VADODARA

also called Baroda, city, administrative headquarters of Vadodara district, east central Gujarat state, west central India, on the Visvamitra River, southeast of Ahmadabad. The earliest record of the city is in a grant or charter of AD 812 that mentions it as Vadapadraka, a hamlet attached to the town of Ankottaka. In the 10th century Vadapadraka displaced Ankottaka as the urban centre. It seems also to have been known as Chandanavati, after Raja Chandan of the Dor Rajputs, who wrested it from the Jainas. The city underwent periodic renamings, to Varavati, Vatpatraka, Baroda, and, in 1971, Vadodara. The history of Vadodara falls into a Hindu period (until 1297); a period under the Muslim Delhi sultanate (1297c. 1401); an independent Gujarat sultanate, during which the nucleus of the present city was built (c. 1401c. 1573); a Mughal Empire period (c. 15731734); and a Maratha period, during which it became the capital of the powerful Gaekwar family (17341947). In 1802 the British established a residency in the city to conduct relations between the East India Company and the Gaekwars; later it was also responsible for British relations with all the states of Gujarat and the Kathiawar Peninsula. The long history of Vadodara is reflected in its many palaces, gates, parks, and avenues. It houses the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (1949) and other educational and cultural institutions, including several museums. Among the city's varied products are cotton textiles and homespun cloth, chemicals, matches, machinery, and furniture. Vadodara is a rail and highway junction and has an airfield. Vadodara district occupies 3,007 sq mi (7,788 sq km), extending from the Narmada River (south) to the Mahi River (north). It corresponds roughly to the capital division, or district, of the former princely state of Baroda (the Gaekwar dominions). Cash crops are cotton, tobacco, and castor beans. Wheat, pulses, corn (maize), rice, and garden crops are grown for local use and export. Pop. (1981) city, 734,473; metropolitan area, 744,881; district, 2,558,092.