India News | Lukshmi Vilas Palace: Jewel in Heart of Vadodara, Foundation Stone Laid on Jan 12, 1880

Vadodara, Jan 12 (PTI) Lukshmi Vilas Palace, one of the largest and most opulent private residences in the world, nestled in the heart of Vadodara took 12 years in the making and the foundation stone of the royal edifice was laid exactly 143 years ago on January 12.

The palace with about 170 rooms, including a grand Durbar Hall, is an architectural jewel surrounded by luxuriant lawns and lush gardens dotted with graceful marble urns and Italianate sculptures, and said to be four times the size of London's Buckingham Palace.

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Built as a royal residence during the reign (1875-1939) of then Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda (now Vadodara), it was designed by Major Charles Mant, largely in Indo-Saracenic style, with a few other architectural elements also included and was completed in 1890.

The sprawling campus of the palace which also includes a sunken garden and a lavish golf course, recently played host to the 10th edition of the 21 Gun Salute Concours d'Elegance, during which over 200 rare vintage cars were displayed in its premises, including some of the magnificent machines which originally belonged to the Baroda State and have been painstakingly restored in the last few years.

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The grand event has made the members of the erstwhile royal family of Baroda, currently residing in the celebrated palace, sentimental and nostalgic, as they share stories about the imposing building, which they humbly refer to as their "home".

"I do believe, even though it is my home, that Lukshmi Vilas Palace is a jewel in the heart of Baroda city, and one of the finest in India. And, we work very hard to maintain and still a very, very grand structure and still has pristine greenery around it, so you ar taken back in time," Radhikaraje Gaekwad, the titular queen of the royal family told PTI.

A textile revivalist, she came to this 19th century palace as a young bride after her marriage to Samarjitsinh Gaekwad, the titular king of the royal family. The couple, along with their two young daughters, and Rajmata Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad, currently reside in the palace, attended by a retinue of staff.

Asked if the palace is four times the Buckingham Palace in size, as widely believed, she, said, "Well, I am yet to receive an invite to the Buckingham Palace, so I don't know how many rooms they have and how big it is, but, I believe our palace is four times bigger than the Buckingham Palace. We have about 175 rooms in the palace, so I have been told. I have visited all of them, almost all of them, but haven't counted. And, they are all different sizes, from a tiny bathroom, literally, to some of the largest ones like the Durbar Hall."

According to inscriptions on two marble plaques, embedded inconspicuously in the walls of the palace, the work had begun in 1878 and completed in 1890. One plaque mentions that the architect was "Major C Mant", while the chief engineer was G K Hill.

The other plaque reads: "The first stone of the Lukshmi Velas Palace was laid by P S Melvill Esquire, C.S.I. Agent to the Governor General at Baroda, on 12th January, 1880."

The 133-year-old palace, a stunning piece of architecture, possesses as much beauty as much intrigue. Mant, who originally designed the palace, died mid-way during its making, believed to have taken his own life because he felt he had got the calculation wrong. The palace, built at a cost of 1,80,000 pounds, was later completed by architect Robert Fellowes Chisholm, another master of the Indo-Saracenic style.

"Both architects were pioneers of the Orientalist style, which combined western and eastern forms, particularly arches and domes. The skyline of the palace is a fantastical mixture of bangaldar eaves, chhatris, a tall tower and a central cupola. In creating a modern palace, Mant retained the traditional division of an Indian palace into three sections, but arrayed them in three blocks along the main axis of the building. The Durbar Hall is at the left, the Maharaja's residence in the centre and the zenana or women's apartments at the right," reads a description of the palace on the website of the British Library, which also has a photograph of it, soon after the completion.

A colossal structure, it was built for Maharaja Sayajirao III and was "reputedly the most expensive building erected by a private individual in the 19th century", it says.

Radhikaraje Gaekwad says the luxuriant Durbar Hall is arguably the most "stunning feature of the palace".

"The Durbar Hall is exquisite, with its mosaic Italian flooring, Mughal-inspired lacquered ceiling, sandalwood, rosewood jaalis. I think it's a spectacular amalgamation of so many different styles, cultures and mediums, and we have some of the finest collections of stain glass artworks. There's a lot to pull and attract people to the Lukshmi Vilas Palace," she said.

UK-based Dhanraj Gidwaney, a passionate vintage car collector, who displayed two vintage Bentleys at the 21 Gun Salute Concours d'Elegance, said: "I have had dinner at the Buckingham Palace. But, what I can see from here, this is on a much, much larger scale, the Baroda palace. And, it is wonderful."

Tourists and general visitors are allowed to see the sunken garden, a few rooms of the palace on the ground floor, such as the Hathi Hall and Durbar Hall, whose floor bears exquisite mosaic work, including the intricately woven royal monogram in all four quarters.

Radhikaraje Gaekwad says to "see the grandeur and beauty of these structures, in the way they were imagined and built, and to still see them in that condition, I think will stir everyone's imagination to think strongly about our architecture, history and our institutions".

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)