Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda

Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara Overview

The Maharaja Sayajirao University is a premium institution in the city of Vadodara, in Gujarat. The University has evolved from the Baroda College (1881) which was one of the oldest and most respected centres of education in western India. It was later renamed after its benefactor Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the former ruler of Baroda State. The present Maharaja Sayaji Rao University has lived up to the name of its predecessor and done justice to the great Gaekwad dynasty to whom it owes its existence. Apart from being an educational institution, it is also a heritage site.

The university is built upon 275 acres of land and boasts of 14 faculties including arts, commerce, education and psychology, family and community sciences, fine arts, journalism and communication, law, management studies, medicine, performing arts, science, social work, technology and engineering, and pharmacy. The Institution has become a paragon in the field of education with 90 departments, 3 constitutional colleges and several other centres which provide education at varying levels starting from kindergarten to PhD. It is also spreading its wings towards more modern subjects like fashion designing, catering technology and hotel management to keep pace with the times.

History of Maharaja Sayajirao University

The university was originally called Baroda College of science and had been established in 1881. It became a university only after 1949. The name of the University has been kept after the former ruler of Baroda State, Maharaja Saiyajirao Gaekwad III who belonged to the Gaekwad dynasty of the Marathas. Maharaja Pratap Singh Gaekwad founded the University in 1949 following the wishes of his grandfather Maharaja Sayaji Rao III. He also established the Sir Sayaji Diamond Jubilee and Memorial Trust which helps in the education of students of the former Baroda State.

Every brick of this university is etched with history. The official song of the Maharaja Sayajirao University, which was written by Professor C.C Mehta, has Gujarati lyrics but is written in Devanagari script as per the tradition of the Baroda kingdom. The library in this institution was established on 1st May 1950. It contains thousands of books on every subject imaginable including the 5,12,159 books that were handed over to the University from the two-state Libraries.

The university has nurtured great personalities like the advocate of peace and human rights Vinoba Bhave, Nobel Laureate Venkataraman Radhakrishnan, the Father of India Cinema Dadasaheb Phalke, co-inventor of Universal serial bus for Intel Ajay Bhatt, inventor of Param Super Computer Vijay P Bhatkar, Governor of RBI IG Patel and many more.

Architecture of Maharaja Sayajirao University

The main building of the University was designed by Robert Fellowes Chisholm in Indo-Saracenic style. The building is a fusion of Indian and Byzantine aeches and domes in bricks and polychromed stone. The structure of the main dome of the convocation hall was influenced by the great dome of the Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur.

The Maharaja Sayaji Rao University is built in the middle of the city in the structure of that of a fort. The grandeur and regal air of the university have remained intact even in the middle of the busy streets of Vadodara.