Nazarbaug Palace

Nazarbaug Palace, also called Nazarbagh Palace, is a royal palace of Gaekwad family in the city of Vadodara in Gujarat, India. It is one of the oldest palaces in Vadodara; it was called Baroda till recent times. This Palace was built by Malhar Rao Gaekwad in 19th century and was used during ceremonial occasions by the Gaekwads. Now, the heirlooms of royal family live here.

The Palace has rare exhibits of solid gold and silver guns, these barrels weighing over 100 kgeach. There is a Sheesh Mahal, a Palace of Glass, situated in the premises.

This white-stucco palace was also the repository of the jewels of the Gaekwad family and the large collections of these items were worth $10,000,000 in 1927 which included a diamond necklace containing those of English Dreden and Star of the South diamond weighing around 125 carats. The other important part of collections is a cloth embroidered with seed pearls and precious stones that covers the tomb of Muhammad.

The Palace however is in ruins now, its former glory not manifested to the extent of what is due to it, some articles stolen by unknown persons, visitors can go round to see this beautiful edifice left out by the Gaekwad family.

History

Nazarbaug Palace or Nazarbaug Palace was built in 1721 as a three storey building now claiming to be the oldest palace in Vadodara. Its construction was initiated by Malhar Rao Gaekwad in the late 19th century

Nazarbaug palace was in those days the alternative residence of the Royal Gaekwad family particularly during summers. This palace is located in the city outskirts in a quiet area. There are three Gaekwad palaces in Vadodara.

A museum maintained at Nazarbaug palace stores many rare and invaluable belongings of the Gaekwad family which include gold and diamond jewelry of the family. Although very small, this museum is the major attraction for all the visitors to this palace. There are particularly two items at this museum which are rare and of immense historical value. The first is the diamond called Star of the South and the other is the golden chaddar made specifically for honoring Lord Mohammad Paygambar, the Muslim Masiha, by placing below his feet. Besides these, there are some rare paintings, cloth items and pieces of armory kept in the museum.

There is also a beautiful garden around this lovely palace and the people of Vadodara spend time here for relaxation.

Architecture

Nazarbaug Palace is built in old classical style, all in white-stucco with an addition of a glass palace (Sheesh Mahal).

Nazarbaug palace has its unique features of architectural design and layout. It has been designed in such a manner that cool air keeps on blowing throughout the palace interior, even during peak summer time. This is because of the specific positioning of windows providing cross ventilation in the best manner.

Visitor Information

Visitors are permitted to view Nazarbaug Palace which is kept open for public from 10 am to 5 pm on all weekdays with the exception of Thursdays. There is an entry fee for visiting this palace which is Rs.10 (twenty cents) per head.

How to Reach

To reach Vadodara one can travel by road from Ahmadabad for about 112 km and from Mumbai it is at a distance of 420 km. It is on National Highway NH 8 having the benefit of incorporating most of the state transport corporations plying buses. Private operators also run omnibuses to Vadodara from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and important destinations of Maharashtra. There are intercity buses connecting Ahmadabad and Vadodara which take 2 hours travel.

Vadodara Railway Station lays in a major section on the Western Railway connected to all important Rail links of the Country.

Vadodara airport has frequent flights scheduled every day to various destinations of the country, including Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmadabad.

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