Introduction
Famous for ‘peg’, ‘pagri’,
‘paranda’ (tasselled tag for braiding hair and ‘Jutti’ (footwear), joyous
buoyance, royal demeanor, sensuous and graceful feminine gait and
Aristocracy, Patiala
presents a beautiful bouquet of life-style even to a casual visitor to the
city. A brilliant spectrum of Rajput, Mughal and Punjabi cultures, a fine
blend of modernity and tradition and a judicious synthesis of all that is
beautiful in form and bold in spirit conjure up> a vision called 'Patiala'.
Patiala, an erstwhile
princely state, capital of PEPSU and a district headquarters of Punjab are
situated in the Malwa region of Punjab. Malwa has the largest number Of
districts in the reorganised Punjab, and antiquity of some of the cities
goes back to the ancient and early medieval period. Patiala is relatively
a young city, a few years more than two centuries old.
In the 18th
century, the political vacuum created by the downfall of the Mughals was
successfully filled up by the Sikh
Misldars
in Punjab by thwarting the designs of both the Marathas and the Afghans.
One among these independent principalities of the Sikhs was that
established by Baba Ala Singh at Patiala.
The early history of the
founders of Patiala state is more of a myth mystery than reality. The
rulers of the erstwhile states of Patiala, Nabha and Jind trace their
ancestry to one Chaudhary Phul. Apparently the appellation of dynasty 'Phulkian'
is derived from their common founder. One of his sons, Chaudhary Ram Singh
was baptised and blessed by Guru Gobind Singh. His son Ala Singh assumed
the leadership in 1714 A.D. when Banda Bahadur was engaged in the fierce
struggle against the Mughals. A man with vision and courage, Ala Singh
carved out an independent principality from a petty Zamindari of 30
villages. Under his successors, it expanded into a big State, touching the
Shivaliks in north, Rajasthan in the south and upper courses of the Jamuna
and the Sutlej. While confronting the most trying and challenging
circumstances in the middle eighteenth century, Baba Ala Singh, unlike
many of his contemporaries, displayed tremendous courage and shrewdness in
dealing with the Mughals, Afghans and Marathas, and successfully
established and maintained a state which he had started building up bit by
bit from its nucleus Barnala. In 1763 Baba Ala Singh laid the foundation
of the Patiala fort known as Qila Mubarak, around 'which the present city
of Patiala is built.
After the third Battle of
Panipat in 1761 in which the Marathas were defeated, the writ of the
Afghans prevailed throughout Punjab.
It is at this stage that the rulers of Patiala began to acquire ensigns of
royalty. Ahmad Shah Abdali bestowed upon Ala Singh drum and banner after
latter's death, his grandson Amar Singh, succeeded and received the title
of Raja-i-Rajgan. He was also allowed to strike coins, After forty years
of ceaseless struggle with the Mughals, Afghans and Marathas, the borders
of the Patiala state witnessed the trailing blaze of Ranjit Singh in the
north and that of the British in the east. Bestowed with the gift and
instinct of survival, and of making right choice at the right time, the
Raja of Patiala entered into a treaty with the British against Ranjit
Singh in 1808, thus becoming collaborator in the grand empire building
process by the British in, the sub-continent of India. The rulers of
Patiala such as Karam Singh, Narinder Singh, Mahendra Singh, Rajinder
Singh, Bhupinder Singh and Yadvindra Singh were treated with respect and
dignity by the British.
It was Maharaja Bhupinder
Singh (1900-1930) who gave the Patiala state a prominent place on the
political map of India and, in the field of international sports.
Most of the buildings with splendid architectural designs were constructed
during his reign. His son Yadvindra Singh was among those Indian princes
who, readily came forward to sign the Instrument of Accession,
thus facilitating the process of national integration. In recognition of
his services, he was appointed the Rajpramukh of the newly established
state of PEPSU. Eulogizing his role of the Maharaja in fighting against
the intrigues and manoeuvres of the unfriendly and hostile princes of
India, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel the then Deputy Prime Minister and in
charge of Home Affairs Ministry remarked :"1 must mention the notable
contribution which His Highness, the Maharaja of Patiala, has made to the
unity and integrity of India. He took the cause of the country at a time
when there were few friends amongst the princely order and when serious
attempts were being made to balkanize India. It was his patriotic lead
that contributed in a large measure, to a change in the attitude of the
princes to the problem of accession to the Indian Dominion."
