Sayyajirao Road, also known as Sayyaji Rao Road, is a road in

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

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 ...

stretching in the north from Agrahara circle at one end to Highway circle at the other. This road was named after

Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad 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 ...

by Maharaja Chamaraja Wodayar X in 1893.

History

Both then-yuvarajas (princes) Chamaraja Wodayar X and Sayajirao Gaekwad were good friends. The two leaders were both adopted by a reigning king in their respective kingdoms and went on to become famous maharajas of those realms themselves. In 1888, Sayajirao Gaekwad named the road leading to the

Lakshmi Vilas Palace, Vadodara The Lakshmi Vilas Palace ( Gujarati: લક્ષ્મી વિલાસ મહેલ) in Vadodara, Gujarat, India, was constructed in 1890 by the Gaekwad family, a prominent Maratha family, who ruled the Baroda State. Major Charles Mant was ...

through Gate-2 as Chamaraja Road. It is now one of the busiest roads in the city and is lined on one side with retail stores, food outlets, restaurants and many more. It has many office buildings, banks, shops and markets. Khanderao Market, which hosts the offices of

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 ...

and the famous city landmark

Kirti Stambh Kirti Stambha is a 12th-century tower situated at Chittor Fort in Chittorgarh town of Rajasthan, India. History Chittor has a history going back several centuries. It was an ancient centre of Jain tradition. Chittor is adjacent to the ...

are both located along this road. In late 1893, when Sayajirao Gaekwad visited Mysore, a road neighbouring

Mysore Palace Mysore Palace, also known as Amba Vilas Palace, is a historical palace and a royal residence. It is located in Mysore, Karnataka, India. It used to be the official residence of the Wadiyar dynasty and the seat of the Kingdom of Mysore. The pala ...

was named ''Sayajirao Road'' . Historically, along the present-day road, a canal was constructed from

Kaveri River The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery) is a major river flowing across Southern India. It is the third largest river in the region after Godavari and Krishna. The catchment area of the Kaveri basin is estimated to be and encompasses the states o ...

in the 1850s to meet water consumption demands of the city of Mysore. The project failed, and the open ditch canal gradually turned into an unhygienic drainage spreading diseases. Eventually, the stretch was filled up and converted into a modern thoroughfare. Subsequently, the road became the

Mysore Dasara Mysore Dasara is the state festival in the state of Karnataka in India. It is a 10-day festival, starting with nine nights called Navaratri and the last day being Vijayadashami. The festival is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu calendar m ...

procession route during Vijayadasami, replacing the congested commercial centre of Doddapete (present-day

Ashoka Road, Mysore Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was Emperor of Magadha from until his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynasty. His empire covered a large par ...

References

{{reflist Shopping districts and streets in India Baroda State Retail markets in India