The Royals Of India: Inside Radhikaraje's Rs. 25000 Cr Palace, More Luxurious Than Buckingham

As the Netflix show The Royals, starring Ishaan Khatter and Bhumi Pednekar, became the talk of the town with its depiction of the lesser-known lifestyles of royalty in India, people are curious to find how the real royalty lives. Do they have lavish parties, are they always decked in luxury brands, do they live in palaces and whatnot? The show has put a spotlight on the royal families of India. 

One such royal family is that of the Gaekwads in Vadodara. They are popular for owning the largest private home in India, and for their queen, Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad, who is considered the most progressive royal lady of the country. The family's real-life palace outshines the reel-life palace shown in The Royals. English royalty's Buckingham Palace also pales in comparison. Read on to learn more about the grand Lakshmi Vilas Palace of Maharani Radhikraje Gaekwad and her royal family. 

Maharani Radhikaraje's family ruled as the Maharajas of Baroda for over 250 years 

As per a News24 report, Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad's family ruled over the western princely state of Baroda, present-day Vadodara, from 1700 to 1947. They belonged to a Hindu Maratha family and ruled over the Maratha empire in those times. Reportedly, in British India, the Gaekwad's kingdom was one of the most affluent and biggest princely states. In 1890, they also completed building the Lakshmi Vilas Palace in Vadodara at a cost of Rs. 6 million during those times. 

Maharani Radhikaraje's husband received the grand palace in 2013 

Maharani Radhikaraje's husband, Samarjitsingh Ranjitsinh Gaekwad, received the grand Lakshmi Vilas Palace in 2013 after a settlement with his uncle. He also received the Moti Bagh Stadium and the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum, which houses many royal artefacts and invaluable paintings. As a smart businessman, Samarjitsingh also opened up a section of the palace's complex as a banquet. Cricketer, Yusuf Pathan's marriage reception was held in this luxurious palace banquet. 

Maharani Radhikaraje's royal palace spans across 700 acres of land

The Lakshmi Vilas Palace of Vadodara is four stories tall, has 170 rooms and stands on 700 acres of land. As per a History of Vadodara report, the Gaekwad's palace is four times bigger than the Buckingham Palace of England, home to King Charles. Inside the estate, there is a golf club, a horse stable, and a swimming pool. Reportedly the lavish palace premises also used to have a small zoo and a small railway line for the royal family's children. The railway line would carry the children to and from between their school and the palace. 

Maharani Radhikaraje's palace has a grand Darbar 

Most films and TV shows depicting the era of kings and queens have shown a grand darbar. In those fictional portrayals, there will be a throne, where the monarch will sit, and then there will be ministers in attendance who will be sitting on the sidelines. The Lakshmi Vilas Palace actually has a darbar, which is a show stealer out of all the grandiosity that the palace has to offer. Nearly 5000 square feet in area, this darbar is made up of Venetian floors, Belgium glass windows, and patterned ceilings. Huge chandeliers also take up the royal aura of the hall up a notch. Reportedly, this darbar was the area where many dances and dinner parties took place. 

Maharani Radhikaraje's Lakshmi Vilas Palace has an armoury that even houses Shivaji Maharaj's sword 

Apart from lavish living, wars and battles also made up a huge part of royal lives. As a result, many palaces used to have armouries to keep all their weapons. The Laxmi Vilas Palace also has a Pratap Shastraghar, which not only has the arms used by the royal family but also has swords used by other kings as well. Historical weapons, like the Nav-Durga sword, a Panchkula sword of Guru Gobind Singh, Shivaji Maharaj's sword, Aurangzeb's sword and even a few revolvers used in WWI, can be found in the palace's royal armoury. 

More about Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekward of Vadodara

Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad is renowned as a modern and progressive queen. Before her marriage to Samarjitsingh Gaekwad, she lived a simple life and used to work as a journalist for The Indian Express. In her own words, she has broken traditional stereotypes and set her own boundaries, the queen stated in a Humans of Bombay interview. Apart from that, the Maharani of Vadodara is also popular for her philanthropy. She has taken part in a lot of welfare programs for the betterment of the underprivileged. 

Recently, Maharani Radhikaraje, who has an active social media presence, took to her Instagram and penned down her thoughts on the Netflix show, The Royals. She expressed her disappointment at the depiction of royalty in the series and reminded everyone how the 565 princely states happily gave away their kingdoms, identities and titles for an independent and united India. The Netflix show focuses mostly on the lives of young royals; hence, the queen also penned down the reality of the actual lives of royal youngsters and said: 

"The young royals are too returning to their roots armed with degrees from universities around the world. They proudly straddle the two worlds, speak their mother tongue, wear their turbans, but work to make their heritage sustainable, relatable and accessible."

What are your thoughts on the lavish Lakshmi Vilas Palace of Maharani Radhikraje Gaekwad? 

Also Read: Radhikaraje Gaekwad SLAMS Netflix 'The Royals', Real Royal Families Were Ignored And Forced To Work

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