Laxmi Vilas Palace, Vadodara 5.8

The term Maharaja Palace actually refers to a series of palaces in Vadodara, Gujarat, India, constructed since the Gaekwad, a prominent Maratha family, started ruling the Baroda State. The first one was a building known as the Sarkar Wada. This building, not really a palace, was given up for the Nazarbaug Palace built in old classical style.After this the Lukshmi Vilas Palace, an extravagant building of the Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture, was built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1890 at a cost of GBP180,000.OverviewIt is reputed to have been the largest private dwelling built till date and four times the size of Buckingham Palace. At the time of construction it boasted the most modern amenities such as elevators and the interior is reminiscent of a large European country house. It remains the residence of the Royal Family, who continue to be held in high esteem by the residents of Baroda.The Palace compound is of over 500 acres and houses a number of buildings, particularly the LVP Banquets & Conventions, Moti Baug Palace and the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum building.In the 1930s Maharaja Pratapsinh created a golf course for use by his European guests. In the 1990s Pratapsinh’s grandson Samarjitsinh, a former Ranji trophy cricket player, renovated the course and opened it to the public.MoviesPrem Rog in 1982, Grand Masti, and Rang Rasiya