Sayajirao Gaekwad III
Maharaja of Baroda
Sayajirao Gaekwad III (born Shrimant Gopalrao Gaekwad; 11 March 1863 – 6 February 1939) was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule. He belonged to the royal Gaekwad dynasty of the Marathas which ruled parts of present-day Gujarat. Sayajirao was born into a Maratha family in the village of Kavlana in Malegaon taluka of Nashik district, as Gopalrao Gaekwad, second son of Kashirao Bhikajirao (Dada Sahib) Gaekwad (1832–1877) and Ummabai. He belonged to a cadet branch of the Gaekwad dynasty, descended from a morganatic marriage of the first Raja of Baroda, and so was not expected to succeed to the throne. With the throne of Baroda now vacant, Maharani Jamnabai called upon the heads of the various branches of the dynasty to come to Baroda and present themselves and their sons in order to decide upon a successor. Kashirao and his three sons, Anandrao (1857–1917), Gopalrao (1863–1939) and Sampatrao (1865–1934) walked to Baroda from Kavlana -a distance of some 600 kilometers- to present themselves to Jamnabai. It is reported that when each son was asked
the purported reason for presenting themselves at Baroda, Gopalrao unhesitatingly stated: "I have come here to rule". Gopalrao was selected by the British as successor and was accordingly adopted by Maharani Jamnabai, on 27 May 1875. He was also given a new name, Sayajirao. He ascended the gadi at Baroda on 16 June 1875 but, being a minor, reigned under a Council of Regency until he came of age. He was invested with full ruling powers on 28 December 1881. During his minority he was extensively tutored in administrative skills by Raja Sir T. Madhava Rao who groomed his young protégé into a person with foresight and with a will to provide welfare to his people. In this period Madhava Rao restored the state to its normal conditions following the chaos in which it had been left by Malharrao. On assuming the reins of government, some of his first tasks included education of his subjects, uplifting of the downtrodden, and judicial, agricultural and social reforms. He played a key role in the development of Baroda's textile industry, and his educational and social reforms included among others, a ban on child marriage, legislation of divorce, removal of untouchability, spread of education, development of Sanskrit, ideological studies and religious education as well as the encouragement of the fine arts. His economic development initiatives included the establishment of a railway (see below) and the founding of the Bank of Baroda, which still exists and is one of India's leading banks, with numerous operations abroad in support of the Gujarati diaspora. Fully aware of the fact that he was a Maratha ruler of Gujarat, he identified himself with the people and shaped their cosmopolitan attitude and progressive, reformist zeal. His rich library became the nucleus of today's Central Library of Baroda with a network of libraries in all the towns and villages in his state. He was the first Indian ruler to introduce compulsory and free primary education in his state, placing his territory far in advance of contemporary British India.
Baroda State Royal Army. Baroda State had its own army (and Navy) was called Baroda State Royal Army. In olden times, it was one of the most modern and capable army force in India. It was Maharaja Khanderao Gaekwad (1856 to 1870A.D.), who created and organized a regular force of infantry, cavalry and artillery and engaged the services of Europeans and Anglo-Indians to train the men. The head of the army was known as the “Senapati” or “Supremo”. The Baroda State Army, Baroda State Police Force, State Vigilance and Baroda Spy Network, all worked under this “Senapati” and it was his responsibility to manage these forces. Almost 8 million soldiers would be stationed under his command. Baroda Army force had 6 major barracks, where 16 small barracks worked below each of this 6 major barracks. Each barrack consisted of almost 1,08,000. The 6 barracks were located at the major districts of the Baroda State. Baroda, Navsari Fort, Mehsana-Patan Fort, Dhari Fort of Amreli, Dwarka-Okha bet and Songadh Fort were the states where these barracks were stationed.
Gaekwads (also spelled as Gaikwads, Guicowars, Gaekwars), a Hindu Maratha dynasty of the former Maratha Empire and its subsequent (erstwhile) princely state of Baroda in western India from the early 18th century until 1947. The ruling prince was known as the Maharaja Gaekwad of Baroda. With the city of Baroda (Vadodara) as its capital, during the British Raj its relations with the British were managed by the Baroda Residency. It was one of the largest and wealthiest princely states existing alongside British India, with wealth coming from the lucrative cotton business as well as rice, wheat and sugar production. The Gaekwad rule of Baroda began when the Maratha general Pilaji Rao Gaekwad conquered the city from the Mughal Empire in 1721. The Gaekwads were granted the city as a Jagir by Chhatrapati Shahu I, the Chhatrapati of the Maratha empire. In their early years, the Gaekwads served as subordinates of the Dabhade family, who were the Maratha chiefs of Gujarat and holders of the senapati (commander-in-chief) title. When Umabai Dabhade joined Tarabai's side against Balaji Baji Rao, Pilaji's son Damaji Rao Gaekwad commanded the Dabhade force. He
was defeated, and remained under Peshwa's arrest from May 1751 to March 1752. In 1752, he was released after agreeing to abandon the Dabhades and accept the Peshwa's suzerainty. In return, Damaji was made the Maratha chief of Gujarat, and the Peshwa helped him expel the Mughals from Gujarat. Damaji subsequently fought alongside Sadashiv Rao, Vishwas Rao, Malhar Rao Holkar, Jankoji Scindia, Sidhoji Gharge-Desai (Deshmukh) and Mahadji Shinde in the Third Battle of Panipat (1761). After the Maratha defeat at Panipat, the central rule of the Peshwas was weakened. As a result, the Gaekwads, along with several other powerful Maratha clans, established themselves as virtually independent rulers, while recognizing the nominal authority of the Peshwas and suzerainty of the Bhonsle Maharaja of Satara. The Gaekwads, together with several Maratha chieftains, fought the British in the First Anglo-Maratha War. On 15 March 1802, the British intervened to defend the Gaekwad Maharaja, Anand Rao Gaekwad, who had recently inherited the throne against rival claimants, and the Gaekwads concluded the Treaty of Cambey with the British that recognized their independence from the Maratha empire and guaranteed the Maharajas of Baroda local autonomy in return for recognizing British suzerainty. Maharaja Sayaji Rao III, who took the throne in 1875, did much to modernize Baroda, establishing compulsory primary education, a library system and the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. He also encouraged the setting up of textile factories, which helped create Baroda's textile industry.
Awards: Collar, sash and star of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India.
