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Vadodara City |
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Baroda
/ Vadodara |
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Vadodara (Gujarati), is the third most-populated city in
the Indian state of Gujarat after
Ahmedabad and Surat. It is one of four
cities in the state with a population of
over 1 million[6], the other being
Rajkot and the two cities listed above.
It is also known as the Sayaji Nagari or
Sanskari Nagari (Cultural Capital of
Gujarat). Vadodara or Baroda, formerly
the capital city of Gaekwar State, is
situated on the banks of Vishwamitri, a
river whose name derived from the great
saint Rishi Vishvamitra. It is located
southeast of Ahmedabad. It is the
administrative headquarters of Vadodara
District. |
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Vadodara is home to almost 1.6 million
people [7] (as of 2005), the beautiful
Lakshmi Vilas Palace and the Maharaja
Sayajirao University of Baroda (M.S.U.)
which is famous for various departments,
including the fine arts, performing
arts, technology, management and
medicine streams. It has a high literacy
rate by Indian standards of 78% (2001).
Major industries include petrochemicals,
engineering, pharmaceuticals, and
plastics. |
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History |
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Vadodara has a rich historical background. The ardent
historian can trace Vadodara's
history over 2000 years and
more. The first noted history of
the city was of the early trader
settlers who settled in the
region in 812 A.D. The province
was mainly Hindu-dominated with
Hindu kings ruling till the year
1297. |
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The Gupta Dynasty was the first power rulers of the region.
After fierce battles, the region
was taken over by the Chalukya
Dynasty. Finally, the kingdom
was annexed by the Solankis. By
this time the Muslim rule had
spread across India, and the
reins of power were then
snatched by the Delhi Sultans.
The city was ruled for a long
time by these Sultans, until
they were easily overthrown by
the Mughal emperors. The Mughals'
biggest problem were the mighty
Marathas who slowly but
eventually took over the region.
It became the capital of the
Maratha Gaekwads. Sayaji Rao III
(1875-1939), a most able ruler,
made many public and
bureaucratic improvements in the
region. Although the British had
a major influence on the region,
Vadodara remained a princely
state until Independence. Like
all other princely states,
Vadodara also joined the
Republic of India in 1947. |
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Geography and Climate |
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Shivji's Murti in Sur Sagar LakeVadodara
is located at 22.30° N 73.19° E in
western India at an elevation of 39
metres (123 feet). It is the 18th
largest city of the India with an area
of 148.95 km² and a population of 1.6
Millions according to 2001 Census. The
city sits on the banks of the River
Vishwamitri, in central Gujarat. The
Vishwamitri frequently dries up in the
summer, leaving only a small stream of
water. The city is located between the
furtile platue between Mahi & Narmada
River. According to the Bureau of Indian
Standards, the town falls under seismic
zone-III, in a scale of I to V (in order
of increasing proneness to
earthquakes)[11]. |
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There are three main seasons: Summer,
Monsoon and Winter. Aside from the
monsoon season, the climate is dry. The
weather is hot through the months of
March to July — the average summer
maximum is 36 °C (97 °F), and the
average minimum is 23 °C (73 °F). From
November to February, the average
maximum temperature is 30 °C (85 °F),
the average minimum is 15 °C (59 °F),
and the climate is extremely dry. Cold
northerly winds are responsible for a
mild chill in January. The southwest
monsoon brings a humid climate from
mid-June to mid-September. The average
rainfall is 93 cm (36.7 inches), but
infrequent heavy torrential rains cause
the river to flood. The highest
temperature recorded is 47 °C (116 °F)
and the lowest is -1 °C (30 °F).[12] |
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Vadodara is divided by the Vishwamitri
into two physically distinct eastern and
western regions. The eastern bank of the
river houses the old city, which
includes the old fortified city of
Vadodara. This part of Vadodara is
characterised by packed bazaars, the
clustered and barricaded pol system of
shanty buildings, and numerous places of
worship. It houses the General Post
Office and landmark buildings like Laxmi
Vilas Palace, Mandvi and Nyay Mandier.
