The Chimnabai Clock Tower, also known as the Raopura Tower, is a

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure that house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another building ...

situated in the

Raopura Raopura is an area of Vadodara city, Gujarat, India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by p ...

area of

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It was completed in 1896 and named in memory of Chimnabai I (1864–1885), a

queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

and the first wife of

Sayajirao Gaekwad III Sayajirao Gaekwad III (born as 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 G ...

Baroda State Baroda State was a kingdom within the Maratha Confederacy and later a princely state in present-day Gujarat. It was ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty from its formation in 1721 until its accession to the newly formed Dominion of India. With th ...

. It was built in

Indo-Saracenic architecture Indo-Saracenic architecture (also known as Indo-Gothic, Mughal-Gothic, Neo-Mughal) was a Revivalism (architecture), revivalist architectural style mostly used by British architects in India in the later 19th century, especially in public and gov ...

style.

History

Chimnabai Clock Tower was built in 1896. The tower was named after Chimnabai I (1864–1885), a queen and the first wife of Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda State. It was inaugurated by Mir Kamaluddin Hussainkhan, the last Nawab of Baroda. During the rule of Gaekwad, it was a stoppage for horse drawn trams. The clock tower was erected at the cost of . It was constructed from the funds raised by the citizens of Baroda State. The premises of the tower were rented by the

Vadodara Municipal Corporation Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) established in July 1950 under the Bombay Provincial Corporation Act, 1949, is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Vadodara. Vadodara Municipal Corporation has been f ...

for the last three decades. In 2017, the municipal commissioner, Vinod Rao, ordered to vacate the tower to conserve it as a heritage monument. The mechanical system of the tower clock was replaced by DC motor. The tower is lit up in the evening.

Architecture

The tower was built in

style. The five storied tower is built with red bricks. The ground floor has a narrow spiral staircase that leads to upper floors. The first three floors have cusped arched openings decorated with fine stucco work on each side. A huge clock made by

John Taylor & Co John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell (instrument), bell foundry. It is locat ...

was brought from

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

by Sayajirao and fitted to fourth floor. The clock is six feet in diameter and its minute hand is of 3 feet in length. The top floor is octagonal. It has the

jharokha The Jharokha is a stone window projecting from the wall face of a building, in an upper story, overlooking a street, market, court or any other open space. A common feature in classical Indian architecture, most prominently seen in Rajput ar ...

with

jali A ''jali'' or ''jaali'' (''jālī'', meaning "net") is the term for a perforated stone or latticed screen, usually with an ornamental pattern constructed through the use of calligraphy, geometry or natural patterns. This form of architectu ...

-work on all eight sides of the parapet. A steeple stands at the top.

Chimes

During the Gaekwad rule, the mechanical system was used to play tunes every 15 minutes, which later changed to every hour. Later, the mechanical system was replaced by an electric connection and now the chimes are muted.

References

External links

Raopura Tower
Gujarat Tourism
History of Vadodara
{{Vadodara topics Towers completed in 1896 Clock towers in India Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture

History

Architecture

Chimes

See also

References

External links