In Vadodara, an Indian city of just over two million inhabitants, stands Lakshmi Vilas Palace: the largest mansion in the world, surpassing even Istana Nurul Iman of the Sultan of Bruneiwith an area of 2.8 million square meters distributed in more than 170 rooms.
To put it in perspective, Lakshmi Vilas Palace is four times larger than Buckingham Palace including its gardens (242,000 m2) and almost five times the area occupied by the Royal Palace of Madrid (595,000 m2 with gardens). The most curious thing of all is that only four people live in this impressive palace.
A building to live like a maharajah
Built between 1878 and 1890 as a symbol of power of the maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, Lakshmi Vilas Palace occupies 2.8 million m2 spread over more than 170 rooms on several floors.
Their stays are below the 3,418 rooms of the Royal Palace in Madrid or the 775 rooms that the Buckingham Palace in London has, but the difference is their size since all the rooms in the lower part were designed as large rooms for diplomatic and social events of the royal family that built it, while the private rooms were relegated to the upper floors to better preserve the privacy of their guests.
In its construction, Indo-Saracenic styles were experimented with, fused with Gothic, Moorish and Indian stone and marble, with large stained glass windows imported from Belgium and wood carvings by local craftsmen. In summary, a bet that groups together in the same space the colonial history of Indiawith an exterior aesthetic very much in line with the Indian taste of the time, and interior decorations closer to a European country house.
Photo of the Lakshmi Vilas Palace after its construction in 1890
The cost of its construction amounted to more than £6.3 million, which was a real fortune at the end of the 19th century. Details such as marble floors and carved wood work by local artisans define its opulence. The palace had the most modern amenities for its time, including several elevators that connected the floors.
Only four inhabitants in a private kingdom
Samarjitsinh Ranjitsinh Gaekwad, current Maharaja of Baroda since 2012, his wife Radhikaraje Gaekwad and their daughters Padmaja Raje and Narayani Raje are the only tenants of the enormous palace, so, given its enormous scale, each member of the family could enjoy about 700,000 m2 for their exclusive use.
According to detailed the medium specialized in architecture Architectural igestthe Gaekwad family comes from a prominent Maratha dynasty that reigned in these lands (now known as Vadodara) from the early 18th century until 1947. This sumptuous palace has witnessed the coronation of four monarchs of this family saga.
“The scale of the palace is enormous. I have lived here for 23 years and right now I am discovering things for the first time,” declared Radhikaraje, the maharajah’s wife, in an interview with the specialized media.
One of the halls of the Lakshmi Vilas Palace
Although it has fewer rooms than iconic European palaces, its rooms are enormous. Radhikaraje Gaekwad explained to Architectural Digest: “It’s easy to be captivated by grandeur. But this is our home.”
In addition to having Venetian mosaics or crystal chandeliers in its interiors, the palace is surrounded by enormous gardens, a golf course, a small private train that runs through the gardens and even an old zoo with a pond in which several crocodiles lived.
Lakshmi Vilas Palace Library after its completion in 1890
He Hathi Hallwith lavish ornaments in blue and gold, was the point from where the Maharaja mounted his elephant for royal processions, with decorative carvings of elephants on arches and pillars. The Lakshmi Vilas Library It consisted of about 20,000 volumes, which Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwar III donated in 1910 to form the core of the Central Library of Baroda.
Currently, part of those enormous halls that occupy the ground floor are intended for cultural use as a museum with historical weapons, paintings and mosaics, while other wings of the palace, such as Laxmi Vilas Banquets, host events and ceremonies. Thus, luxury is democratized without losing its stately essence, and contributes to its maintenance.
As a curious note, one of these rooms it was stage of the meeting between the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Pedro Sánchez during his state visit in October 2024.
Image | Flickr (sandeepachetan), Wikimedia Commons (Notnarayan)
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