The colonial period saw the expansion of
the city to the western side of
Vishwamitri. This part of the city
houses educational institutions like
Maharaja Sayajirao University, Railway
Station, modern buildings, well-planned
residential areas, shopping malls,
multiplexes and new business districts
centred around R. C. Dutt Road, Alkapuri
and more recently, the Old Padra Road
and Gotri. |
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Winter Temperature: Max 29 °C, Min 9 °C
Summer Temperature: Max 46 °C, Min 24 °C
Rainfall (mid-June to mid-September): 931.9 mm
Lowest Recorded Temperature: -1 °C
Highest Recorded Temperature: 46
°C |
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Pollution: In recent years, Vadodara has
suffered from increasing air, water and
soil pollution from neighbouring
industrial areas. This has also amounted
into a constant and uncomfortable
increase in average temperatures across
all three seasons. Uncontrolled chemical
dump from nearby industries has arguably
turned the local river Vishwamitri into
one big sewage. |
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Transport Facility |
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The city is on the major rail and road
arteries joining Mumbai with Delhi and
Mumbai with Ahmedabad. Due to this
Vadodara is known as a ‘Gateway to the
Golden Corridor’. |
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Rail |
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Vadodara was part of historic BBCI
Railway. Railway had arrived in Vadodara
in early 1860s. On 5 November 1951 the
BBCI Railway was merged with the
Saurashtra, Rajputana and Jaipur
railways to give rise to the Western
Railway. Now, the Vadodara Railway
Station belongs to the Western Railway
division of Indian Railways and is a
major station on the Mumbai-Delhi and
Mumbai-Ahmedabad routes. All trains,
including superfast and express, stop
here. Vadodara has 3 railway stations
called Vadodara Junction, Makarpura &
Vishwamitri Stations. |
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Air |
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Vadodara Airport (IATA: BDQ) is
well connected with the cities
of Mumbai (Bombay), Delhi with
multiple daily flights to these
locations |
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Road |
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National Highway No. 8,
connecting New Delhi & Ahmedabad
to Mumbai, passes through the
city. Vadodara is also connected
with Ahmedabad through Indian
National Expressway 1, a stretch
of 97 km Super Highway with only
2 exits. |
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Public transport vehicles within
the city include buses,
autorickshaws and taxis. There
are a few private bus and taxi
services as well. A significant
proportion of the population
uses their own vehicles – cars,
scooters, motorcycles and
bicycles. |
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Paved Roads: 1680 km
Unpaved Roads: 400 km
Total Roads: 2080 km |
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Culture
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Aarkee Garba during Navratri
Festival Vadodara is also known
as ‘Sanskari Nagari’, means a
Cultured City. Vadodara is one
of India’s most cosmopolitan
cities. Thanks to the vision and
broadmindedness of the Gaekwads,
the subsequent industrialisation,
the proliferation of academic
activities and a strategically
important geographical location, |
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The great museums on the palace grounds such as the
Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum and
art gallery are unique and carry
artifacts from around the nation
and the world. There are
Gujarati film studios in the
city as well as a large number
of large old-style movie
theatres in addition to the
newer multiplexes that have
sprung up in the past few years. |
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Diwali, Uttarayan, Holi, and
Ganesh Chaturthiare celebrated
with great fervour. 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. |
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Navarātrī or Garba is the city's
largest festival, with song,
dance and lights during every
October. Many of the residents
spend their evenings at their
local Garba grounds where local
musicians play traditional music
while people dance the Rass and
Garba dances which often goes on
past midnight. |
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This is also a time when the
youth are more visible outdoors
and until later than other times
of the year. The people of
Vadodara have preserved the
original and the traditional
part of the Navarātrī. Garba in
Vadodara attracts a fairly large
number of international
tourists. |
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Education |
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MS University The patronage of education
started with Maharaja Sayajirao and the
city has built further on the academic
infrastructure established by him. |
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The present educational
foundation rests on over 20
public schools and over 100
private schools. Towering
