What Is It Like To Experience a Cultural Weekend at AIKYAM 2026: Rasa & Realism in Vadodara

An adorable-looking Radha in a Nauvari (the nine-yard sari) eagerly awaits Krishna. Her many necklaces and hair ornaments gleam like her sari’s golden pallu. There is a nath (nose ring) too, but she isn’t wearing it; the elaborate pearl ornament sits in her lap, signifying her restless anticipation of her beloved’s arrival. This smaller canvas is one of Radhika Raje Gaekwad’s favourite Raja Ravi Varma paintings from her royal family’s collection in Vadodara. “It’s small but very cute,” she says. Among her other favourites are the rich portraits of Lakshmi and Saraswati, also housed in the sprawling Lukshmi Vilas Palace.

Varma’s association with Vadodara began in 1881 when Madhav Rao, the then diwan of the Vadodara court, invited him to paint a portrait of the 18-year-old Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. Almost seven years later, Sayajirao commissioned Varma to paint a series of 14 mythological works for the magnificent Durbar Hall of the palace.

Both the hall and the paintings are among India's most precious art and heritage treasures. On the first weekend of Navratri, about 150 guests had the privilege of experiencing these marvels up close. We were attending AIKYAM 2026: Rasa & Realism, the second edition of the three-day cultural heritage festival presented by Sopaan, an arts and culture initiative founded by former Indian ambassador Monika Kapil Mohta and her son, cultural entrepreneur Siddhaant.

The festival intends to introduce a lesser-explored, culturally significant destination to prominent Indian and foreign guests, says Siddhaant. “Vadodara is the cultural capital of Gujarat, yet it hasn’t been prominent on the tourism map,” says Gaekwad. “We want to change that, and we are doing so with the help of social media,” she adds.

Among the trip's highlights was the time spent at the Lukshmi Vilas Palace. While the morning was dedicated to the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum and its fascinating collection of Indian and European art, the evening was reserved for the grand Durbar Hall. The late-19th-century interior boasts Venetian mosaics arranged in rangoli patterns, Belgian stained-glass windows—some replicating Varma’s paintings—Italian marble, and Mughal-inspired lacquerwork. Built as part of Sayajirao Gaekwad III’s palace complex and completed in 1890, it served as both a ceremonial court and a political statement of Baroda’s wealth, refinement, and cultural ambition. Even today, it stands in all its glory within the largest private residential building in the world still inhabited by the Gaekwads.

The evening began with a riveting talk by writer and historian Manu S. Pillai, who spoke at length about Raja Ravi Varma's life and legacy. What followed on the palace lawns was an evocative performance blending Kathak, jazz, Odissi, and Indian classical music, inspired by and conceptualised around Varma’s paintings.

The next day was set aside for heritage exploration. First stop was the Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park. This UNESCO World Heritage Site lies roughly 50 kilometres northeast of Vadodara at the foot of Pavagadh Hill. Inscribed in 2004, it preserves a rare, largely intact pre-Mughal Islamic capital alongside a historic Hindu pilgrimage site on the summit. UNESCO recognised the park for its testimony to vanished cultures, its synthesis of Hindu-Islamic architecture, and the living religious significance of the Kalika Mata Temple. Champaner was founded in the 8th century by Vanraj Chavda of the Chavda dynasty, while Pavagadh developed as an early Hindu hill fortress. In 1484, Sultan Mahmud Begada captured Pavagadh after a 20-month siege and established Champaner as his capital. Its prominence, however, was brief. Mughal Emperor Humayun captured it in 1535; the capital moved to Ahmedabad, and Champaner gradually receded into a partially buried archaeological landscape.

From the historic past, I moved to the contemporary present with a visit to Nupur Dalmia’s Ark Foundation. The gallery was hosting a curated contemporary art exhibition exploring the creative bonds forged at Vadodara’s prestigious Faculty of Fine Arts at Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU). The exhibition showcased works by Bhupen Khakhar, Gulammohammed Sheikh, Nilima Sheikh, Rekha Rodwittya, Vivan Sundaram, and other distinguished alumni.

The best experience, however, was the garba on the grounds of the Lukshmi Vilas Palace. Radhika Raje Gaekwad welcomed us to an exceptionally serene aarti under a beautifully illuminated tree. The infectious energy of garba, Gujarat's folk dance, was unmatched. Thousands danced in synchrony, in large circles to traditional Gujarati folk songs.

It is also an inclusive space that welcomes people from all walks of life, actively embracing the LGBTQ community. “It’s one of the places where people come out. They bring their families to meet other people from the community, and that makes me happy,” says Gaekwad. Even Gazra Café, supported by her, provides employment to members of the LGBTQ community. “It wasn’t easy for the community to trust me—an outsider—given the ostracisation they have endured for years,” Gaekwad reflects. “But now they do.”