Vadodara

About Vadodara

Vadodara, also known as Baroda, is a city on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan (vad) trees. Vadodara is also locally referred to as the Sanskrutik Nagari (transl. 'Cultural City') and Kala Nagari (transl. 'City of Art') of India.

The city is prominent for landmarks such as the Laxmi Vilas Palace, which served as the residence of the Maratha royal Gaekwad dynasty that ruled over Baroda State. It is also the home of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.

The city was once called Chandanavati after Raja Chandan of the Dod Parmar Rajputs. The capital was also known as Virakshetra (Land of Warriors). Later, it was known as Vadpatraka or Vadodará, and according to tradition, is a corrupt form of the Sanskrit word vatodara, meaning "in the belly of the banyan tree". It is, as of 2009, almost impossible to ascertain when the various changes in the name were made; early English travelers and merchants of the 15th century mention the town as Baroda, and it is from this that the name Baroda is derived...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.