Vadodara (pop. 1,670,806; met. area pop. 1,817,191) is a large industrial city in western India, in the southeast of the state of Gujarat. It stands on the Vishwamitra River. Its industries include the production of textiles and chemicals. The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda is in Vadodara. The university is home to one of the most renowned fine arts programs in India.
The city dates back at least to the A.D. 800’s, and has had a number of different names, the most notable of these being Baroda, the name under which it was known before 1971. Baroda was also the name of a princely state prior to India’s independence in 1947. The city of Baroda was its capital. The palace of the Baroda princes, the Laxmi Vilas Palace, built in the 1800’s, is one of the most beautiful palaces in India. Baroda was one of the wealthiest princely states.
