Vadodara is the third largest city in the western Indian state of Gujarat, after Ahmedabad and Surat. Earlier Vardodara used to be known as Baroda. The beautiful city of Vadodara is situated on the banks of river Vishwamitri and has an interesting history that goes back to times of stone age. It is believed that primitive men inhabited the banks of river Mahi and Vishwamitri. The presence of the primitive men and settlements has been proved by the evidence found in the archaeological sites within an area of few kilometers towards the north-eastern side of the city.
The first recorded history of Vadodara is about the early traders and settlers who settled in region in 812 AD. Till 1297 the province was ruled mostly by Hindu kings. The first power in region in beginning of the Christian Era was the Gupta Empire. A township was developed in the 9th century by clearing farms, grazing lands and thick forests on the bank of river Vishwamitri. The town was named Ankotakka, which is now changed to Akota and Dhantekri which were the names given to the mound on which the settlement was established. The little town was called Ankottaka in the 9th century. The region was over taken after fierce battles by Chalukya Dynasty. The kingdom flourished and achieved great heights during this time. At this time, Muslim rule was also spreading across India and Dehli Sultans snatched the reins of power. Sultans ruled the city for a long period of time, until they were overpowered by Mughals. In 1734, Damajirao son and successor of Pilaji Gaekwad, defeated the Mughals armies and conquered Baroda. In 1735, Vadodara became the capital of Maratha.
The British established their supremacy over the city in 1802. The British intervened to defend a Maharaja that had recently inherited the throne from rival claimants and vadodara concluded a subsidiary alliances with British that recognized the kingdom as a princely state and allowed Maharajas of Baroda internal political sovereignty in return for recognizing British paramountcy, a form of suzerainty in which the control of the state foreign affairs was completely surrendered. From 1734 to 1948 Baroda continued to be in reign of Gaekwads. Vadodara observed a glorious period in history with accession of Maharaja Sayaji rao-III in 1875. Modern Baroda owes its beauty, its educational institutions and its masterpieces of architecture to the insight and vision of this great ruler. Maharaja Sayajirao-III took up the initiatives of working towards the betterment of the city by making primary education compulsory for the people living in the kingdom. He is also appreciated for introducing the library system, and opening a university, museums, architecture and model textile and tile industries in the city. This is the reason why Vadodara is also called Sayaji Nagari or Sayaji’s City. In 1947 with the independence of India, Vadodara was emerged with Indian states. Post independence, in 1960, the city was merged with the state of Gujarat. The city is major industrial hub of pharmaceutical and glass industries.
There are various speculations and theories about the initial names of the city of Vadodara. Vadodara was once called Chandanavati. The name was derived from the city’s Rajput ruler, Raja Chandan’s name. Vadodara was also called Virakshetra which means a land of soldiers and warriors. Another infamous name of Vadodara is Vatodar which means ‘in the heart of Banyan tree’. The city forms a layer of canopy of Banyan trees hence it was named so. Since British period, Vadodara was called as Baroda. In 1907, a small village and township in Michigan, United States was named after Baroda. Baroda’s name was changed to Vadodara by the Government of India in the year 1974.
Vadodara was part of historic Bombay, Baroda and central India railway (BBCI), which arrived in city in January 1861. The BBCI railway was merged with Saurashtra, Rajputana, and Jaipur railways to create the western railway on 5th November 1915. Vadodara has a vibrant history related to various arts, literature, festivals and architecture and hence, it has been bestowed the title of “Kala nagari” and “the cultural capital of Gujarat”.
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