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Patiala

Patiala is a city in Punjab, in northern India. Founded in 1736 as the capital of the principality of Patiala, it has now grown into an important commercial and industrial center. Patiala is renowned for the quality of its fabrics and traditional turbans.

It is the fourth largest city in Punjab.

Its name means "the land of Ala", Ala designating Ala Singh, Sikh chief, builder of the Patiala fort, the Qila Mubarak. The city was gradually built around this fort.

Qila Mubarak Palace

The palace or fort Qila Mubarak is the fort around which the city has developed. The fort includes several buildings, including the main palace, the houses to receive the prince's guests and reception rooms. The main door is beautiful. Imposing and majestic, this gate is probably the best restored part of the fort to date. Most of the buildings are being restored and some are in dire need. This entrance gives an impression of the appearance of the fort at the time of its splendor. The princes of Patiala resided in this fort until the construction of Moti Bagh palace.

The palace is built in a style forming a synthesis between the architecture of Rajasthan and that of the late Mughal Emirati.

The Qila Mubarak houses important wall paintings. These paintings are part of the history of Indian painting and that of Sikh art in particular. We admired some of these paintings in a part of the palace undergoing renovation, but unfortunately photography was prohibited.

The Qila Mubarak is of paramount importance to allow art historians to fully understand the evolution of Indian painting and that of Punjab. Indeed, following a series of wars between the Sikhs and the British, the latter had decided the massive destruction of forts in Punjab, destroying at the same time priceless artistic treasures.

Moti Bagh Palace

Moti meaning "pearl" and Bagh "garden", the name Moti Bagh means "the palace of the Garden of pearls".

Moti Bagh Palace was built by Maharajah Narinder Singh in the mid-19th century to serve as a residence for the royal family. This part of the palace is known as the Old Moti Bagh Palace. Narinder Singh's great-grandson, Yadavindra Singh built the New Moti Bagh Palace where the Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, currently resides.

Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib

The ninth guru of Sikhism, Guru Tegh Bahadur was called to aid in the mid-17th century to help eradicate a serious disease that had long plagued the region. The intervention of the guru having helped to calm the disease, a gurdwara was built at the place where he meditated during his stay in Patiala.

The faithful attribute magical virtues against this disease to the water of the sacred lake (sarovar) of the Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib.

about the place, Patiala:

Patiala is an important city of Punjab founded in 1763 by the Maharajah Ala Singh to whom it owes its name (Patiala: the strip of land of Ala). Patiala is built around Ala Singh's palace, the Qila Mubarak) which is being restored (much needed by the way).

The city seems nostalgic for its past grandeur. The streets of Patiala are lively and bustling with activity like all Indian cities. The Dukh Niwaran Sahib gurdwara was built at the place where Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth and penultimate guru of Sikkism, meditated under a pagoda ficus to ward off a strange disease that was plaguing the inhabitants of the region. The gurdwara of Patiala is magnificent and contrasts with the general atmosphere of the res of the city.