Vadodara Heritage trail- June 2019
April 13, 2020
Madhav Bagh – The Royal Homestay is a heritage property in Vadodara that offers t he cuisines of Maratha Princely States including the dishes of the Gaekwad rulers of Baroda Princely State. FEA organized a visit to this palatial mansion to introduce bloggers and food industry professionals to the idea of heritage cuisine.
The trail began in the morning at Ahmedabad from where we travelled on the highway to Vadodara, turning off about 30km before Vadodara for the Misroite Farm at Parthampura, Bhadarva, which was hosting breakfast for our members. This farm gets its name from Misroite, a principality in Rawalpindi – Ishwar Singh who owns this farm is from the Sardar family of Misroite. His wife Gyarneshwari runs the farmstay with a few rooms. After a sumptuous breakfast of eggs bhurji and poha, the couple took us on a tour of the farm showing us the splendid view of the Mahi River. Ishwar Singh He is a national shooting champion and manages the Savli Rifle Association with his wife. He showed us the clay pigeon trap shooting range and introduced us to the Olympic spot of double trap shooting.
From here, we continued to Vadodara, driving past many grand buildings dating from the days when the Gaekwad dynasty ruled over Baroda Princely State and Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad was one of India’s richest and most respected rulers. Presently we reached Madhav Bagh- Royal Homestay, with a driveway along a garden with a British fountain as the centerpiece. Here we were welcomed by Indrayani and Shivraj Singh Gaekwad standing at the portico of the mansion, built in the 1890s by Shivraj’s grandfather Shrimant Madhavrao Gaekwad. Inside the property was equally impressive with antiques, historical photographs, portraits and prints, and colonial period furniture. The rooms have been tastefully done with beautiful baths attached. Lunch was ready when we reached and included many favourites of different Maratha dynasties. The Sunti is a meatball made from shredded meat tied together with banana fibre, a favourite kebab of the Thanjavur Maratha rulers. The Parsundi is a dish from the Maratha princely states comprising of mince meat layered with eggs. The other dishes included Chicken Rajvilasi Rasa, Bhareli Kombdi (stuffed chicken), Bhareli Vaangi (stuffed eggplant), Dahi Bhindi and others – Indrayani told us she learnt these dishes from her family in Kolhapur and her in-laws in Baroda.
After lunch, we started back for Ahmedabad.
Photography credits: Antara Boruah
Trail Leader
Anil Mulchandani is an independent writer from 1992. His articles have been published in more than 50 publications, including most of India's leading newspapers, magazines, inflight publications, newsletters and journals. Largely known for his travelogues and food articles, he has also covered diverse subjects like the arts, handicraft,enviromental and social issues, social development initiatives, industry, innovative entrepreneurs, architecture and interiors, sports, among others, Anil is the author of many internationally-published travel books, including guides to Kerala and Southern India, Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan and other states. He has also written coffee table books and commemorative volumes for industry associations and government organisations. He is also a food critic and author of food guides. He has lectured on heritage, eco-tourism and culture at many seminars. conferences, workshops and symposiums. He is also a tourism or food committee member of many associations and industry organisations. On 12th July 2017 Anil Mulchandani launched the social media group called FEA - Food Entrepreneurs Alliance that connects more than 1500 people in the food and hospitality industry to each other for common causes. He has started the Innovative Food Entrepreneurs Associates, a social enterprise with Dilip Thakker, Rohit Khanna and Darshan Rawal who are co-admins of FEA. He was awarded Best Travel Writer by Madhya Pradesh Tourism. Gujarat's 50 Golden Destinations, a coffee table book authored by Anil Mulchandani for Gujarat Tourism, won the national tourism award.
