India

by Aline Dobbie

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY

  At Long Last We Journey to

  Gujarat

  As we drove into Vadodara known formerly as Baroda I reflected on how hard it seemed to have been to arrange a journey through this western state of India. The impetus for me to continue to reach there was and is that my Grandmother Aline de Veria who married Geoffrey Rose wrote a book with the Maharani of Cooch Behar who was the daughter of the great Maharajah of Baroda. Indeed it was considered one of the major royal houses of India – Marathas rather than Rajputs and was famous for its wealth and influence. There had been huge intrigue, counter intrigue, death threats and attempts and other profligate behaviour but in 1875 the new British Resident Sir Richard Meade agreed that the heroic steadfast Jamnabai, the widow of Khanderao was to be the Queen Regent and could adopt a suitable boy to bring up as her dead husband’s heir. This kingdom – the Gaekwad realm was the third richest in India. Baroda is flat and fertile and the kingdom comprised 8,000 square miles and was known as the garden of Gujarat. In 1877 its population was more than 2 million people who were mostly prosperous smallholders and the city of Baroda had 90,000 residents. Baroda’s army numbered 11,000 soldiers and its annual tax revenue was £2 million of which the maharaja received one in every thirteen, a huge annual income by any contemporary standards. For the age Baroda was a fabulously wealthy state of India.

  The name Gaekwad derives from the story that the first Gaekwad had seen a Muslim butcher drive a herd of cattle past his fort. As a good Hindu he was depressed by the imminent slaughter of these holy cows and opened a small door (kavad) in his fort’s wall and ushered the cows (gai) into the safety of his property. This was a courageous act in the face of the then Muslim rulers and the family name became Gaekwad. The Gaekwads had a history of being trusted by the British and indeed Khanderao had remained loyal to the British at the time of the great revolt in 1857. Thus when Maharani Jamnabai summoned the Gaekwad family to Baroda with their sons so that she might find a suitable heir Kashirao, the headman of a hamlet miles from Baroda city took two of his sons and one of his nephew to the state capital. Despite being farmers they were of the kshatriya warrior caste and distantly related to the royal family. The four walked 300 miles to the palace from their village. Out of the three boys legend has it the middle boy when asked why he had made this long journey replied ‘I have come here to rule’. Furthermore when tested at a grand meal this middle boy watched furtively and copied the maharani. The astrologers confirmed the maharani and Sir Richard Meade’s choice. Thereafter Gopalrao became Maharaja of Baroda. His new name upon formal adoption was Sayajirao but he was only 12 years old! From then on followed an intense education which must have left the little lad very lonely at times; he had to learn to read, write and count and he had to learn how to speak fluent Gujarati and Hindi as well as English. He went on to become a very great forward thinking maharajah and it helped enormously that his English tutor Mr Elliot was a wise, utterly honest, gentle straightforward man who earned Sayajirao’s love as well as his respect. He went on to learn and appreciate philosophy, history, political science, geography, chemistry and mathematics as well as sport and etiquette. He could converse in English, Marathi, Gujarati and Urdu. He met the United Kingdom’s Prince of Wales late in 1875.

  This fine man’s first wife died after giving birth to three children; she was the niece of Maharani Jamnabai and a princess of Tanjore (which is in Tamil Nadu). She became known as Chimnabai and succumbed to tuberculosis leaving behind a brokenhearted Sayajirao. He subsequently remarried a local nobleman’s daughter and she too became known as Chimnabai and they were to be very happy too. This forward looking man declared that his wife would also be educated which was remarkable for those days. He said he wanted a life’s companion rather than someone to breed heirs. They then embarked on foreign trips and became very well versed in all things modern, European and British. This second marriage produced four children one of which was Indira Raje the only daughter born in 1892. It was she with whom my grandmother wrote a book for which my grandmother Aline painted the illustrations of tigers and dacoits. Now you can understand my motivation to visit Baroda. ‘Ma’ Cooch Behar became a legend in her lifetime and also the mother of the equally legendary Maharani of Jaipur who died in 2009.

