Chimnabai I

🪔 About

Maharani Chimnabai I (born Lakshmibai Mohite in 1864 in Tanjore, now Thanjavur) was the first wife of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of the princely state of Baroda, British India. Hailing from a culturally rich background in Tanjore, she received training in Sadir Attam, the precursor to Bharatanatyam, and was also proficient in playing the veena, a key instrument in Carnatic music. She married Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III on January 6, 1880, and was subsequently renamed Chimnabai I. Her most significant contribution to Indian classical dance and music was the introduction and promotion of South Indian performing arts in the Baroda court. As part of her dowry, she brought a professional troupe of Bharatanatyam (then known as Sadir Attam) dancers and musicians, including nattuvanars, from Thanjavur to Baroda. This act marked the formal integration of this classical dance form into Baroda's traditions and was instrumental in making Baroda a flourishing center for Indian classical dance and music. She also supported Carnatic music through this troupe, influencing the Gaekwad dynasty's long-standing patronage of South Indian classical traditions. During her brief tenure as Maharani from 1880 to 1885, she fostered the growth of classical dance in the region and established a dedicated department, the Kalavant Karkhana, to train and support state artists. Her personal Saraswati veena and other musical instruments are preserved at The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, serving as a testament to her passion for music. Chimnabai I died young from tuberculosis in 1885, just five years into her marriage, leaving a profound cultural legacy in Baroda. Maharaja Sayajirao III built several memorials in her honor, including a clock tower and a market.