Nazar Baug palace (1721), Vadadora - a lost monument of the past

Nazar baug palace Vadadora.MapmyIndia Map
Nazar baug palace Vadadora. Vadodara - Baroda City
Nazarbaug Palace or Nazar Bagh Palace, located near the Mandvi Gate was once the Royal palace of the  Gaekwads in Vadodara city, Gujarat state, western India. Built in 1721 this beautiful  three- story palace was built by  Malhar Rao Gaekwad in the late 19th century with a view to using it on important ceremonial occasions and to receive royal guests. Can you imagine, this palace once had guns made of solid gold and silver, each barrel weighing 100 kgs? It shows the lavish style with which the royal family lived here in the past. Besides, this palace  was once home to  a vast collection of rare gold  and gem-crusted jewels worth roughly 
$ 10 million in the late 1820s. One of the prized items was the dazzling diamond necklace that contained both the Star of the South (125 carats) and  English Dresden, believed to be famous diamonds in those days. These were part of  a cloth embroided with  precious stones and seed pearls with which  the tomb of Muhamud was covered. This palace has a beautiful room called the Shïsh Mahal, a Palace of Glass of different colors exquisitely decorated. On account of its impressive and classic look with lush green garden around it, it was called Nazarbaug Palace as it looked as 'Nazar na laage' from which it was named Nazar.
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Nazar baug palace, Vadadora, Gujarat. www.pinterest.co.uk
The palace was in a state of ruin for some time and way back  there was no body or any  organization to repair ir and restore it back to its old glory, This is primarily due to sheer negligence on the part the owner. A beautiful monument is lost for ever, so is the history of this place. In 2014, the palace was pulled down by the Gaekwads despite the restraining order from the court. The state government classified it as a "Deemed Grade I Heritage Site". The royal family's  action, in haste, kicked up criticism as well as controversy.  The efforts made by the representatives of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and Indian Institute of Architects (IIA, Baroda and Gujarat) as well as officers of the VMC’s town planning department  to stop the demolition to save the heritage structure met with failure. The Royal family's real estate firm was not cooperative and was more interested in  demolishing it to have commercial complex built there.  The royal family's real estate firm said despite the court and city commissioner's notice  to them, they would go ahead with the construction of a new building complex. The people of Vadadora are quite surprised over the Gaekwad family's stubborn stance in the matter of their old palace, a legacy of their past rule!! 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazarbaug_Palace