  Modern day Vadodara is underwhelming sadly. Its origins go back to the 9th century we learn when it was a small town called Akota. Akota, or Ankottaka was a famous centre of Jainism in the 5th and 6th century CE situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River. Now though there is the Laksmi Vilas Palace which we visited and the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and a reasonable museum but the city has not yet restored itself sufficiently to become a real focus for the traveller. Gujarat is now famous for its industry and there is quite a lot surrounding Baroda with a burgeoning automotive industry and General Motors has a factory here, but the real focus for the traveller is Champaner a short distance away on a good motorway; indeed Gujarat has concentrated on building good infrastructure and the roads are superior to most other Indian States.

  We were made very welcome at the Taj Gateway Akota Gardens and were grateful for the comfort, service and good food in a central location. I had such a good time learning about tempering dhal with the executive chef of the hotel. They also have a most excellent oriental restaurant with Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese cuisines.

  Our good friend Karan Grover, the distinguished architect, who lives in Baroda with his lovely wife made us welcome and gave a beautiful stylish party at which we met many friendly people. Their very elegant home was a total delight. Earlier in the day however we had met Karan at his office high up in a building that overlooks the centre of the city from which we had an interesting view – not least the twenty two great crocodiles that live in the city centre river….it was quite unnerving to see so many reptiles free in this central urban water; Graham remarked drily that he imagined there were quite a few dogs and cats and possibly small humans who had lost their lives in and around that area to these great reptilian beasts.

  Karan Grover took up the torch at the dying request from his mentor and worked tirelessly to have Champaner listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site which he finally achieved in 2004. We had the great pleasure of being taken on a tour of Champaner by Karan himself. This is one of India’s most remarkable archaeological sites with Hindu temples and step wells at neighbouring Pavagadh and the regional capital city built by Sultan Muhammad Bhegada in the 16th century with mosques that are considered perfect examples of the Gujarat Sultanate’s Indo-Saracenic architecture. The mosque within the fortified city is called Shahr Ki Masjid. It is noted for its slender minarets with intricately carved bases. The Jami Masjid has intricate latticework screens and a magnificent pavilion at the entrance to the spacious courtyard which is enclosed by domed galleries. The central dome was unique for the time with its three-storey height with galleries that allow light into the prayer hall. There is some similarity with Hampi in the construction of the city walls and garrison quarters but this site is more difficult to tour and encompass. The Pavagadh hill reminds one of Uluru in central Australia and in the early morning light looks quite marvellous. I have made two huge galleries on Gujarat which can be accessed on http://picasaweb.google.com/alinedobbie.

  History has it that Baiju Bawra, the renowned 16th Century music maestro and Tansen’s contemporary rival, belonged to Champaner and Goddess Kali had lent him her voice after he was born mute. It has a concentration of largely unexcavated archaeological, historic and cultural monuments cradled in an impressive landscape that includes prehistoric (chalcolithic) sites, a hill fortress of an early Hindu capital and remains of the 16th Century capital of the state of Gujarat.

  Champaner was founded by a Chavda clan king in the 8th Century and later ruled by Khichi Chauhan Rajputs and young Sultan of Gujarat, Mahmud Begada, who even renamed it as Muhammadabad, after he moved the capital from the present day Ahmedabad. While the town finally succumbed to attack
s of Mughal Emperor Humayun in 1535, the ruins have a story to tell. From here, one either has to take a hilltop drive or take the ropeway to reach the Kali temple at the summit of Pavagadh hill while passing hundreds of people who prefer to climb because of sheer devotion. The temple attracts thousands of devotees every year and on a visit during monsoon one can experience true hillside beauty. Champaner-Pavagadh has over 36 ASI protected sites which include fortifications, palaces, religious buildings, residential precincts, cenotaphs, stepped wells, bastions, agricultural structures and water facilities from the 8th to the 14th Centuries.