Though historians have
tried to trace the origin of Patiala (as far as the name is concerned) to
Rig Vedic literature yet the town as it stands today was founded by Ala
Singh with the construction of the Qila Mubarak in the year 1763. One gets
the impression as if the city was designed and developed according to a
plan akin to that of temple architecture. In the heart of the city was the
seat of the king similar to the house of the deity and the residential
areas of communities developed almost status-wise. Close to Qila Mubarak
were the Mohallas of the Khatris, Aroras, Baniyas along with the big
Havelis of the nobility, The first settlers of Patiala were the Hindus of
Sirhind, who opened their business establishments outside the Darshani
Gate. The lower caste got settled on the peripheral areas of the Patiala
city now known as Chur Majris. As in all the medieval towns, there were
separate localities of dancing girls. Dharampura Bazar was one such in
Patiala, which was frequented by the ruling elite. In the late nineteenth
century, the ruling class having been granted huge Jagirs became rich and
started constructing huge mansions with sprawling lawns. Some of the
buildings though shabbily maintained, stand as mute evidence of that
feudal glory. Maharaja Narendra Singh (1845-1862) fortified the city of
Patiala by constructing ramparts and ten gates around the city. Some of
these gates have been demolished to facilitate the flow of traffic. Inside
the walls, besides the residences, there are Mandis and Bazars and a
visitor with meagre amount in his pocket can still indulge in the luxury
of purchasing traditional goods famous for their art and beauty such as
embroidered Juti and Phulkari.
Culture & Traditions
Patiala's sway over
the Malwa area extended beyond merely political influence. Patiala was
equally the set of religious and cultural life. Educationally, Patiala was
in the forefront. Patiala was the first town in this part of the country
to have Degree Collage-the Mohindra College-in 1870. The famous printing
of Munshi Nawal Kishore was also established here in the seventies of the
19th century. Patiala has had a culture of its own, evolving into a
distinct "patialavi" culture. Patiala has also seen evolution of a
distinct style of architecture. Borrowing from the Rajput Style, its
beauty and elegance are, however, moulded according to the local coloring.
With the active patronage
of the erstwhile rules of Patiala, a well established style of Hindustani
music called ‘the Patiala Gharana’ came into existence and has held its
own up to the present times. This school of music has had a number of
famous musicians, many of whom came to Patiala after the disintegration of
the Mughal Court at Delhi in the 18th century. At the turn of
the century, Ustad Ali Bux was the most renowned exponent of this Gharana.
Later his sons, Ustad Akhtar Hussain Khan and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
achieved world wide fame and brought glory to the Patiala Gharana. This
school of music continues to get the patronage of the State though the
North-Zone Culture Centre, established at Patiala.
Architecture
Qila Mubarak
The Qila Mubarak was
first developed as a mud fort or Kachi Garhi. Baba Ala Singh constructed
the Pacca Qila after his conquest of Sirhind. From the receipts of
the octroi
on the merchandise passing through his territory of the G.T. road, he
constructed the Qila. The present Qila is divided into two parts- one, the
Qila Androon, the interior portion, was built by Ala Singh. Situated on a
mound, it ascends as one moves into it. While the other i.e., between the
Qila Androon and outer walls with the secretariat on the left and Darbar
Hall on the right, was built by Maharaja Karam Singh. The Darbar Hall is
now converted into a mini museum where rare arms and armours including a
sword of Nadir Shah known as 'Shikar Gah' are on display. Most precious
pieces of art are the rich collection of tree-like chandeliers made of
Bohemian cut-glass emitting prism like radiant splendour and sheen. To
those interested in metallurgy and guns, a visit to the Cannon Park within
the premises of the Qila Mubarak would certainly be a thrilling experience
of life time. The murals inside the palaces are rare specimen of the
Kangra and Rajasthan paintings.
Moti Bagh Palace
The next great
architectural landmark is the Moti Bagh Palace constructed in 1847 by
Maharaja Narendra Singh at a cost of Rs. 5 lakhs; Maharaja Narendra Singh
was as great a builder as Swai Jai Singh of Jaipur. The Moti Bagh Palace
was designed on the pattern of Shalimar Gardens of Lahore with terraces,
water channels,
Sheesh Mahal and beautiful garden. It is a four storeyed structure with
massive stone-walls, arched openings, filtered and ornamental grills and
crowning domes.
The rear part of the palace
has been developed into an amusement park, which offers many attractions
to the young and the old alike. In the foreground of the Sheesh Mahal,
there is a huge tank with two towers on both sides. Along with it is the
suspended rope bridge popularly known as Lakshman Jhula, which connects
the palace with the Bansar Ghar housing the Natural History Gallery. Here
the stuffed animals and birds are displayed. The rest of the palace now
houses the most prestigious Subhash Chander Bose National Institute of
Sports.
Sheesh Mahal and Museum
Maharaja Narendra
Singh was a great patron of literature, music and fine arts. He invited
many painters from Kangra and Rajasthan to paint the walls of Sheesh Mahal.
