British soldiers on the wall in a house in Baroda
BY THE VERY EARLY 19th century, the armies of the Marathas had been beaten by the armed forces of the British East India Company. After this, from 1805 onwards until 1947, the State of Baroda was ruled by a Hindu Maratha dynasty – the Gaekwads of Baroda. Put simply, the Gaekwads controlled the internal affairs of the state in such a way that British interests were not damaged, and the British controlled the external affairs of the state.
Between 1849 and 1854, Bhau Tambekar (Vithal Khanderao) was the Diwan (prime minister) of Baroda. He lived in a large building, which was probably constructed in the early to mid 19th century. Known as Tambekar Wada, this typical Maratha-style mansion has three storeys and surrounds a courtyard. Currently, the first floor of the front (eastern part) of the building is the only part open to the public.
The part of the building that can be visited is a long rectangular hall with a wooden jaali (perforated screen) near one end of it. The walls of this room are covered with beautiful detailed paintings from floor to ceiling. Many of them depict scenes from the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Hindu religious images. However, the north wall of the hall is even more fascinating.
Most of the north wall is covered with a mural depicting a battle between the British East India Company and the Marathas. Most of the picture shows features of the British forces in great detail. There are even several flags that resemble Union Jacks. Some British soldiers, dressed in red uniforms, can be seen riding elephants. Whoever painted this wall had a good eye for both detail and representation of battles.
On the same wall as the battle scene, there are several smaller paintings depicting European men and women. On one of these, a woman in European garb seems to be consoling another woman. In another, a man wearing a red jacket is looking at a European lady affectionately.
The purpose of the painted hall is not known for sure. It has been suggested that it was for entertaining guests. The small part enclosed by the screen might have been reserved for ladies. In its heyday, purdah would have been observed in the house. The hall has a set of windows through which one can access a narrow balcony that extends along the entire length of the eastern side of the house. This terrace has a perforated screen through which people on the balcony could look out onto the street without fear of being seen by passers-by.
Although this December (2023), we are enjoying our fourth visit to Baroda, we would not have known about the Tambekar Wada had our friend Nandita A not told us about it. I am very pleased that she introduced us to this gem hidden within the narrow backstreets of Baroda’s Dandia Bazaar district.