  Another striking attraction is the nearby wildlife sanctuary in Jambughoda, a princely state prior to Independence. The place was declared a sanctuary in May 1990 and is home to magnificent forests of teak, bamboos and other miscellaneous species. It has two water reservoirs. There are sloth bears, jackals, blue bulls, wild boars and four-horned antelopes, besides other wildlife species. Furthermore, it has many varieties of reptiles as well and migratory birds which can be spotted on the way to different water bodies in the autumn. It is worth emphasizing that there are very few tourists and travellers in this area and indeed most people I know in the West have never heard of Champaner. It is worth a visit but one could also live at Jambughoda which is a heritage home. This is however a simple place, a rural retreat and not, it must be emphasized, a grand regal palace. We had the good fortune to meet the Jambughoda royal family and lunch and dine with them. Jambugodha is quite famous for its leopard population though we were not fortunate enough to see one but we visited the sanctuary and enjoyed the evening sunshine with peacocks strutting in the fields at Kada and a visit to a local tribal village to see their lovely animated and fresh depictions of times past and village life.

  The road between Vadodara (Baroda) and Ahmedabad is motorway and thus our journey was accomplished efficiently. It is raised and one can observe the land alongside and enjoy the spring flowers on all the trees and bushes. Gujarat is flat of that there is no doubt but it has become the engine house of India industrially. The Anand Veterinary and Agricultural University has been established at Anand and there too is the world’s largest dairy herd providing huge quantities of milk for Gujarat and indeed India. I recall when some of Graham’s old veterinary colleagues from The Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies at Edinburgh used to be invited to give their advice and suggestions to establish this vast dairy herd.

  We arrived in Ahmedabad very soon in good time for lunch. We had arranged to stay at the ITC Fortune Landmark Hotel in a central area of the city. All around one can see how this city is considered to be the fastest growing city in all India. There are great swathes of commercial prosperity interspersed with shabby poverty. Ahmedabad since 1970 has remained Gujarat’s premier city but is no longer the capital which is at the newly built Gandhinagar a little way away. There is a scheme in place to make the banks of the river into a beautiful area for pedestrians and a really elegant park like ambience; this is a good idea but no doubt it required people to be forcibly relocated. However I think overall it is a constructive move as it will provide a useful ‘lung’ for the citizens of all social classes in Ahmedabad.

  Ahmedabad became the capital of Gujarat in 1414 replacing Patan, and since then it became the centre of architectural activity. There are a large number of significant mosques but the one we visited from the outside is the Sidi Syaid Mosque which has the most beautiful intricate stone jali work – latticework depicting The Tree of Life. This mosque is exactly opposite the now very famous House of MG or, to give it the full title Mangaldas ni Haveli or The House of Mangaldas Girdhardas. This building is a stately 20th century mansion that has been converted in to a business hotel that feels like a home. It is an oasis in the city centre of the Old City of Ahmedabad. I was enchanted by the whole place and could have actually stayed there but was loyal to my ITC roots and elected to stay in the Fortune Landmark Hotel where we were made very welcome with good food and service. Moreover, I like peace and quiet and I felt that the House of MG might be a touch noisy and I think it was a correct judgment. Nevertheless it is a place of great charm and interest and has so much to peruse and enjoy. The family who own it had been keen supporters of Gandhiji and there are archival photographs everywhere and clever décor. Gujarat’s cuisine is well known for its vegetarian diversity and this proved the case when we dined that night on the terrace. It was a very good experience and one I strongly recommend; as for crossing the street to the hotel from the mosque…well take your life in your hands and cross because the traffic is manic in the evening.

  Gandhiji, well Gujarat cannot be contemplated without concentration on Gandhiji. Since I am a devotee of his thinking and courage that was something to which to look forward - the famous Sabarmati Ashram on the banks of the Sabarmati River which flows through the centre of the city and was not far from our hotel. This is a Spartan colony of tiled houses which was a second home to Mahatma Gandhi. It was from here that he orchestrated the final struggle for India’s freedom. His cottage, Hriday Kunj, has been maintained much as he and ‘Ba’ his wife left it and contains some personal items such as his round spectacles, wooden slippers, books and letters. The whole centre now has a decent museum that was designed by Le Corbusier and it is all very moving. We arrived on our first afternoon having lunched and rested but in the sunshine the place was filled with school children and fellow tourists and of course Indians absorbing what and how the great man worked and spent his time. My first gallery on Gujarat shows it in http://picasaweb.google.com/ alinedobbie The gallery has a lion as the icon. This is a visit that one takes slowly absorbing everything that happened and how he was influenced. This little man with a great heart and such courage changed not only India but the world with his philosophy of ahimsa - non violence. He became the inspiration and guru for Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama and Aung San Suu Kyi and countless thousands who still revere him. Thankfully the latter is now reaping the rewards and recognition of her own personal trials and is well respected and free to travel; of course what she will reluctantly find is that her high principles and integrity will become compromised now that she is an elected politician…it was ever thus wherever one is in the world.

