''Kirti Mandir'' ( gu, કિર્તિ મંદિર), or Temple of Fame, is the

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...

of the

Gaekwad Gaekwad (also spelt Gaikwar and Gaikwad; mr, Gāyǎkǎvāḍǎ) is a surname native to the Indian state of Maharashtra. The surname is found among the Marathas, Kolis and in Scheduled castes. It is also a common surname among Bharadis, Dhor, an ...

s, located in the city of

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capita ...

History

Kirti Mandir was built by

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

dynasty of the

Marathas The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...

to perpetuate the glorious memory of his beloved ancestors. The sun, the moon and the earth in bronze with the undivided map of India adorn the

shikhara ''Shikhara'' ( IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the ''garbhagriha'' chambe ...

of Kirti Mandir. It was built in 1936 as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of

. The temple houses five wall paintings by artist Nandalal Bose showing various phases of battle of Mahabharata, and some episodes from Indian mythology. The city of Vadodara, also popularly known as Baroda, used to be the seat of the Gaekwad or Gaikwad monarchs. It was formerly called by many names. The city was referred to as Chandravati, then Viravati, and Vadpatra due to the great quantity of banyan trees on the River banks of Vishwamitri. Kirti Mandir is situated in the city of Vadodara .It is a collection of temples built by Sayajirao Maharajah near the Vishwamitra Bridge of the city. It is believed that Sayajirao Maharaja built this Kirti Mandir in the memory of deceased members of the royal Gaekwad family and the edifice is dedicated to Lord Mahadev. Today it is a major tourist attraction in the city.

Architecture

The outstanding stone building is constructed in the shape of a letter "E" with terraces, balconies, domes and a central shikhara that rises to approximately 35 metres. The interiors of the Kirti Mandir are marble treated and brilliantly decorated with intricately carved murals. The walls of the central hall are adorned with many impressive murals such as the Gangavataran, Life of Meera, battle of Mahabharat and Natir Poojan which are all very well preserved works from the renowned Bengali artist Nandalal Bose. Statues as well as precious photographs of eminent members of the Gaekwad family are also displayed for public viewing. According to annals of history, the golden era in the Maratha rule of Baroda commenced when Sayajirao Maharaja came into power in 1875. The Kirti Mandir of Baroda was built at the cost of Rs.50,000, it preserves in its various rooms the statues and photographs of the members of the royal family. The interior of this elegant structure is marble finished and on the walls of the central hall are the murals Gangavataran, battle of Mahabharat, Life of Meera and Natir Pooja-executed by the famous Bengali artist Nandalal Bose. . The Kirti Mandir in Vadodara is actually a cluster of temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temples were constructed by His Highness Maharaj Sayajirao Gaekwad in 1936, on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. Also known as the Temple of Fame, it is situated near the picturesque Vishwamitra Bridge of the city, in the memory of deceased members of the royal Gaekwad family. The marble treated interiors of the Kirti Mandir is wonderfully decorated with intricately carved murals. The characteristic ‘shikhara’ of this statuesque monument represents the sun, the moon and the earth in bronze with the undivided map of India.

References

{{coord, 22.3075, 73.1911, type:landmark_region:IN_source:enwiki, display=title Tourist attractions in Vadodara Baroda State Gaekwad dynasty Monuments and memorials in Gujarat Buildings and structures in Vadodara Cenotaphs in India