19th century Indumati Palace to be flanked by upscale apartments
"This will be the first residential complex in the country to have a majestic palace. Six 12-storey buildings will be built on the premises — two to the left of the palace, two to the right and two behind it. The project won't affect the palace's aesthetics and heritage value," Pratapsinhrao told TOI over the phone from Mumbai.
"We will restore the palace and turn it into a clubhouse with recreational amenities exclusively for residents.
We plan to launch the project during the Ganesh festivities this month. The apartments will be ready in three years," said Pratapsinhrao, whose Baroda Crown Holdings Pvt Ltd has joined hands with Johnson Real Estate Pvt Ltd for the project.
A retail space is also planned in what is now the front yard of the palace. "We will have our own residential space and an office in one of these buildings. After the project is complete, I will be in Vadodara frequently and will work from here," he added.
The Indumati Palace was built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III and was later named after his granddaughter, Indumati Raje.
The palace was home to the royal collection of books along with the Gaekwad royal offices. The Gaekwads would celebrate the Ganesh festival by installing the idol at the Indumati Palace before the venue was shifted to the Durbar Hall of the Laxmi Vilas Palace in 1967. When possession of Indumati Palace went to Pratapsinhrao in 2014, he decided to restart the Ganesh festivities there.
"We will continue installing the Ganesh murti in the Indumati Palace in the coming years. It's our family tradition that will always be followed," Pratapsinhrao added. This is the second major project taken up by Pratapsinhrao in the city after the Nazarbaug Palace shopping mall near Mandvi Gate.
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