Typo - morphological Analysis on the city of Vadodara

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AR5312 : Typo - Morphology in Architecture!

! ! Assignment II : Typo - Morphological Analysis ! ! !

By:! Mugdha Godbole! Mat. No.: A0137171L! MUP Year 1 Sem 1!

! ! ! Introduction: !

Vadodara is a city, third largest, in the state of Gujarat and is situated on the banks of the river Vishwamitri. Currently it has a population of 2.2 Million. !

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Until now the city has had quite a few names. It was called Chandravati when ruled by King Chandan of the Gupta empire, then called Viravati, land of warriors, for the number of battles that took place. The Gupta empire was taken over by the Rajput Solankis and then later by the Sultans of Delhi followed by the Moghuls. The Marathas seized the city from the Moghuls in 1700s and since then its history has been recorded. ! The name of Vadpatraka was also given for the abundance of “Vatodar� (sanskrit) or Banyan trees on the banks of Vishwamitri. ! Early English travelers mentioned the town as Brodera from which Baroda was derived and finally, in 1974 the official name of Vadodara was given. !

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The history can even be dated back to the stone age era. Every empire that has ruled the city has had some impact on the city some of which is evident from the architecture and planning of the city. However, it is almost impossible to check these historical facts as they are not found in any legal records. Some impactful history is however witnessed during the rule of the Gaekwads (Maratha Rule). !

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Therefore, I have compiled the morphological analysis of the city into three timelines; firstly from 600 to 800 AD, then the Gaekwad Rule from 1734 to 1948 and finally from 1950s to present day. Through these timelines I have tried to explain the organic evolution of the city. !

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Timeline I: 600 to 800 AD

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The old Jain city of Ankotakka present day Akota in the city of Vadodara was situated downstream on the banks of the river Vishwamitri 600 AD. Stone weaponry, tools, etc have been found cobbles and are evident of this prehistoric city. ! Vishwamitri is a tributary to the great river Narmada. Circa 800 AD the flooding of the river Narmada, caused flooding of Vishwamitri and forced the inhabitants of Ankotakka to move upstream. The banks upstream were rich in Banyan trees and hence the new name “Vadpatraka� after sanskrit name of vatodar for banyan trees came into being. !

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The maps show the city of Ankottaka, then the dispersion of the city due to the heavy floods and the formation of the new city of Vadpatraka. ! !

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! Below you can see the river Vishwamitri and the artists impression of the city of Vadrapatra.!

! ! ! ! ! Timeline II: 1734 - 1948 B.C.E - The Princely State of Baroda

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When the Marathas led by Pilaji Gaekwad were victorious over the Mughals, the Baroda state was turned over to them. Since then the Gaekwad have been the sole ruling party of Baroda until of course India’s independence. !

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However, the Golden Age for Vadodara started when the city came under the rule of successor Maharaja Sayaji Gaekwad III in 1875. Since then the city has also been called Sayaji Nagri or the city of Sayaji. !

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History is witness of the reformation and modernization of the state and city that followed under the rule of Sayaji Gaekwad. !

! He was the founder of Universities and educational Institutions, and public spaces like musuems, temples, mosques, gardens, parks etc and patronage of music and arts. Under his rule,world famous painters like Raja Ravi Verma were encouraged for their beautiful art. !

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He envisaged and developed a water supply system through water harnessing and manmade water collection lakes to supply good potable water to the residents of his city as the river was not perennial and depended on monsoons. !

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During this period, Baroda though considered a cultural and educational centre also attracted many industries and the state saw an exponential Industrial and economic growth. Agglomeration of cotton/textile, pharmaceutical, machine tools factories took place as well as the establishment of the Gujarat refinery on discovery of natural gas and oil reserves in Ankaleshwar, north of Baroda. This increased job opportunities as it became a rising industrial centre.!

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Ajwa: An earthen dam built by engineer Hate under the rule of Sayaji Gaekwad III to supply water to its residents entirely by gravity. It has 62 gates, 5 km long and 211 feet above sea level. The reservoir was built to serve three times its then resident population which resided in the main city. !

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Time stops when one enters the old city centre of Vadodara. The central city was in the past a walled city with four gates at the East, West, North and South. The central Gate called Mandvi was at the city centre and a place to collect taxes. Under the Maratha rule the walls were brought down but the gates exist till date. The evolution of the urban tissue during this period has been shown below. !

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! The centre is the Mandvi gate. The other four gates are shown by the red dot.The map shows the main roads that were existing before residential development took place. ! To the right and left of the map are man made constructed lakes to collect water during the rainy seasons. In case there were heavy rainfall, to prevent flooding in the city drainage tunnels were built underground leading to the river Vishwamitri. To the right are the Pani and Rajav Lakes and to the Left is the Sursagar Lake. !

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The above maps show the progressive development of the housing area and the intricate road networks. Till date one can easily get lost in the maze of road networks that have been developed. Houses are stacked along these roads. ! Not much change has been seen in the central city. It is still congested and vibrant as before. It is a localized economy and a hub for commercial activities and local businesses.!

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One can see Mandvi Gate in both these photos of then and now. ! !

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State of Bombay was combined with the State of Baroda after Independence and on the Repbulic Day, 26th Jan, these were taken in Gujarat and the state of Baroda became the city of Vadodara. !

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The evolution of the city is shown from its bone structure to its formation by 1940s. !

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Timeline III: 1950s to Present Day

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Red area is the central city tissue.!

! ! Vadodara has always had a locational advantage. Historically is was central node and strategically located at junction connecting the state of Gujarat with the Rajputana state in the north, the Malwa and the Ganges to the north east, to the state of Maharashtra to its south and central Madhya pradesh to south east. Today the city is a major railway junction of the ester railways and a significant intersection point on the Golden Quadrilateral that forms some of the major arteries connecting Mumbai with Delhi.! The people of Vadodara proudly call themselves “Barodians” and their city the “Sankari Nagari” meaning City of culture. The city has indeed a unique culture, celebrating all the festivals from various parts of the country and a centre for music and arts. ! Vadodara is still attracting big shot top notch private and public companies such as GSFC, OPaL, ONGC, Larsen n Toubro etc. as well as entrepreneurs from all over the country. The city continues its journey as a significant Industrial centre as well as positively contributing to the Indian economy. !

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References:!

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www.gaekwadsofbaroda.com , The Gaekwads of Baroda!

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http://www.mapsofindia.com/vadodra/history/!

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http://binscorner.com/pages/a/ancient-baroda.html!

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http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/indiaofficeselect/PhotoShowDescs.asp?CollID=621, Album of “Baroda views”, British Library!

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http://www.gujarattourism.com/hub/4, About Vadodara, Gujarat Tourism!

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http://www.ebaroda.com/, Old Vadodara photos!

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http://www.historyofvadodara.in/, Vadodara History!

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http://www.msubaroda.ac.in/, Maharaja Sayajirao University!

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http://www.baroda.com/aboutvadodara.php!

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadodara, Wikipedia!

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayajirao_Gaekwad_III, Wikipedia!

! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajwa, Wikipedia! ! www.vmc.gov.in, Vadodara Muncipal Corporation! !

http://www.vuda.co.in/, Vadodara Urban Development Authority!

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