Paris of Panchmahal's royal palace renovated

VADODARA: The royal palace of the Paris of Panchmahal just got a facelift. The Rajmahal of the erstwhile princely state of Baria is nearly a century-old structure and has even featured in Hindi movies.
The construction of the palace had begun in 1904 and work on it continued at various stages till 1924 when it was completed in the true sense. The first incumbent of the palace was late ruler of Baria state Maharaja Ranjitsinhji.
"The royal family occupied the palace till 1975 and the Maharaja Jaydeepsinhji was the last king to stay there. The palace then gave space to a government agriculture college," said scion of Baria royal family Maharaul Tusharsinh, the son of Princess Urvashi Devi.
Tusharsinh said the palace was given back to them in 2006 and the renovation was taken up recently. "The palace has been fully renovated with the help of local artisans. The grandfathers of some of these artisans had worked on the palace when it was under construction too," he said. He added that the architecture of the palace had an influence of the European style.
The palace is the second palace to be built by the Baria rulers in Devgadh Baria. The first palace known as Juna Rajmahal located in the heart of the town was donated by Jaydeepsinhji for an arts and commerce college. The building has since been reconstructed. Jaydeepsinhji is still remembered fondly for his contribution to various fields and development of the town. It was he who had given both his palaces for education institutes.
The royal family and the town is gearing up for an elaborate 'Vastu' ceremony on Sunday. A 'raj tilak' formally installing Tusharsinh on the Baria throne will also be performed on this day.