Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 2 (2nd edition).pdf/182

 BA RODA

I?2

CITY.

But most notable of all are the Hindu temples which crowd this Hard by the stone bridges are two temples to Siva while numerous lesser shrines perpetuate divine honours rendered to those who have ruled the State the Gaekwars Govind Rao and Anand Rao, the Ram's Ghenabai, and the wife of the late Gaekwar Malhar Rao. In them may be seen either their images in stone life-size, or at least their feet as far as the ankle. These are the benefactors who instituted religious city.



—

or continued the khichadi, or practice of giving food daily to thousands

of male and

female Brahmans of the Deccan. This extravagant was extended by Khandi Rao to the Musalman poor. The chief State temples are those of Vithal Mandir, which has the largest allowances Swami Narayan’s Mandir, a great edifice ; the temple of Khandoba, the tutelary god of the Gaekwar’s family ; that of Becharaji and Bhi'mnith, where Brahmans undergo penance for the spiritual welfare of the Gaekwars and the confusion of their enemies, liberality



or daily read

the Saptashati prayers to

Mahi

Kali

Lakshman Bawa’s

Sidhnath, Kalika, and Bolai, and



the temples of

Ram

The

Mandir.

such as that of Narsaijk, Gobardhan Baldewaji, the Ganpati Mandir, and the temple of Kashi

Guzeratis have their temples, Nathji,

Visheshwar.

The

city

proper within the walls

is

divided into

1

7 streets or quarters,

which extend farthest towards the west, that is, in the direction of the river and the cantonment. Here are the Modi Khana or Gaekwar’s commissariat

who

Minister

Nawab

of



the quarters

named

after Syaji



after Raoji Apajf, the

called in the English, in which the

Baroda, a descendant of Mir

Mazumdar and

Kamal-ud-din,

live



the after

Gangadhar Shastri, whose murder led to the rupture between the English and the last Peshwa after Anand Rao; and after Babji, the

brother of Raoji Apaji.

The

northern suburbs are composed of rz quarters or

streets,

the

Eateh Singh, contains the house of Bhau Sindhia, the Minister of the late Khandi Rao, the stables, the carriagehouses, and the Hathi Khana of the Gaekwar, as well as one of the chief of which,

named

after

two schools of athletes. The eastern suburb consists of only 5 streets or quarters, and comprises the arena, the menageries, and Anand Rao’s old

palace.

quarters,

The

southern suburbs are divided into ii streets or

one of which, the

Farnavis, the

first

officer in

great banker Gopal

Rao

Muhammad

Wadi,

the State by rank,

Mairal



is

inhabited by the

and by the

there are also quarters

heir of the

named

after

Khandoba’s temple, and the Musalman fortification called the Monkey’s Tower. There is a good library in the city of Baroda, near the public offices, with a branch in the middle of the city. The Census of 1881 gives Baroda city a population of ior,8i8, and Baroda cantonment a population of 4694 persons; total, 106,512.