VADODARA:
The city received heavy rainfall on Wednesday leading to waterlogging in several areas even as trees fell due to the heavy rains. Two old houses that were empty also collapsed due to the rains in the city.
While the city had been receiving intermediate showers since Tuesday evening, it received steady rainfall through a large part of the day on Wednesday. The rainfall was incessant in the first half of the day.
Fire brigade officials said that around a dozen trees large and small were uprooted in various parts of the city. Trees fell on an auto-rickshaw in the Karelibaug area of the city and on a car near the Mothers School in Gotri area of the city. Fire brigade officials had to cut the trees to bring the vehicles out. However, both rickshaws were unoccupied.
Two old houses collapsed in Ladwada and Fatehpura Ranavas areas in the old city. Fire brigade personnel said that both the houses were vacant and nobody lived in them.
On Wednesday, Vadodara received 87mm rainfall that was the highest in the district. This was followed by Savli (39mm) and Waghodiya (34mm). Pavijetpur, Chhotaudepur, Karjan and Naswadi also received 20mm or more rainfall.
Read more: Rains lash Vadodara - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/Rains-lash-Vadodara/articleshow/6258471.cms#ixzz0z6bkiHAx
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You know you are the True Barodian when....
1) You hang out only at 7 SEAS, INOX, SINDHROT, CENTER SQUARE, VADODARA CENTRAL & M.S. University
2) You consider, those guys rich who go to play Garba at “The United Way”
3) You wish to own a flat in “Kunj Plaza”, everytime you pass by it…to get a clear view of the Golf Course
4) You never miss the chance to visit “The Tibetian Market” to buy woollens
5) You wait for 13th January, so that you can bid the lowest rates for Kites at Gendigate
6) If you are from Manjalpur, you tell your friend to wait at MORE MEGASTORE or SARASWATI COMPLEX if he/she doesn’t know the exact place where u stay.
7) Half of you think that “Pratapnagar Fly-Over” needs to be reconstructed!
You still eat Samosa Sandwiches at “Vishal Sandwich” despite its rising prices9) You go to Vadodara Railway Station at midnight, just to eat “Bhurji” n roam around
10) No Matter what, You always have friends who study in Babaria Institute Of Technology and at Vidyanagar
11) You bought textbooks from Acharya Book Store near Jubilee Baug when you were small and studied in Gujarat Board Schools
12) You think V.I.P. road is Biker’s Paradise
13) You go to watch the water level in Vishwamitri River every monsoon
14) You go to “Marimaata Na Khaancha” to buy cheapest mobile accessories
15) You sit on “Dairy Den’s Circle” doing nothing
16) You never miss a chance to see the Dirt Bike Race at Akota stadium
17) You take your Relatives to Ajwa Nimetha, Kamatibaug Museum if they are visiting Baroda for the first time
18) You wish that the Reliance Cricket Ground should do some Flood Lights arrangements so that T20 Match can also be played
19) You Go to eat “Lalabhai Ni Sev Usad” only after 12 A.M.
20) You go to “Kismat Dhaba” at Halol with friends whenever you get a chance
21) You go to “Uncle Sam’s Pizza” & order Fixed Unlimited Meal
22) You never miss an opportunity to visit “City Area” at the time of Ganesh Chaturthi
23) You wait anxiously for “PARAMARSH” & “FOOTPRINTS” at TECHO
24) You go to “Raju Omlet” though it’s the most expensive Omelette Centre
25) If you’re a girl, you always get fascinated by the new collection at Baroda Prints in Alkapuri
26) You prefer Lalakaka Na Bhajia in the City area and not the one on O.P. Road as it is pirated
27) You wish Nayab to re-open so that you’re able to enjoy SHISHA again
28) You get high just by the smell of Mahakali Sev-Usad!
29)You always have fun at Bhukkad Gali, opposite Trident Complex, no matter what you eat
30) Whenevr you hear about Samrat Ice Cream Parlour, you automatically picturise a big glass of Ice Cream Cold Drink in your mind
31) Most of you prefer Chhole-Bhature wid Raita when you go to Goodies
& The Last!!
32) You always blush when someone talks about Lalbaug Or Sardar Baug as you know what all things happen over there!!
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| Vadodara Railway Station New Sky Walk Bridge |
Sky walk 
History
Baroda State has a rich historical background. The ardent historian can trace Baroda'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. 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 grand 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 was the most able ruler of them, and he made many public and bureaucratic
implementations in the region. The British had a major influence on the region but Vadodara remained a
princely state till Independence and like all other princely states, Vadodara also joined the Republic of India in
1947
Origin of name
Two thousand years back, there was a small town known as "Ankottak " (present day Akota) on the western
bank of river Vishvamitri. The earliest mention of Vadodara is in a granth or charter of 812 that identifies it as
Vadapadraka, a village attached to the nearby town of Ankottaka. In 600 AD severe floods in Vishvamitri
forced the inhabitants to move to the eastern side of the river to a village known as "Vatpatrak" (Leaf of
Banayan tree) which developed into Vadodara. In the 10th century Vadapadraka replaced Ankottaka as the
main town.
