While staying in Vadodara I couldn’t have missed the amazing Laxmi Vilas Palace a.k.a. LVP which is situated in the heart of the city. Build by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, this palace is an extravagant building which is four times the size of Buckingham Palace. The palace as you can see is constructed in such a way that it resembles (R to L) a Temple, a Gurudwara, a Church and a Mosque.
The entire compound covers over 700 acres which includes the Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum, the Navlakhi well (step well) and also houses the famous paintings of Raja Ravi Verma. It's a beauty of its kind and a must visit in Vadodara.
As you enter the palace compound with a ticket of Rs 250 which includes the Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum too, you will be provided with an audio guidance (with language preference) which very easily guides you through your entire tour to the palace. The palace is known to be the largest private dwelling built till date. The present Maharaja stays in the 1st floor along with his family and the ground floor is meant for the tourists.
In the same compound you can see the Step well (as pictures below), which is beautifully designed and was used as a source of water in the earlier days. The peacocks run and dance around the green and lushly compound of the palace. After the palace tour we went to the Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum which has preserved the heritage of the Gaekwad kingdom.
The tour takes about 3hr. As I mentioned earlier, the ticket price mandatorily comprises of the palace as well as the museum. If you miss the museum and decide to visit it some other day then you need to book the ticket for only museum separately.
So guys, if you happen to be in Vadodara I would suggest you to keep it in your MUST-SEE list !!
Guidelines:
Vadodara Railway Station/ Central Bus Depot to LVP: 3.4 km
Vadodara Airport to LVP: 6 km
Best time to visit: Round the year (though my advice is to avoid the high temperature of summer)
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