 "The Laxmi Vilas Palace was built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1890. Image courtesy: Gujarat Tourism")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez at Vadodara’s Laxmi Vilas Palace on Monday, following their joint inauguration of the Tata-Airbus C295 aircraft facility in Gujarat.
The Spanish Prime Minister, on a three-day visit to India, arrived in Vadodara early on Monday morning. Ahead of this high-profile visit, police personnel were stationed across Vadodara and at the hotel where he is staying.
The city of Vadodara, prepared to welcome both leaders, is decorated with lights.
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Here’s all you need to know about the Laxmi Vilas Palace in Gujarat:
1. The historic Laxmi Vilas Palace, the residence of the former Baroda royal family, was constructed in the grand 19th-century Indo-Saracenic style at a cost of Rs 6 million.
2. Covering 500 acres, it is the largest private residence ever built and four times the size of Buckingham Palace.
3. During the Gaekwad dynasty, Laxmi Vilas Palace’s ornate durbar hall hosted grand banquets and concerts for royals and dignitaries. On Monday (October 28), the palace will welcome two heads of government for the first time, with PM Modi and Pedro Sanchez scheduled to have lunch at the Gaekwad royal residence.
4. Known as Gujarat’s most stunning Raj-era palace, its richly decorated interiors include preserved mosaics, chandeliers, artwork, and an extensive collection of arms.
5. The palace also features paintings by renowned artist Raja Ravi Varma, who was commissioned by the then Maharaja of Baroda.
6. The impressive Laxmi Vilas Palace is decorated with marble, mosaic tiles, and numerous artworks. It also features palms, fountains, a golf course, and Sayajirao’s personal museum.
7. Within the grounds lies the Navlakhi stepwell, an ancient water system built by past rulers to combat Gujarat’s arid conditions.
8. The palace complex also includes the LVP Banquets & Conventions, Moti Baug Palace, and the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum.
9. It is home to the Moti Bagh Cricket Ground, the Baroda Cricket Association’s offices, and a rare indoor court with teak flooring for tennis and badminton.
10. Constructed in the 19th century by the Gaekwad family, who ruled Baroda, the palace was designed in the Indo-Saracenic Revival style by chief architect Major Charles Mant.
Following this event, Pedro Sanchez will travel to Mumbai for official engagements, where he will interact with trade and industry leaders, think tanks, and the film industry. Several MoUs and agreements are expected to be signed, with Sanchez’s visit seen as an opportunity for India and Spain to strengthen ties across areas such as trade and investment, IT, innovation, infrastructure, renewable energy, defence and security, pharma, agro-tech and biotech, culture, and tourism, as per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Under the agreement, 40 aircraft will be manufactured at the Vadodara facility, while Airbus will directly deliver 16. Tata Advanced Systems will oversee the production of these 40 aircraft in India, marking the Vadodara facility as the country’s first private-sector final assembly line (FAL) for military aircraft.
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The facility will develop a comprehensive ecosystem, covering manufacturing, assembly, testing, qualification, delivery, and ongoing maintenance throughout the aircraft’s life cycle.
In addition to Tata, leading defence public sector units like Bharat Electronics and Bharat Dynamics, along with private micro, small, and medium enterprises, will play a key role in supporting this programme.
With inputs from agencies