Early history (1863–1939), Maharaja of Baroda Baroda derives its native name
Vadodara from the
Sanskrit word
vatodara, meaning 'in the heart of the
Banyan (
Vata) tree. It also has another name,
Virakshetra or
Virawati (land of warriors), mentioned alongside
Vadodara by the 17th century Gujarati poet
Premanand Bhatt, native to the city. Its name has been mentioned as
Brodera by early English travellers and merchants, from which its later name Baroda was derived. Geographically it comprised several disjointed tracts of land, measuring over 1000 square miles, spread across the present
Gujarat state; these were subdivided into four
prant (states), namely
Kadi,
Baroda,
Navsari and
Amreli, which included coastal portions of the state, in the
Okhamadal region near
Dwarka and
Kodinar near
Diu. The
Marathas first attacked Gujarat in 1705. By 1712, a Maratha leader Khande Rao Dabhade grew powerful in the region and when he returned to
Satara in 1716, he was made the
senapati (
commander in chief). Thereafter during the "Battle of Balapur" in 1721, one of his officers, Damaji Gaekwad was awarded the title
Shamsher Bahadur or Distinguished Swordsman. Damaji died in 1721 and was succeeded by his nephew Pilajirao. Thus the Baroda State was founded in 1721, when the
Maratha general
Pilaji Gaekwad conquered
Songadh from the
Mughals. Before this Pilajirao was appointed as general to collect revenues from Gujarat by the
Peshwa, the Prime Minister of the
Maratha Empire, who had taken over the region north and south of
Surat from the Mughals to established the
Sarkar of Surat. Songadh remained the headquarters of the "House of Gaekwad" until 1866. After the
Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805), the
East India Company wrested control of much of Gujarat from the
Marathas. However, the Gaekwads of Baroda (Vadodara) acknowledged British
suzerainty and control of the state's external affairs in return for retaining internal autonomy.
Princely state (= 1897 CE). Following the death of Sir
Khanderao Gaekwad (1828–1870), the popular Maharaja of Baroda, in 1870, it was expected that his brother,
Malharrao (1831–1882), would succeed him. However, Malharrao had already proven himself to be of the vilest character and had been imprisoned earlier for conspiring to assassinate Khanderao. As Khanderao's widow,
Maharani Jamnabai (1853–1898) was already pregnant with a posthumous child, the succession was delayed until the gender of the child could be proven. The child proved to be a daughter, and so upon her birth on 5 July 1871, Malharrao ascended the throne. Malharrao spent money liberally, nearly emptying the Barodan state coffers (he commissioned a pair of solid gold cannon and a carpet of pearls, among other expenses) and soon reports reached the Resident of Malharrao's gross tyranny and cruelty. Malharrao further attempted to cover up his deeds by poisoning the Resident, Colonel
R. Phayre C.B. with a compound of
arsenic. By order of the
Secretary of State for India,
Lord Salisbury, Malharrao was deposed on 10 April 1875 and exiled to
Madras, where he died in obscurity in 1882. With the throne of Baroda now vacant, Maharani Jamnabai called on the heads of the extended branches of the dynasty to come to Baroda and present themselves and their sons in order to decide upon a successor. , built by Maharaja Khende Rao in 1870.|left Kashirao and his three sons, Anandrao (1857–1917), Gopalrao (1863–1938) and Sampatrao (1865–1934) walked to Baroda from Kavlana, a distance of some 600 kilometres, to present themselves to Jamnabai. Eventually, Gopalrao was selected by the British Government as successor and was accordingly adopted by Maharani Jamnabai, on 27 May 1875. He was also given a new name, Sayajirao. On 16 June 1875, he ascended the throne as
Sayajirao Gaekwad III, but being a minor, reigned under a Council of Regency until he came of age and was invested with full ruling powers on 28 December 1881. founding numerous institutions. During the hunting season in 1933, he was saved from lion by two boys of Dhari town,
Arjan Koli and
Hari Koli. After that both Koli brothers were respected in open court (Baroda state darbar) and their bronze statues were established in royal
Sayaji Baug (Kamati Baug) by Sayajirao Gaekwad.
20th century Various important state institutions were founded in the early 20th century, including the
Bank of Baroda on 20 July 1908. In 1908, Sayajirao also founded the Baroda Legislative Assembly (also known as the Baroda Dhara Sabha).,
Baroda, built by
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1890 By the beginning of the 20th century, the relations of the British with the four largest princely states—
Hyderabad,
Mysore,
Jammu and Kashmir, and Baroda were managed by a British
Resident under the direct authority the
Governor-General of India. In 1911, Baroda State spanned , and the population was 2,032,798 persons as per the 1911 census of India. The state was very wealthy.
The Pittsburgh Press reported in 1927 that the diamond necklace, which contained the
Star of the South diamond, was a part of a royal collection worth $10,000,000 at the time, housed in the
Nazarbaug Palace (built 1721) in
Baroda city; another important part of the collection was a cloth embroidered with precious stones and seed
pearls, made to cover the tomb of
Mohammed. The Qatar National Museum now holds the Pearl Carpet of Baroda as one of its treasures. Dr.
B.R.Ambedkar writes about his experience with
untouchability in Baroda in the second chapter of his autobiographical book,
Waiting for a Visa. In 1937, the
princely states of the
Baroda Residency were merged with those of the agencies adjacent to the northern part of the
Bombay Presidency —
Rewa Kantha Agency,
Surat Agency,
Nasik Agency,
Kaira Agency and
Thana Agency — in order to form the
Baroda and Gujarat States Agency. A few years before independence the process of the '
Attachment Scheme' began in order to integrate the smallest princely states, estates and
thanas. Baroda State was one of the main beneficiaries of this measure by being able to add about 15,000 km2 and half a million inhabitants to the state. The merged states were
Pethapur on 1 February 1940, the
Katosan Thana, with
Deloli,
Kalsapura,
Maguna,
Memadpura,
Rampura,
Ranipura,
Tejpura,
Varsora, the
Palaj Taluka and both
Ijpura States between June and July 1940. These were followed on 10 July 1943 by the states of
Ambliara,
Ghorasar,
Ilol,
Katosan,
Khadal,
Patdi,
Punadra,
Ranasan,
Wasoda and
Wao Also many small
Talukas of the region were merged. On 24 July 1943
Sachodar State and a few small places that had no own jurisdiction were annexed. By December of the same year the small states of
Bajana,
Bhilka,
Malpur, Mansa and
Vadia met the same fate. Finally on 5 November 1944 the Baroda and Gujarat States Agency was merged with the
Western India States Agency (WISA) to form the larger
Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency. After the
independence of India, which initially did not include Baroda or many other princely states, an interim government under Prime Minister Dr.
Jivraj Narayan Mehta, son-in-law of
Manubhai Mehta, then Dewan of Baroda state, was inaugurated in the State, on 4 September 1948, by the then Maharaja at a special
Durbar in the
Laxmi Vilas Palace, Baroda. Finally on 1 May 1949, Baroda State, the third largest state at the time of
British India, formally
merged into the
Dominion of India, Initially, Baroda merged with the
Bombay state, and then, on 1 May 1960, when the two new states of
Gujarat and
Maharashtra were formed, it became part of Gujarat, with Dr.
Jivraj Narayan Mehta becoming the first
Chief Minister of Gujarat. == Koli revolt ==