Tambekarwada, Vadodhara

Unbeknown to the importance of history, art, or heritage a school was running in the heart of Dandiya Bazaar area of Vadodhara. In the absence of benches or desks the children were made to sit on the floor. Evidently the last row kids would have taken the support of wall to lean on. And the paintings on those walls vanished bit by bit. It would have been in total shambles if not intervened by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Yes, we are talking about the erstwhile Maratha mansion, Tambekarwarda, Vadodhara in Gujarat. Kite festival of Uttarayana had just ended as many manjas (thread) scattered here and there. Finding a parking space is difficult in this busy street; however as we reached there pretty early in the morning we managed to find a space just around the corner. There are no one except the caretaker lady. She was courteous enough to show us around the place. 

Info: Tambekarwada was the residence of Bhau Tambekar (Vitthal Khanderao), Diwan of Baroda to the Maratha Kingdom from 1849 to 1854 AD. Though a four-storeyed mansion, only second and third floor are for public view because the rest are in dilapidated state. A steep flight of stairs lead us to a large room. Every nook and cranny were riot of vibrant colours. The shell lime plastered walls and doors have murals depicting Ramayana, Mahabharata, battle scenes between Maratha-European soldiers, officials and dignitaries. Near the southern end of the hall is a wooden jali making a passage.

The second floor contains a large room with galleries on front and back sides and two smaller rooms. One room is totally white washed now, which initially had beautiful paintings as well. Another room's walls, windows, columns, doors are decorated with stories of Ramayana, Mahabharata, some copies of European paintings, battle scenes, and lifestyle themes.  Floral and faunal motifs come alive with bright colours. The murals of lovers, wrestlers, Lord Kirshna's story, and many more adorned the space too.

The front portion of the house is restored to a great extent; however, the rest has gone to rack and ruin. The splashes of colours inside the house was in total contrast to the monochromal exterior. We were glad to chance upon this less known place that houses 140 years old paintings. 

Opening
Moday-Friday: 9.00 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Closed:
Saturday and Sunday

Entry: Free

Address:
Tambeaker Rd, Dandia Bazar, Jambubet
Vadodara, Gujarat 390001