The city was once called Chandanavati after its ruler Raja Chandan of Dor tribe of Rajputs, who wrested it
from the Jains. The capital had also another name "Virakshetra" or "Virawati" (A Land of Warriors). Later on
it was known as Vadpatraka or Wadodará, which according to tradition is a corrupt form of the Sanskrit word
Vatodar means 'In the heart of the Banyan tree'. It is now almost impossible to ascertain when the various
changes in the name were made; but early English travellers and merchants mention the town as Brodera and it
is from this that the name Baroda is derived. Again in 1974, the official name was changed to Vadodara.In
1907, a small Village & Township in Michigan, United States was named after Baroda.
Old Ankotakka
The early man lived on the banks of the river Mahi. This river must have formed the flood plain during that age.
The movements of this “food gathering” parasites on nature, living on the banks of the river, grumbling the roots
and killing animals with crude stone tools made out of the cobbles and pebbles available on the river bank, were
necessarily controlled by the availability of convenient raw materials for their tools. There are evidences of the
existence of early man in the Mahi river valley at a number of sites within 10 to 20 km to the north-east ot
Vadodara. No evidences however of the existence of this man are found in and around present Vadodara. This may
be because of the absence of gravels and cobbles on the banks of the Vishwamitri rivulet.
The next phase of the pre-historic Vadodara witnessed the first human settlement on the right bank of the river
vishwamitri on a group of dunes resting on the alluvium of the river. It also means that men knew about where to
set up settlements, as they had selected an elevated land. The Vishwamitri must have been prone to seasonal floods
even then. These people still belonged to the stone age, crafting their tools with finely grained stones. From their
material culture and physical environment, they seem to have belonged to the same culture as those whose
implements were found in the Mahi river valley. This human settlement has been dated 1000 b.c.
Around the beginning of the Christian Era, a small township developed at the same spot as the above mentioned
settlement on the right bank of the river. It came to be know as Ankotakka (present day Akota), the mound on
which this settlement was established came to be known as Dhantekri. The entire settlement was developed by
clearing grazing land and forest of Ankhol and covered an area of ½ to ¾ sq. km. This is indicative of the presence
of thick forests during those times. Due to its location on the ancient trade route between Gujarat and Malva, this
small township flourished in to a commercial entre. There was a supposed commercial relation between this
township and Rome.
The township of Ankotakka developed during the rules of the Guptas and the Vallabhis. It was subjected to
periodical heavy floods. But a severe flood which inundated the renovated public hall, forced the inhabitants to
abandon this township and move away from the banks of the Vishwamitri.
The event occurred in 600 A.D. The inhabitants moved to the east of Ankotakka to another elevated portion located
Recent history
The City of Vadodara apty described by a medieval Jain writer as a “Tilak on the Brove of Lata.” was a nodal
center of the costal plain of Gujarat. It is strategically situated at a junction of the main highways linking Gujarat
with Rajputana and the Punjab in the north, the Malva and the Gangetic valley in the north east, Konkan in the
south and Khandesh in the south-east. Significantly Vadodara today is a junction on the western railway of the
lines leading to Ahmedabad, Delhi & Mumbai. This confirms the historic role of Vadodara in the communication
pattern for movements of people and culture. The history of Vadodara city amply bears out its cultural and
commercial activities during the last two thousand years. Apart form the traditional stories, our knowledge of the
history of Vadodara is based mainly on Jain literature and a few old inscriptions pertaining to Vadodara.
Baroda state in 1909
Baroda State was a former Indian State in Western India. Vadodara's more recent history began when the Maratha
leader Pilaji Gaekwad (or Gaikwar) conquered Sonagad from the Mughal Empire in 1726. Before the Gaekwars
captured Baroda, it was ruled by Babi Nawabs, who were the officers of the Delhi ruler. Moghul rule came to an
end in 1732, when Pilaji Rao Gaekwar brought the Maratha activities in Southern Gujarat to a head and captured it.
Except for a short period, Baroda continued to be in the reign of the Gaekwars from 1734 to 1948. Initially detailed
to collect revenue on behalf of the Peshwa in Gujarat, Pilaji Gaekwad remained there to carve out a kingdom for
himself. Damajirao, son and successor of Pilajirao defeated the Mughal armies and conquered Baroda in 1734. He
assumed the titles of an independent ruler. His successors consolidated their power over large tracts of Gujarat,
becoming easily the most powerful rulers in the region. After the Maratha defeat by the Afghans at the Third Battle
of Panipat in 1761, control of the empire by the Peshwas weakened as it became a loose confederacy, and the
Gaekwad Maharajas ruled the kingdom until Indian independence. In 1802, the British intervened to defend a
Maharaja that had recently inherited the throne from rival claimants, and Vadodara concluded a treaty with the
British that recognized the Kingdom as a 'Princely state' and allowed the Maharajas of Baroda internal political
sovereignty in return for recognizing British 'Paramountcy', a form of suzereignty where the subject of foreign
affairs was completely surrendered..