  The Ashram is doing an important job educating India’s young for whom the Freedom Struggle is merely history as indeed the First World War was to our generation in the 1950s. I hope however that young Indians will continue to revere ‘Bapu’, the Father of their Nation. On a discordant note I was vexed by the awful sulky staff in the museum shop who cannot even smile or say thank you when transacting a sale. Gujarat has not yet espoused the lessons of welcoming tourists and reacting well. Wherever we went we found some people who were lethargic, grumpy, rude and just disinterested in their work; this is despite apparently 40 crores of rupees (a huge amount of money) being spent on a promotional film starring Amitabh Baachan the great Bollywood film star. The film is excellent but the product on closer inspection disappoints.

  The Calico Museum is an absolute must to visit but it should be pointed out that you must have your travel agent or other person make an appointment for you as they limit the numbers and are altogether quite ferocious in their approach. Ahmedabad has been a major centre of India’s textile trade and industry since the 15th century and this excellent museum which is well maintained and very attractive to visit shows the rare textiles, carpets, tents, costumes and embroideries, brocades and silk weaves that have made India so famous. The Sarabhai family who were textile mill owners and leading philanthropists started the museum in 1949. Sadly I have no photographic record as they don’t even allow cameras in the precincts of the property which is beautifully set out rather like a heritage village. The shop is totally useless and the attendants bark at one and are almost disobliging. The security staff think they are running a concentration camp and every visitor the morning we were present was affronted by the behaviour but the travel agents laugh and say bitterly Ah Yes! you discovered they have no char
m whatsoever. Actually they used a really pejorative term which I cannot repeat here.

  The Dada Harir Vav and the Adalaj Vav are two of the most famous step wells of Gujarat and were the ingenious answer to the water scarcity in this arid region. We enjoyed visiting both and the Hatheesing Temple with its intricate carvings is another pleasant experience. There is quite a lot to see in Ahmedabad and a tourist guide would give you a comprehensive list of attractions; we found that some aspects were unattractive and I did not wish to rise very early for a walk through the old city because I had been warned it is dirty and smelly but the Heritage Walking Tours are there for the dedicated traveller. The Vishala complex which is another charming museum displaying traditional utensils and everyday objects set in attractive well maintained village and garden ambience is worth seeing, and I was able to photograph it all well. There is a restaurant here in the evening as well which would I am sure have been atmospheric and attractive. We however remained in the Fortune Landmark and went to their legendary restaurant in the penthouse which has food to my liking…good north Indian cuisine with meat and we were well pleased with the food and the good service.

  The next day we left Ahmedabad and headed south to Lothal. Excavations at Lothal unearthed the remains of a city of the Indus Valley civilization that existed 4,500 years ago. The ASI has maintained the site but to my mind a great deal more could be done to educate people about Lothal and Dholavira. The latter is the largest Indus Valley site in India way to the north west of Gujarat and I had so wanted to visit but it would have been hours of driving over flat arid landscape with no-where to stay once there and then all the way back, but from what I have read it is an impressive site – probably best visited by helicopter! Earlier in this book I gave quite a bit of detail about the Indus Valley Civilization. Lothal has a rather futile museum which underwhelms one but the site reveals the foundations of a well-planned city with blocks of houses, paved drains, channels and wells and 12 public baths. Both these sites reveal that the inhabitants of those days had worked out fairly sophisticated systems to harvest rain. In 2001 Indian oceanographers whilst conducting water pollution tests in the Gulf of Cambay nearby, made an astonishing discovery of the foundations of two cities under the sea, complete with streets, houses, staircases and temples. Objects recovered from the seabed revealed curious writing and this site is now known as Asia’s Atlantis. Archaeologists and historians worldwide became excited as it suggests that civilization may have started 5,000 years earlier than previously believed. Perhaps the end of the Ice Age in about 8000 BC led to these cities being submerged?