Spanning across an area of 30.5 million square feet, Vadodara’s Lukshmi Vilas Palace is the world’s largest private residence. It’s 10 times bigger than Turkey’s White Palace, and 36 times larger than London’s Buckingham Palace. More than just an architectural marvel, it has long served as the ancestral house of the Gaekwad dynasty. Since completion in 1890, the palace still remains a cultural icon. We take a virtual tour of the Lukshmi Vilas Palace.
Architectural Digest Middle East recently went inside the palace and offered a rare look into this architectural wonder, as Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad opened the palace’s grand doors. A series of pictures and videos were shared on Instagram, which took viewers inside the palace, with a view of the interiors. The Maharani also offered insights into the palace’s personal significance and rich history.
All about Lukshmi Vilas Palace
Constructed during the British Raj, the palace is the perfect fusion of Indian craftsmanship and Western design philosophies. Designed with forward-thinking sensibilities, it featured early installations of cabled electricity, elevators, and advanced cooling systems, which was quite progressive for its time. The magnificent estate also rejected patriarchal customs such as purdah system and promoted gender equality within its walls. It became a place not just of royal living, but also for the public to engage openly.
History of the palace
Commissioned in 1878 by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the palace took over a decade to complete, and was finally inaugurated after 11 years of construction. Built with local Sonagadh sandstone, its interiors were influenced by regions across India and beyond. Radhikaraje mentioned, “The scale of the palace is larger than life. I’ve lived here for 23 years, and even now I’m discovering things for the very first time. I’ve come to regard it as our oldest family member.”
The interiors of Lukshmi Vilas Palace
The palace’s architecture is a mix of Indo-Saracenic and European elements, featuring Islamic-style domes and Hindu temple-inspired carvings. Inside, the visuals take you on a trip across the world with its stained glass from Renaissance Europe, delicate Belgian chandeliers, Italian mosaics, and intricate sculptures collected from across the continent. The palace is also home to fine art, including some of the largest known works by legendary Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma.
“It’s an amazing mixture of countries and culture coming together in this space,” the Maharani said, describing the eclectic blend of design elements that make the palace unique.
The Durbar Hall
One of the most iconic areas within the palace is the Durbar Hall, the grand audience chamber. “The Durbar Hall, where the king would receive his audience, was designed to highlight the collaborations that came to exist over 135 years ago between India and other cultures,” Radhikaraje explained. The hall, with its Venetian floors and stained glass, is an example of how global artistic styles are in the palace’s DNA.
Who lives inside Lukshmi Vilas Palace today?
Despite its palatial dimensions and grandeur, Lukshmi Vilas Palace is still a family home. It’s the home of His Highness Samarjitsinh Ranjitsinh Gaekwad, the current Maharaja of Baroda, his wife, Her Highness Radhikaraje Gaekwad, their daughters, Princesses Padmajaraje and Narayaniraje, and the queen mother, Her Highness Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad.
So, how is life inside such opulence? The Maharani replied, “It would be so easy to get lost in the grandeur of it all, but we’ve never lost sight of the fact that it really is a family home. My favourite memories here revolve around bringing up our daughters.”
