Vadodara District is a district in the eastern part of the state of Gujarat in western India. The city of Vadodara (Baroda), in the western part of the district, is the administrative headquarters. Vadodara District covers an area of 7,794 km². It had a population of 3,641,802 of which 45.20% were urban as of 2001 census. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Gujarat (out of 26), after Ahmadabad and Surat.

The district is bounded by Panchmahal and Dahod districts to the north, Anand and Kheda districts to the west, Bharuch and Narmada districts to the south, and the state of Madhya Pradesh to the east. The tallest point in the region is Pavagadh Hill. The Mahi River passes through the district.

The historical city of Baroda was the capital of Baroda Residency, and one of the princely states of India under Bombay Presidency.

Origin of name

Baroda is situated on the banks of the river Vishwamitri (whose name is derived from the saint Rishi Vishwamitra). The city was once called Chandravati, after its ruler Raja Chandan, then Viravati, the abode of the brave, and then Vadpatra because of the abundance of banyan trees on the banks of the Vishwamitri. From Vadpatra it derived its present name Baroda or Vadodara.

Vadodara (IPA: /ʋə'ɽod̪əɾa/), which used to be known as Baroda, is the third largest city in the Western Indian State of Gujarat, after Ahmedabad and Surat. It is the administrative headquarters of Vadodara District and is located on the banks of the Vishwamitri river, southeast of Ahmedabad, 139 kilometres (86 mi) from the state capital Gandhinagar. The railway line and NH 8 that connect Delhi and Mumbai pass through Vadodara.

As of 2011 Vadodara had a population of almost 2.2 million people. The city is the site of the Lakshmi Vilas Palace, the residence of the Maharaja of Baroda and the royal family; and his erstwhile Darbar. It is also the home of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (Vadodara), the largest university in Gujarat. An important industrial, cultural and educational hub of western India, the city houses several institutions of national and regional importance while its major industries include petrochemicals, engineering, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, IT and foreign exchange services amongst others.

Coordinates: 22°11′N 73°07′E / 22.18°N 73.12°E / 22.18; 73.12

Vadodara (formerly Baroda Lok Sabha constituency) (Gujarati: વડોદરા લોકસભા મતવિસ્તાર) is one of the 26 Lok Sabha (lower house of Indian parliament) constituencies in Gujarat, a state in Western India. This constituency covers the entire Vadodara district and first held elections in 1957 as Baroda Lok Sabha constituency in erstwhile Bombay State (present day Gujarat). It has been known as Vadodara since the 2009 elections. Its first member of parliament (MP) was Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad of the Indian National Congress (INC) who was also re-elected in the next elections in 1962. He was the Maharaja of Baroda of the Gaekwad dynasty at the time. P. C. Patel of the Swatantra Party won the election in 1967. From 1971–80, Gaekwad was MP of this constituency again firstly as a member of the Indian National Congress (Organisation) and then as a member of the INC. His younger brother, Ranjitsinh Pratapsinh Gaekwad also of the INC represented the constituency from 1980–89 for two terms before being defeated by Prakash Brahmbhatt of the Janata Dal party in the 1989 election.