benevolently over all is the MS
University, the jewel in the
Baroda crown, so to speak. MSU
is the only university in
Gujarat with English as the only
medium of instruction. It has 13
faculties and 17 residential
hostels, 4 of them for women
students. The university caters
to over 100,000 students. |
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There are various courses that are being
offered in here ranging from Medical to
Commerce. The university has been
divided into several departments and
there are number of courses offered in
each of the department. The fine Arts
faculty is famous worldwide for its
contribution in arts. |
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The faculty of performing arts is also a
very reputed institution teaching music,
drama, dancing etc. There are other
premier institutes also located in city
including Sigma Institute of Management
Studies, Technology & Engineering,
Babaria Institute of Technology and
Parul Institute of Engineering and
Technology. Baroda has many public and
private schools, imparting quality
education. |
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Baroda has welcomed a wide variety of
people from all over India and also from
all over the world. 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. |
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The recent decision of CII to develop
Vadodara as 'Knowledge CITY. has
been well received by the Barodians all
over the world |
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Baroda
Historical Places |
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Laxmi Vilas Palace |
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Nazarbaug Palace |
Makarpura Palace |
Pratap Vilas Palace |
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Building and Monuments |
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Sur Sagar Lake |
Kirti Mandir |
Nyay Mandir |
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Kirti Stambh |
Champaner |
Mandvi & Walled City |
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Khanderao Market |
EME Temple |
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Museum in Baroda |
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Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum |
Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery |
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Garden
in Baroda |
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Sayaji Baug |
Toy Train at Sayaji Baug |
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Lal Baug |
Jubilee Baug |
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Other
Interesting Places: |
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Malls and Multiplexes (Vadodara Central,
Spencers, PVR Deep, Chandan, Inox,
Westside, More, View of Sursagar),
Gandhi Nagar Gruh (Town Hall), Vadodara
Central Library, ABS Tower Art Gallery
Excursions: Ajwa & Nimeta, Dabhoi,
Pavagadh, Champaner, Sindhrot Nature
Park, Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary,
Kayavarohan, Chandod, Galteshwar, Dakor,
Nareshwar, Sankheda |
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Entertainment & Shopping Mall |
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PVR
Deep |
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Recently many new Multiplex has
been develop in baroda city. You
can enjoy very comfortable movie
time with a relax lounge type
chairs. One of the newest
Multiplex, PVR Deep has come
with the THX Sound system and it
is also the first Multiplex to
start with m-ticketing which you
can book ticket by just sms
text. |
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There are many single screen Cinema
halls, which are many years old. Many of
theaters have been dimolished due to the
change in the area and locality and
demand for shopping areas and malls |
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PVR Deep Multiplex is a popular hangout
for youngsters. It is first in Gujarat
to introduce 3-Way TRIAMP Dolby Digital
EX surround sound system. It provides
state-of-the-art movie experience by
providing the latest in comfort, sound
and viewing. You would find amenities
such as deep-cushioned plush seats
arranged in stadium-style, along with
advanced sound system and Wide Harkness
Hall screens that takes the
entertainment experience to a whole new
level. It also includes Vadodara's
biggest food court with variety of fast
food resturants, a fun game |
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Inox -
Vadodara |
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INOX Vadodara is located at the
prime Racecourse Circuit Road.
The four auditoriums at INOX
Vadodara are equipped with
state-of-the-art projection,
advanced digital sound systems,
wide range of theatre food and
well maintained utilities. To
integrate entertainment and
retail needs, INOX Vadodara has
retail outlets of premium
lifestyle brands like Mc
Donald's and Café Coffee Day
amongst others, to provide the
right combination of movies,
food and shopping |
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Vadodara Central |
Big Bazaar |
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