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Introduction

Transport & Sight Seeing

Accommodation

Air-Vadodara is connected by various domestic airlines to Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Daman, and Pune.

Rail-Vadodara, a major railway junction is located on the Western Railway, which connects Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad.

Road-State transport buses and private luxury coaches connect Vadodara to various towns and cities of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, and Rajasthan. Vadodara is 112 kms. from Ahmedabad and 420 kms. from Mumbai.

Must See -

The Laxmi Vilas Palace - Designed in Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, the palace built by Maharaja Sayajirao 111 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.

Vadodara, originally Vadapadraka means a village amidst the banyan trees. Historical findings take us back to the 9th century where we find reference to a town called Ankottaka, which can be identified as present day Akota. Located on the right bank of the river this place was prone to floods and therefore in the later period Vadapadraka displaced Ankottaka as the administrative headquarters.

Ankottaka was a famous centre of Jainism and Jain Studies towards 5th & 6th Century A.D. The hoard of metallic Jain images-Akota Bronzes-can be seen in the Vadodara Museum and are of immense artistic and technological value.

Kirti Mandir - Meaning 'Hall of Fame', it's a memorial for the Gaekwad rulers. Designed in the Hindu style, it is a magnificent stone building with domes, terraces, balconies and a central shikhara. It is decorated with murals by the famous Indian artist, Nandlal Bose.

Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad University - The erstwhile ruler of Baroda, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad, built Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad University, also known as MSU, over a hundred years ago. The University is one of the bigger universities in Western India and the only one in Vadodara. The notable faculties here are the Faculty of Fine Arts and the Faculty of Performing Arts.

The Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary - Located in the Bharuch district, the Shoolpaneshwar sanctuary stretches to an area of 608sq. kms. It boasts abundant plant and animal life. Here you can see leopards, sloth bears, sambar, wild dogs, hyena, barking deer and a variety of birds.

How to get there

Air-Nearest airport is at Vadodara.

Rail-The most convenient railway station is at Ankleshwar, at a distance of 60kms.

Other places to see

Nazarbagh Palace - Built in the Victorian classical style, the palace was used on ceremonial occasions by the Gaekwads. It now houses the royal family heirlooms.

Makarpura Palace-A beautiful palace designed in the Italianate style, the Makarpura Palace is now used as a training school of the Indian Air Force.

Pratap Vilas Palace at Lalbag-Built as the residence of the royal family, Pratap Vilas is an extravagant and flamboyant building in the Indo-Sarcenic style. It now houses the Railway Staff College.

Hajira-Constructed in the memory of Kutub-ud-din the general of Akbar's army, it is the only existing Mughal monument of the city. There is also a step well in its vicinity.

Chandod-Located 50kms. away from Vadodara, Chandod is a place of great sanctity due to the confluence of Narmada, Orsang and mythological Saraswati Rivers. People come here to perform Pitru Shradhha. There are number of temples and a Vaishnav bethak. Kapileshwar Mahadev temple is believed to be of great antiquity and has interesting wall paintings. A fair is held on Chaitra Sud 15.

Kayavarohan-It is an ancient town 29kms from Vadodara, believed to have existed through each of the four ages.

According to a popularly held belief it was from here that Lord Shiva in the guise of a child transmigrated after death and his body disappeared. Thus the place came to be known as Kayavarohan.

A number of copper coins and a stone quern have been found here. A beautiful head of Tapas, the image of Kartikeya and an idol of Uma Maheshwara are some of the archaeological specimens discovered from here.