Maharaja Palace

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Majestic Laxmi Vilas Palace(Built By Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III), Baroda

The term Maharaja Palace actually refers to a series of palaces in Vadodara constructed since the Gaekwad family started ruling the Vadodara State. The first one was a building known as the Sarkar Wada. This building, not really a palace, was given up for the Nazarbaug Palace built in old classical style. This once a magnificent building is now in a dilapidated state.

After this the Lakshmi Vilas Palace, an extravagant building of the Indo-Saracenic school, was built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1890 is till date the residence of the royal family. Its ornate Darbar Hall has an Italian mosaic floor and walls with mosaic decorations. The palace houses a remarkable collection of old armoury and sculptures in bronze, marble & terracotta. The Palace "compound" as it is known here is of over 700 acres and houses a number of buildings, particularly the Moti Baug Palace and the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum building. Adjacent to the Motibaug Palace and the Museum is the Moti Bagh Stadium, the estwhile home of the Baroda Cricket Association.

The Museum building was constructed as a school for the Maharaja's children. Today a large number of works of art belonging to the Royal family have been displayed in the museum. The most remarkable of these is the fabulous 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. The Maharaja had constructed a miniature railway line from the school to the main Lakshmi Vilas Palace which circled the mango orchard within the palace compound. The palace also boasted of a small zoo. The only remnant of this zoo is the pond where a number of crocodiles remain. The Navlakhi (literally meaning "of nine hundred thousand") Well, a fine 'baoli' or step well, is 50 metres north of the palace.

A beautiful Golf Course has been set up by Gaekwad Baroda Golf Club, set up by the Royal Family for the citizens of Vadodara. The Motibaug Palace is now the club house for the club. Packs of langoors & peacocks can be spotted around the palace compound. The present management of the club have used the old British spelling Lukshmi Vilas Palace instead of the better known Lakshmi Vilas Palace.

Two other palaces in Baroda were the Makarpura Palace, built on the southern outskirts of Baroda which now houses a defence installation and Pratap Vilas Palace, which houses the prestigious Railway Staff College of India.