| History (Back to Top) |
Modern Vadodara is a great and fitting memorial to its late ruler, Sayaji Rao
Gaekwad III (1875-1939 AD). It was the dream of this able administrator to make
Vadodara an educational, industrial and commercial centre and he ensured that his
dream would come true.
 Baroda is
situated on the banks of the river Vishwamitri (whose name is derived from the
great saint Rishi Vishwamitra). The city was once called Chandravati, after its
ruler Raja Chandan, then Viravati, the abode of the brave, and then Vadpatra
because of the abundance of banyan trees on the banks of the Vishwamitri. From
Vadpatra it derived its present name Baroda or Vadodara.
Vadodara has a rich historical background. The ardent historian can trace Baroda’s
history over 2000 years and more. However, the recent threads can be picked up
when the Moghul rule over the city came to an end in 1732, when Pilaji brought
the Maratha activities in Southern Gujarat to a head and captured it. Except for
a short break, Vadodara continued to be in the hands of the Gaekwads from 1734 to
1949.
The greatest period in the Maratha rule of Vadodara started with the accession of
Maharaja Sayajirao III in 1875. It was an era of great progress and constructive
achievements in all fields.
 Maharaja Sayajirao
was one of the foremost administrators and reformers of his times. He initiated
a series of bold socio-economic reforms. He attached great importance to
economic development and started a number of model industries to encourage
initiative, and then handed back the working industries to private enterprise.
He started model textile and tile factories. It is as a result of his policy of
industrial development that Vadodara is today one of the most important centres
for textile, chemical and oil industries today. He introduced a number of social
reforms. In no department of administration has the far-sighted policy of this
wise ruler been more conspicuous than in education, and in none have the results
been more real and tangible. He boldly introduced compulsory primary education
and a library movement (the first of its kind in India) to augment his adult
education scheme.
It was he who visualised a general scheme of development in all branches of
knowledge at different stages, with the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Vadodara
at the apex. Modern Vadodara owes its beauty, its educational institutions and its
masterpieces of architecture to the insight and vision of this great ruler.
There is a saying that nothing grows under the banyan tree, but this is not true
of Vadodara. Having witnessed the rise and fall of the empires and kingdoms of the
Hindus, Pathans, Moghuls and Marathas, it now occupies a unique position on the
educational, cultural and industrial map of India. Yet, it has been fortunate
enough to retain the beauty of its rich and varied past. And it is one of the
few cities in India which is still influenced by the lost might of its ruling
dynasties.
|
| People & Culture (Back to Top) |
The people of Vadodara like to tell visitors that their city is a ‘Sanskari
Nagari’, that is, a ‘cultured city’. By and large, the visitors agree. The city
does indeed have rich cultural traditions. And today’s Barodians have quite a
full and hectic cultural life throughout the year.
The outstanding trait about Vadodara’s cultural life is that it is remarkably
cosmopolitan. And while there are hundreds of different identities, everyone
participates in all activities. So, the culture of the city is not just history
or heritage; it is dynamic, ever-changing and alive.
 Yes, Vadodara
is one of India’s most cosmopolitan cities. Thanks to the vision and
broadmindedness of the Gaikwads, the subsequent industrialisation, the
proliferation of academic activities and a strategically important geographical
location, Vadodara has welcomed a wide variety of people from all over India and
also from all over the world.
More or less every Indian community has an active identity in this city. And
this happy co-existence is reflected in the social and cultural life of the
people. In all of this, the sprawling and cosmopolitan MS University campus and
the large number of local, national and foreign industries act as a catalysing
and unifying force.
The average Barodian is open to the world and overflowing with hospitality, as
the history and growth of the city aptly testify.
If you want to see Vadodara’s cultural enthusiasm, you should visit this city
during any festive occasion Navratri, Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Id, New Year,
Uttarayan, Holi, campus fun fairs, etc. On any given day, some cultural activity
or the other is going on in the city. Classical music and dance have their
patrons, and so does the modern stage and pop culture. The culture and the
traditions are both alive and being forever experimented with.
 Can you expect anything less from a city which is blessed by
its geography and its history, which is the home of a vibrant internationally
renowned university and which is a key component of India’s industrial base? The
people of Vadodara have not only hung on to the cultural heritage, they embellish
it as they exuberantly go on with their daily lives.
|
The official language of Gujarat is Gujarati, but Hindi, Marathi and English are
also widely used in Vadodara. State and local government offices in the city use
both Gujarati and English, Central government offices use English and Hindi and
industrial and commercial organisations use English. The medium of instruction
at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Vadodara (MSU) is English. The medium of
instruction in the city’s schools varies Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, English, etc.
