transfer of pieces from Europe intended for
the gallery.

Sayajirao traveled widely and commissioned various dealers and scholars to find objects
Mughal miniatures, sculptures, textiles and objects from Japan, Tibet, Nepal, and Egypt and
coins from all over the world to exhibits of the Indian musical instruments.

The Baroda Museum and Art Gallery preserves:

A rich collection of art, sculpture, ethnography & ethnology

Several of the paintings are not only original but masterpieces at the picture gallery
The picture gallery which offers an excellent collection of originals by famous British
painters Turner and constable and many others attract tourists from every part of the country
The Egyptian mummy
A skeleton of a blue whale is major attractions for those who visit the museum. One of the
highlights is the 22m long blue-whale skeleton found in 1972 at the mouth of the River Mahi,
most likely washed up in a storm
Other treasure includes the famous Akota bronzes dating the 5th Century AD
A collection of Mughal miniatures
A full-fledged gallery of Tibetan Art and oils by several European masters

The Ethnography section has exhibits about tribes from Gujarat: the Rabaris, Gamits, Bhils,
Chaudhuris and Wagharis.

The other architectural evidences like pottery from Champaner, pieces from the carved ceiling
in Sheikh Farid's tomb in Patan, glazed ceramics from Ahmedabad, and the unique patola saris
from Patan, and a collection of bronze images of Jain tirthankars found at nearby Akota

The museum library has nearly 23,000 books and periodicals on a range of subjects, some of
them extremely rare.

The Picture Gallery displays paintings by European masters, mostly from Sayajirao's private
collection. There are also two wings on modern paintings.

Photograph of the Baroda Museum, Gujarat from the Curzon Collection, taken by an
unknown photographer in the 1890s. It shows the facade of the Museum which was designed
by R.F. Chisholm and completed in 1894.
Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum

The Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum is a famous landmark in Baroda and also a historic place
to see various art, paintings, portraits and foreign sculpture. The museum situated in the
Maharaja’s Laxmi Vilas Palace. The museum has a huge collection of different sculptures and
artwork which is made by Indian and foreigner artist and collected by Maharaja Sayajirao
Gaekwad III. The museum was opened to the public in April, 1961 by Nawab Mehndi Nawaz
Jung, the then governor of Gujarat.

It was perhaps the last museum with a royal patronage and to house material exclusively from
the royal collections. It was with unparalleled dedicated efforts put in by the royal Gaekwads.
In setting up this museum the Gaekwad sought counseling from foreign specialists and
accumulated precious collection from various foreign origins such as European paintings,
European, Greeco-Roman and modem Indian sculptures, pieces of Chinese and Japanese art
and modem Indian paintings.

Maharaja Pratapsinghrao Gaekwad and later Maharaja Fatesinghrao Gaekwad, the founder of
the trust, as well as other members of the royal family including Maharaja Ranjitsinh Gaekwad
completed their schooling here. After appropriately redesigning the existing school building to
house the art treasures, Dr. H. Goetz, a renowned museum director and an expert art historian,
was engaged to arrange the display of this museum.

The Collection of Maharaja Fatesingh Museum: It in the school building situated in the
Lukshmi Villas Palace compound, formerly known as the Motibaug School built in 1875 for
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III.

The museum collection consists of several objects which are collected by the Gaekwads of
Baroda, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III (1875-1939), the visionary of Baroda city.

The building was constructed as a school for the Maharaja's children. Today a large number
of works of art belonging to the Maratha Royal family are displayed in the museum. The
museum contains works of art collected by Maharaja Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad III during his
numerous trips out of India. The major works of art in this museum are the paintings by
European and Indian artists including a collection of the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, who
was specially commissioned by the then Maharaja of Baroda. The collection includes
portraits of the Royal family in addition to the paintings based on Hindu mythology for which
Raja Ravi Varma was famous.

It is during his reign that Baroda made great strides in all round development and was
recognized as one of the foremost and most progressive states of India.

It is his efforts and interests that inspired Maharaja Fatesinghrao Gaekwad to create this trust
and the museum to preserve this great treasure and make it available to the public for their
admiration and education.

Raja Ravi Varma, a prince from the Travancore state who was the first Indian to use oil as a
painting medium, was called to Baroda. In his style of painting Ravi Varma diverged from the
prevailing trend by employing the European tradition of painting for Indian themes. Some of
his outstanding paintings on mythological subjects and portraits of the Baroda Royal Family
gives an idea of the time spent by this artist in Baroda.
The versatile Venetian artist, Felici, was employed by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in the
court to advise in the purchase of western objects d’arts and to create some for the various
palaces. Felici created many bronzes, marbles and oils, some of which are exhibited in this
outstanding museum.

The collections of foreign art consist of Chinese and Japanese porcelain and enamel, bronzes
and paintings exhibited in the western gallery; copies of famous Greek and Roman sculptures
are displayed in the eastern gallery; European oil paintings (two halls, two rooms and the south
gallery) one room equipped with 18th century French furniture; copies of 17th and 18th century
master paintings and a gallery of European applied art, mainly porcelain and glass.

The European sculptures and paintings comprise copies of famous masterpieces of the Italian
Renaissance, and original works belonging to the end of the 19th century and the beginning of
the 20th century.

In 2000, the Maharaja Fatesingh Museum Trust displayed the Gaekwad collection of the works
of Raja Ravi Varma to celebrate its centenary year. The renowned artist spent several years in
Baroda on several trips to paint commissioned works ordered by the enlightened connoisseur
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, at whose investiture the artist was first invited. One of the
ideas was to put together the entire collection of some of the best works done by the artist but
also to start an activity in the comparatively small but exquisitely arranged art gallery standing
in the Lukshmi Vilas Palace campus amongst some of the exquisite natural environment. In
2003, the major collection of Raja Ravi Varma was taken to the prestigious National Gallery
of Modern Art, Mumbai and since then the museum has organized various exhibitions. Today
museums all over the globe are active in organizing such types of exhibition to attract visitors.
Visit to these temples of art is a must as a visitor.

The museum has an oriental gallery which houses Japanese and Chinese sculptures and other
works collected by the Maharaja on his visits to these countries.
The collection in the museum includes portraits of the members of the royal family. A visit to
this museum will give you the feel of the magnificence and grandeur that the royal families in
the ancient times enjoyed. The museum attracts many tourists every year due to its situation
amidst palatial beauty and sprawling lawns.