Their works depicting the vision in poetry of Keshav, Surdas and Bihari,
both in line and colour, are a treat to the eye of the beholder. The
themes of these paintings embrace mythology, legends, Raga-Ragni,
Nayak-Nayika and Bara-masa in Rajasthani style. These walls and ceilings
are also rich in floral designs.
The interior casts a Kaleidoscope phantasmagoria of myriad images and
multi-coloured lights. The museum has a rich collection of miniature
paintings of the middle of 19th century. Themes of these paintings are
based on the Geet Gobinda or Jaya Deva's poetry. The Kangra paintings
depicting the, Krishan Lila reflect the highest professional and delicate
taste. Paintings displaying the Raga-mala of the Rajasthan schools and
that of the Mughal give a visual meaning to the Ragas.
Besides miniature
paintings, there are fine objects of Tibetan art particularly the
sculpture of different kinds of metals. Ivory carvings of Punjab, royal
wooden carved furniture, and a large number of Burmese and Kashmiri carved
objects are also exhibited. One can see the huge portraits of the rulers
of Patiala adorning the walls of museum hall. Some of the rare manuscripts
can be seen here. Beside Janamsakhi and Jain manuscripts, the most
valuable possession is the Gulistan-Bostan by Sheikh Sadi of Shiraz, which
was acquired by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his personal library.
Medal Gallery set up in the
Sheesh Mahal has on display the largest number of medals and decorations
in the world, numbering 3,200. Collected by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh from
all over the world, his illustrious son Maharaja Yadvindra Singh gifted
the entire priceless collection to the Punjab Government Museum. Among the
most important, one may mention The Order of the Garter (England) of 1348
A.D., The Order of the Golden Fleece (Austria) founded in 1430 A.D. The
Order of St. Andrews (Russia) founded in 1688 by Peter the Great; The
Order of the Rising Sun (Japan) and Order of the Double Dragon (China) and
The Order of the White Elephant (Thailand). The collection contains medals
from Belgium, Denmark, Finland and host of other countries of Africa and
Asia.
On the advice of the
Europeans, Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Maharaja Dalip Singh also issued
medals which are studded with precious stones. Some of them display
miniature paintings of the Maharaja in profile in the centre. Inspired by
his hobby, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh instituted Orders and Decorations
which carry portraits of Guru Gobind Singh, Radha Krishan etc. These
medals reflect religion, culture and art of many countries in metal and
are great sources of history.
Besides medals, there is a
rare collection of coins. This numismatic collection presents a vast range
from the punch-marked coins to those issued by the princely states in the
19th century. It is a total numismatic history reflecting upon country's
trade, commerce, science and metallurgy.
Government Mohindra
College
Maharaja
Mahendra
Singh was a great patron of modern education. He established this college
in 1870 for the people of Patiala. Its building is a wonderful piece of
architecture. Famous for its architectural excellence, the institution for
a long time was the only one between Delhi and Lahore. Serving as a major
institution of higher education, many students from neighbouring states
and as far as Delhi used to come to Patiala for receiving education.
Baradari Gardens
Situated in the
north of the old Patiala city, just outside the Sheranwala Gate, the
Baradari Gardens is built around the Baradari Palace constructed as a
residence for the crown Prince Rajinder Singh. A great lover of nature,
the crown
Prince
brought all kinds of saplings of rare trees and planted them here in the
garden. The huge fruit trees, the Fern House and the Rock Garden stand
testimony to his interest. The Baradari Palace now houses the Punjab State
Archives, a repository of rare documents of historical importance.
Bahadurgarh Fort
At a distance of one
and half kilometer from the main gate of Punjabi University, It is named
so to commemorate the holy memory of Guru Tegh Bahadur who paid visit to
this place at the invitation of another holy person Saif Khan. The four
wails of the fort enclose the village Saifabad located on the left-side of
the Rajpura-Patiala Road. Saif Khan, a relative of the Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb, after holding several important offices, became a hermit and
settled down here. After his death he was buried here. His tomb behind the
fort, a structure of 177 x 177 ft. is in a state of neglect.
Notwithstanding this, his followers still lit a lamp on the tomb every
Thursday. The two inscriptions in the fort testify that the village and
the mosque were founded in 1668 during the reign of Aurangzeb.
As the
tradition goes, Nawab Saif Khan was a great admirer of Guru Teg Bahadur.
He invited him to spend rainy season here. His visit is commemorated by
two gurdwaras- One inside the fort and the other outside across the road.
It is famous as Panj Bali Gurdwara.The Bahadurgarh Fort was constructed by
Maharaja Karam Singh during 1837-45 at a cost of Rs. 10, 00,000. Its
circumference is one mile, 536 yards and 2 feet.
