Patiala, Punjab

Patiala is the fourth largest city in Punjab and is famous for many things like the turban, the Patiala Salwar etc. There are a number of tourist attractions here like the Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib, Gurdwara Moti Bagh Sahib, Bahadurgarh Fort, Qila Mubarak Complex, Sheesh Mahal, Baradari Gardens etc.
Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib It is supposed to be a holy place and devotees visit there regularly. There is a shrine and a sarovar there. The water in the sarovar is believed to have healing properties. The Gurdwara Moti Bagh Sahib is also a holy place.

Bahadurgarh Fort is and ancient fort constructed in 17th century and later renovated in 19th century. The construction took eight years. The Fort was named after Sikh Guru Teg Bahadur by Maharaja Karam Singh. The fort has a a Gurdwara Sahib (Sikh temple) called Gurdwara Sahib Patshai Nauvin. It is a pilgrimage centre especially during Baisakhi Festival every year on the 13th of April.   

 

Qila Mubarak Complex is spread over ten acres and is located in the heart of Patiala. There is a palace called Qila Androon meaning ‘inner fort’ inside the complex. There is also a guesthouse called Ran Baas and also the Durbar Hall. There are bazaar shops outside Qila Complex where you can get precious ornaments and hand-woven fabrics in a variety of colours. There is also a Shiva Temple there. The royals of Patiala stayed there till the Old Moti Bagh Palace was constructed.

The Qila Androon has an architecture that is a blend of Mughal and Rajasthani. It has 10 courtyards and each one unique in size. It is actually a single large building that is interconnected. It looks like a series or number of palaces.

The Sheesh Mahal meaning ‘Palace of Mirrors’ is actually a part of the Old Moti Bagh Palace which was built by Maharajas in 19th century. There is a lake in front of Sheesh Mahal. Inside, there are a large number of Frescos that were made by Maharaja Narinder Singh. There is a famous bridge across the lake called Lakshman Jhula. There is a museum with the world’s largest medal collection there.

Baradari Gardens is rich with flowers, shrubs and trees and has beautiful colonial buildings and Maharaja Rajindera Singh’s marble statue. It was built for the purpose of a royal residence, having a cricket stadium, skating rink and a small palace-Rajindera Kothi. Now it has become Punjab’s first heritage hotel.

The National Institute of Sports, now renamed as Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports is actually the Old Moti Bagh Palace now under India Government. Now, many interesting things related to sports can be seen here like the Seoul Asiad shoes used by P T Usha and Gold Medal won by Major Dhyan Chand in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.

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