Maharani Chimnabai I (18647 May 1885) was a queen and the first wife of Maharaja

Sayajirao Gaekwad III Sayajirao Gaekwad III (born Shrimant Gopalrao Gaekwad; 11 March 1863 – 6 February 1939) was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule. He belonged to the royal Gae ...

of the

princely state A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...

of Baroda (now in Gujarat), British India. Several memorials were built by Sayajirao following her early death.

Biography

Chimnabai was born Lakshmibai in a Mahratta family to her parents Shrimant Sardar Haibat Rao Sahib Chavan

Mohite Mohite is a copper tin sulfide mineral with the chemical formula Cu2SnS3. It is colored greenish gray and leaves a gray streak (mineralogy), streak. It is Opacity (optics), opaque and has metallic Lustre (mineralogy), luster. Its crystal system is ...

and Nagamma Bai Sahib Mohite in 1864. Her father was Amirrao of Tanjore and known as Daji Sahib. Her mother was a daughter of Sri Abaji Rao Ghatge, Serjirao, of Tanjore. Lakshmibai, along with her two sisters, were adopted by princess Vijaya Mohana (1845–1885) who was the daughter of Sivaji, the last Maharaja of Tanjore. There is not much details about her life. She was educated at the Tanjore Fort. She had training in Sadir Attam dance and she played veena. As a dowry, a Sadir Attam dance troupe was sent with her to Baroda which introduced the dance form there. She changed her name to Chimnabai I when she married Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda State on 6 January 1880. They had two daughters and a son. Both of their daughters; Bajubai (1881–1883) and Putlabai (1882–1885); died at an early age. The foundation stone of the present royal residence of the Gaekwad family was laid by Sayajirao and Chimnabai. The palace is named Lakshmi Vilas Palace after her birth name Lakshmi. She died on 7 May 1885 of pregnancy related complications. After the birth of Fatehsingh Rao (b.1883), she died due to pregnancy related complications. According to ''Hirschfeld J.'', she died from tuberculosis.

Memorials

Sayajirao Gaekwad III built the clock tower at

Raopura Raopura is an area of Vadodara city, Gujarat, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democr ...

area of Vadodara and named it as Chimnabai Clock Tower (1896) in her memory. A vegetable market near

Sursagar Lake Sursagar Lake, also known as the Chand Talao, is a lake situated in the middle of the city of Vadodara in the state of Gujarat in India. The lake was rebuilt with stone masonry in the 18th century. The water in this lake remains in it for the ...

was built and named 'The Maharani Chimnabai Market', which was later used as a town hall. The building was then converted in an imperial court named Maharani Chimnabai Nyay Mandir. A white marble statue of the queen is placed in the main room of the Nyay Mandir. As Chimnabai had died due to pregnancy-related complications, a hospital was built in 1885 in Baroda by Sayajirao for the well-being and safe delivery of other women of the state. The hospital was named Dufferin Hospital as it was inaugurated by Lord Dufferin, the then governor of the

Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

. At present, the hospital is known as Sir Sayajirao General Hospital. A lake was constructed by Sayajirao in Kadarpur village near Kheralu in memory of Chimnabai I and named Chimnabai Lake. The construction was started in 1898 and completed in 1905. It has a water storage capacity of 632 million cubic feet. The girl students who have excelled in medical education at the

Baroda Medical College Baroda Medical College is a medical educational institution for undergraduate and postgraduate medical studies that comes under the Faculty of Medicine of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. It is located in the Raopura area at Vadodar ...

are honoured with the prize named after Chimnabai I. A white marble statue of Chimnabai I is placed in the

Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery The Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery in Vadodara was built in 1894 on the lines of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Science Museum of London. Major Mant in association with R.F. Chisholm who refined some of Mant's finest works to make genuin ...

References

Sources

* {{Vadodara topics 1864 births 1885 deaths Baroda State Indian female royalty 19th-century Indian women 19th-century Indian people Veena players People from Tamil Nadu People from Vadodara