"My heart is a thorn filled with longing for Gujarat...on earth there exists no balm for its wound. My heart split asunder by the dagger of separation."
Vali Gujarati, Sufi saint/poet (1650-1707)
Vali Gujarati, Sufi saint/poet (1650-1707)
On February 28, '02, Vali Gujarati's tomb in Ahmedabad was razed to the ground by Hindu mobs. Overnight, it vanished and a road was paved on the spot where it once stood. On May 1, '06, the less significant and tiny Rashiduddin Chishti dargah on the Fatehpura-Champaner road in Vadodara was razed to the ground. Three bulldozers were used by the city municipal corporation to bring down a mere seven-foot structure. Riots broke out in Vadodara. Six people were killed, each death a grisly reminder of the 2002 riots. Hundreds were injured as the city burnt. Eventually, the Centre had to send the army to keep the mobs in check.
The question now is, why did local authorities indulge in such a blatantly provocative act, destroying a dargah that residents believe is 200 years old? True, it wasn't of great historical value; it was a typical roadside mazaar. Yet it was a religious structure of some vintage. Outlook has a copy of a 1912 city survey record on which the shrine is clearly marked. In the context of the Places of Worship (special provisions) Act passed by the Indian Parliament in 1991, it is illegal to demolish a shrine built before 1947. The act seeks to "prohibit the conversion of any place of worship and to provide for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the 15th of August, 1947".
The BJP-ruled municipal corporation claims it has been even-handed towards Hindus and Muslims. Mayor Sunil Solanki has said that a number of roadside temples were removed, so why not the dargah. Civic officials say four such temple encroachments were removed in the Tulsiwadi area of Vadodara on April 3, and a dargah and accompanying temple at Danteshwar on April 21. Again on April 28, two temple-like structures were demolished in Alkapuri and three on Productivity Road a day later.
Then, on April 28, the municipal corporation issued a notice for the demolition of the Rashiduddin Chishti dargah. The residents were violently opposed, so negotiations began. According to advocate Moin Rafi, the community had agreed to reduce the width of the dargah. But even as negotiations were on, the structure was demolished and the city went up in flames.
The administration had meanwhile got a shot in the arm by a controversial ruling of the Gujarat HC. Taking note of a newspaper report, a two-judge bench directed all municipal corporations to demolish all illegal religious shrines encroaching on public spaces. Four days after the violence broke, the Supreme Court again had to overturn the decision of the Gujarat High Court. On May 4, on a plea made by the Centre, a two-judge bench stayed the state HC order.
Although roadside temples had been demolished, they were recent structures. The dargah was built pre-1947. Local residents say the demolition was nothing more than a show of strength by the VHP and local BJP. They had been putting pressure on the administration to pull down a "Muslim shrine" for all the roadside mandirs being destroyed. An eye for an eye. The more the Muslims argued that this was an old structure, the more determined were the VHP-BJP hardliners to destroy it.
Yusuf, a local activist and organizer, believes the entire episode was pre-planned. "It's not necessary that Modi should give an order. The VHP-BJP have their little factions. They all want to show they are real men. So every now and then, it's useful to attack Muslim symbols." He says the VHP-Bajrang Dal cadre have now realised that they cannot really hurt the community by burning their shops because post-2002 many Muslim businessmen have insured their properties. "So very few shops were targeted. But small traders and those who work out of kiosks and stands were destroyed." Aren't the Muslims too scared to protest? "They get beaten when they are scared, so now they are just getting angry and feeling helpless," says Yusuf.
So was this a "power" statement by the BJP establishment? There is no evidence to show that chief minister Narendra Modi masterminded the episode. But political analysts say once violence erupted, he watched the situation for two days before finally taking action. There's also another theory doing the rounds. It is widely believed that Modi has been doing so well in every byelection and local election that he considers himself invincible right now and would like to prepone the assembly polls scheduled for November 2007. But once the Centre began making noises, Modi quickly realised that without a friendly government at the Centre, instead of polls he may be stuck with President's rule. So after two days of violence, he became the saviour, posing with Muslim victims in hospitals. He warned of stern action against all who took the law into their own hands. The violence ebbed.
Gagan Sethi of the Ahmedabad-based Centre for Social Justice explains the situation. He says the overt exclusion of Muslims continues in small and medium towns, including Vadodara. Any attempt at normalcy is frowned upon by the VHP cadres, now enmeshed in positions of power. "The problem here is that in a communal situation the police really do not know what it's supposed to do. They have to be told it's okay to try and impose a semblance of order. Once Modi decides the violence must stop, it does," says Sethi.
Meanwhile, a political point has been proven. Closer to the polls, more action can be expected in Modi's Gujarat. Sporadic communal flare-ups to keep the blood flowing. Meanwhile, the CM is now said to be in search of that one big emotive issue which enmeshes Hindu and Gujarati pride. No doubt he'll find one, he is a pastmaster at this game.
Some Ancient Photos Of Vadodra
Some Ancient Photos Of Vadodra
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