The cultural life is of course in many languages. And on the streets, in the
markets and at other public places you can hear ‘AKHA INDIA’ (the whole of
India).
|
| Industry & Commerce (Back to Top) |
Vadodara enjoys a special place in the state of Gujarat. Till the early 1960’s
Vadodara was considered to be a cultural and educational centre. The first modern
factory (Alembic Pharmaceuticals) was established in Vadodara in 1907 and
subsequently companies such as Sarabhai Chemicals, Jyoti, etc., came up in the
1940s. By 1962 there were 288 factories employing 27510 workers. At that time,
the dominant industrial groups were chemicals and pharmaceuticals, cotton
textiles and machine tools.
In 1962, Vadodara witnessed a sudden spurt in industrial activity with the
establishment of Gujarat Refinery. Several factors like raw material
availability, product demand, skillful mobilisation of human, financial and
material resources by the government and private entrepreneurs have contributed
to Vadodara becoming one of India’s foremost industrial centres.
The discovery of oil and gas in Ankleshwar and North Gujarat led to the
industrial development of Gujarat in a big way. The Vadodara region is the largest
beneficiary in the process of this industrialisation. Gujarat Refinery went into
the first phase of production in 1965. The refinery being a basic industry made
vital contributions on several fronts at the regional and national levels.
In Vadodara various large-scale industries such as Gujarat State Fertilisers &
Chemicals, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited and Gujarat Alkalies and
Chemicals Limited have come up in the vicinity of Gujarat Refinery and all of
them are dependent on it for their fuel and feedstock. Other large-scale public
sector units are Heavy Water Project and Gujarat Industries Power Company
Limited. In addition to these public sector enterprises, a number of other
large-scale enterprises have come up in the private sector. The products of
these industries have wide applications in various sectors of the Indian
economy.
The establishment of large industrial units in a region automatically brings
into existence a number of smaller enterprises. Vadodara is no exception and the
city and the surrounding areas are today humming with industrial activity.
The industrialisation of Vadodara has attracted entrepreneurs not only from Baroda
but also from all over Gujarat and India. A large number of the entrepreneurs
come with sound business backgrounds and the level of education and technical
skills is exceptionally high.
|
| Education & Statistics (Back to Top) |
Education:
Vadodara is synonymous with education. The patronage of education started with
Maharaja Sayajirao and the city has built further on the academic infrastructure
established by him.
The present educational foundation rests on over 20 public schools and over 100
private schools. Towering benevolently over all is the Maharaja Sayajirao
University, the jewel in the Vadodara crown, so to speak. MSU is the only
university in Gujarat with English as the medium of instruction. It has 13
faculties and 17 residential hostels, 4 of them for women students. The
university caters to over 30,000 students.
Statistics :
he city is on the major rail and road arteries joining Mumbai with Delhi and
Mumbai with Ahmedabad. Because of this Vadodara is known as a ‘Gateway to the
Golden Corridor’. National Highway No. 8 passes through the city. All superfast
and express trains halt at Vadodara Railway Station. Vadodara also has an
airport which is very well connected with the other major airports of India.
Public transport vehicles within the city include buses, autorickshaws and
taxis. There are a few private bus services too. Of course, there are many
people who use their own vehicles – cars, scooters, motorcycles and bicycles.
Private taxis are also available.
 |
- Area: 108.22 sq. km.
- Altitude: 35.5 Mts. Above
Mean Sea Level.
- Latitude: 22 deg 17’ 59’’
North
- Longitude: 73 deg 15’
18’’ East
- Distance from Mumbai: 442
Km
- Distance from Delhi: 1039
Km
- Distance from Ahmedabad:
120 Km
- Pucca Roads: 1500 Km
- Kutchcha Roads: 400 Km
- Total Roads: 1900 Km
- Winter Temperature: Max
31C, Min 11C
- Summer Temp.: Max 45C,
Min 24C
- Rainfall (mid-June to
mid-September): 931.9 mm
- Population
1961: 298,398
1971: 467,487
1981: 734,473
1991: 1,031,346 (males 53%; females 47%)
1995: 1,200,000 (approx.)
1998: 1,400,000 (approx.)
2001: 1,500,000 (projected)
2011: 2,100,000 (projected)
- Number of households:
213,540
- Population density: 9,527
per sq km
- Literacy: 71.11% of total
population (males 76.21%; females 65.41%)
- Motorised vehicles:
300,000
- Election Wards: 26
- Seats (Corporators): 78
- Population per ward:
31,122.50
- Seats reserved for women:
26
- Total voters (as on
17-1-97): 809,185
|
|
|
