Mausoleums of two Baroda royals in ruins

VADODARA: Samadhis of two rulers of the erstwhile Baroda state are lying unattended to and in ruins near Kamnath Mahadev Temple in the city.
Samadhis of Sayajirao Gaekwad-I and Fateh Singh Rao Gaekwad-I have faded away from public eye as their names on the place where their funeral pyres were lighted years ago have now got erased.
Over the years, illegal encroachments and natural calamities have contributed to decay of these samadhis that were a reminder of the Gaekwadi era.
"These samadhis are over 350 years old. The samadhis built in honour of men were addressed as 'Mahadev Mandir', while those of women were known as 'Tulsi Vrindavan'. These structures are an integral part of the history of Vadodara," said Chandrashekhar Patil, an art historian and conservator, who has been working towards restoration of various historic monuments in the city.
Patil added that there were around 350 temples in the vicinity of these samadhis, which were on a cremation ground on the banks of Vishwamitri river and was exclusive to the royal family of Baroda.
Today, a majority of these temples are crumbling while people have encroached and constructed their houses in and around these temples.
At present, the fifth generation of a caretaker family has taken the responsibility of cleaning the samadhis. The descendants of the caretaker family, who are currently residing in the house adjacent to the samadhis, are unaware about the role that these rulers played in the erstwhile Baroda state.
"I have been given the responsibility of cleaning the samadhis by my father-in-law. We clean the samadhi of Sayajirao Gaekwad-I, but the other samadhi which belongs to Fateh Singh Rao Gaekwad-I is crumbling," said a member of Jhadav family for whom these samadhis have become an integral part of their life.
"A majority of the structures have perished. Monuments which are older than 100 years should be declared heritage structures as per government norms. However, this cremation ground which is over 300 years old is completely neglected," said Arun Mujumdar, an environmentalist.
Mujumdar further added that he and Patil have made numerous petitions to the concerned authorities. However, they were unresponsive and no affirmative action has been taken to conserve the crumbling monuments.