Chimnabai Clock Tower

Chimnabai Clock Tower
Chimnabai Clock Tower
Chimnabai Clock Tower is located in Gujarat
Chimnabai Clock Tower
Location within Gujarat
General information
Architectural styleIndo-Saracenic architecture
Town or cityVadodara, Gujarat
CountryIndia
Coordinates22°18′14.3″N 73°12′02.7″E / 22.303972°N 73.200750°E / 22.303972; 73.200750
Completed1896[1]
Cost₹25,000[2]
ClientBaroda State
Technical details
Structural systemRed brick and Yellow sandstone
Size108 ft (33 m)[2]
Design and construction
Architect(s)unknown

The Chimnabai Clock Tower, also known as the Raopura Tower, is a clock tower situated in the Raopura area of Vadodara, Gujarat, India. It was completed in 1896 and named in memory of Chimnabai I (1864–1885), a queen and the first wife of Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda State. It was built in Indo-Saracenic architecture style.

History

Chimnabai Clock Tower was built in 1896.[1] The tower was named after Chimnabai I (1864–1885), a queen and the first wife of Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda State.[3][4][5][6] It was inaugurated by Mir Kamaluddin Hussainkhan, the last Nawab of Baroda.[7] During the rule of Gaekwad, it was a stoppage for horse drawn trams. The clock tower was erected at the cost of ₹25,000 (equivalent to ₹9.3 million or US$110,000 in 2023).[2] It was constructed from the funds raised by the citizens of Baroda State.[4][6]

The premises of the tower were rented by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation for the last three decades. In 2017, the municipal commissioner, Vinod Rao, ordered to vacate the tower to conserve it as a heritage monument.[8] The mechanical system of the tower clock was replaced by DC motor.[3] The tower is lit up in the evening.[6]

Architecture

The tower in the 1890s

The tower was built in Indo-Saracenic architecture style.[3] 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.[7] A huge clock made by John Taylor & Co[3] was brought from London by Sayajirao and fitted to fourth floor.[6] The clock is six feet in diameter[8] and its minute hand is of 3 feet in length.[7] The top floor is octagonal. It has the jharokha with jali-work on all eight sides of the parapet. A steeple stands at the top.[6]

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.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Chimnabai Tower [Vadodara]". europeana. The British Library. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Samrat Bauddh, Nidhi Dave (18 April 2023). "World Heritage Day: વડોદરાના હેરિટેજ સ્થળોને જોતા જ લોકો અભિભૂત થઈ જાય છે, જુઓ તસ્વીર" [People are overwhelmed to see the heritage sites of Vadodara, see the picture]. NEWS18 GUJARATI. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Rupera, Prashant (24 May 2017). "Raopura tower to start chiming again". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b Gazetteer of the Baroda State: Volume II, Administration. Baroda: G. H. Desai. 1923. p. 465. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Chimnabai Tower, Baroda – 1895". rarebooksocietyofindia. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Raopura Tower". gujarattourism.com. Gujarat Tourism. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Clock Tower". History of Vadodara. 25 August 2009. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  8. ^ a b c "Shop in Maharani Chimnabai Tower to be vacated". The Times of India. 4 May 2017. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
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