Sayaji Baug Zoo at Vododara is one of the biggest zoo in the country. There are various wild animals and birds at the zoo. One among them is Tortoises.
They are land-dwelling reptiles that are shielded from predators by a shell. They vary in size from a few centimetres to two meters. They are the longest living land animal in the world.
They move very slowly on dry land. Most of them feed on grasses, weeds, flowers, and some fruits. There are also some species that feed on worms or insects.
The zoo has variety of tortoise species.
Sursagar Lake at Vadodara is right in the middle of the city. The lake has held the water in one place with the help of stone banks and masonry and as a result it is full of water throughout the year.
In case the lake overflows to control the water several underground gates have been constructed to empty the lake. Water from these gates gushes to Vishwamitri river, which flows through the City.
The Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan has intalled a 120 ft tall statue of Lord Shiva in standing posture in Year 2002, in the middle of this lake.
The Nyaya Mandir in Vadodara is the District Court of the city. This is one of the vintage buildings in the city that showcases the architecture of olden days.
The initial plan in 1896 by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III was to build a vegetable market in the centre of the city. But later it was decided to build a town hall and finally decided to build a court. This building is spread over 4 acres of land.
The structure has mix of different architectural styles like Indo-Saracenic, and Mughal architecture. It has a huge central hall with a statue of Chimnabai the the first wife of Gaekwad Maharaja Sayaji Rao III. Its facade has Italian marble tiles.
Sayaji Baug Zoo at Vododara is one of the biggest zoo in the country. There are various wild animals and birds at the zoo. One among them is Crimson Rosella.
It is a medium sized bird. This bird has mostly red plumage and bright blue cheeks. The feathers of the back and wing coverts are black broadly edged with red. While the tails blue, the flight feathers of the wings have broad blue edges.
They feed on seeds of eucalypts, grasses and shrubs, as well as insects and some tree blossoms.
Sayaji Baug Zoo at Vododara is one of the biggest zoo in the country. There are various wild animals and birds at the zoo. One among them is Pelican.
They are large water birds characterised by a long beak and a large throat pouch. They have predominantly pale plumage.
Mandvi Gate in Vadodara is a historical monumnet dating back to the Mughal period. This gate resembling a pillared hall was built by Sultan Muzaffar some time between 1511 and 1526 AD.
It is at the centre of the walled city where the roads leading to the 4 gates crosses. This square-shaped structure has three arched openings on each of its four sides.
After successive renovations and last one in 1856 AD, today the gate is a four-storied concrete structure with a clock fitted on the top.
Laxmi Vilas Palace at Vadodara is one of the most elegant palaces and in size it is four times the size of Buckingham Palace.
Maharaja Sayajirao III commissioned Major Charles Mant to build this magnificent palace and it was completed in 1890 by by R.F. Chisolm. The grounds surrounding the palace has been landscaped by William Goldring.
The architecture of the palace has right mix of Indian, Islamic, and European styles. Through the big arched entrance an elephant can easily pass with a howdah on his back.
The ornate Darbar Hall with Venetian mosaic floor, Belgium stained glass windows and walls with intricate mosaic decorations has been a venue of music concerts and other cultural events for the Royal family.
The colorful interiors of the palace is as impressive as the exterior. While The floor has multi-colored marble and mosaic tile every nook and corner of the palace showcases various works of art.
The palace houses a huge collection of sculptures in bronze, marble & terracotta. The palace is open to public from 11 a.m - 5 p.m and and an audio tour is available. It is closed on Mondays.
Sayaji Baug Zoo at Vododara on the banks of the Vishwamitri river. The inspiration of a Zoo here came from H. H. Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III and it was opened to the public in 1879.
The Maharaja donated his own private collection of Indian and Exotic Animals to the Zoo. It has three sections a) Bird Section, b) Bear Section and c) Tiger section with more than 200 animals and 500 birds.
Pratap Vilas Palace at Vadodara is presently Railway Staff College. Built in 1914 A.D. it is named after the last ruler of Baroda State.
Designed by Charles F. Stevens, the architecture of the palace represents a fine blend of South Indian, North Indian and Islamic architecture. The palace is noted for its exceptionally designed columns and arches.
The central part of the palace has beautifully carved dome.
The palace is adorned with carvings of creepers, flowers, leaves, birds and animals.
This palace which has been residence of the royal family in those days was also known as ‘Lal Baug Palace’.
Raopura Tower located in Vadodara is a clock tower built in the year 1896 and then it was central part of the fort.
The Tower is designed in Indo-Saracenic style with clock in all the four directions. The design also includes Chhatris above the clock.
It is also known as Maharani Chimnabai Tower as it was built in memory of Maharani Chimnabai the first wife of the Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III.
Kirti Mandir at Vadodara located near Vishwamitra Bridge is the cluster of temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was built in 1936 by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of the Gaekwad dynasty in the memory of deceased members of the royal family.
If one stands in front of the building and look at it then it is in the shape of letter 'E'. It has beautiful balconies, domes.
The central tower on the top of the entrance rises to approximately 34 meters. At the top of tower is the sun, the moon and the earth in bronze with the undivided map of India on it.
We could not see the interiors as it was closed when we visited it in the morning.
Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery located at Sayajibaug in Vadodara is one of the finest museums in the country. Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III founded this museum in 1887 and it was opened to the public in 1894.
This museum resembles Victoria & Albert and Science Museums of London. The building on the lines of Indo-Saracenic architecture was designed by Major Charles Mant and R.F. Chisholm.
It showcases a rich collection of art, sculpture, wood carvings, Akota bronzes. The picture gallery has diverse works of art from both India and abroad, including works by British painters J. M. W. Turner and John Constable, a gallery of Tibetan art, and a collection of Mughal miniature paintings. Here one can also see The Egyptian mummy and skeleton of a blue whale.
Sayaji Baug at Vadodara is one of the largest garden that spreads over 113 acres. This garden on the river Vishwamitri was built by Maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III in the year 1879.
There are altogether three gates to the park and one of them is near Sayaji square. As one enters through this gate can see floral clock consisting of an hour, minute and seconds hand that move on the 20 ft diameter dial.
This beautiful place is rich with flora that includes more than 98 species of trees. The park has toy train and play area for the kids.
In this garden one can also see the Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery, the Sardar Patel Planetarium.
Another interesting area in the park is Sayaji Baug Zoo.
Vadodara located on the banks of the Vishwamitri river. The present day city is an educational, industrial and commercial center as visualized by its late ruler, Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III.
The city has lot of history as in the ancient times it was part of several kingdoms such as Gupta, Chalukya, Mughals and Gaekwad's of the Marathas. This can be seen even today as there are several heritage monuments across the city. The city progressed a lot during the time of Maratha rule with the accession of Maharaja Sayajirao III in 1875.
Places of interest that we have visited in the city are:
The near by places of interest that we visited are:
