 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.