Patiala is a city in the Punjab state of India and the administrative capital of Patiala district. The 2011 census recorded its population to be 406,192, making it the fourth largest city in Punjab. The city comes under the governance of the Patiala Muncipal Corporation of Patiala Metropolitian Region.
Patiala was founded in 1763 around the Patiala fort, Qila Mubarak by Baba Ala Singh, who was the first Maharaja of the historical princely state of Patiala. During the reign of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, between 1900 – 1930, most of the architectural features of the area were constructed apart from recognizing Patiala in the political map of India. Hindus of Sirhind were the first settlers of the city. Patiala being comparatively a young city is the capital of PEPSU.
Patiala is home to the Mohindra College, one of the first degree college in Northern India which was founded in 1870. The city marked its architectural presence in India with well known historical monuments like Qila Mubarak, Moti Bagh Palace, Sheesh Mahal, Baradari Gardens and Bahadurgarh Fort. The city has widely been regarded as a agriculturally rich place and foremost in trade and commerce, however, in the recent years Patiala has developed into an industrial town.[1]
History
editPatiala, before being declared a city, was a self-governing princely state called "Patiala state" during the British Raj. The former state of Patiala was initially ruled by ancestry of Chaudhary Phul – a member of Phulkian sardars, Nabha and Jind. One of their son, Chaudhary Ram Singh, was baptized and blessed by the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. In 1714 A.D., Ala Singh the son of Chaudhary Ram Singh took the throne. Mughals had much prvailance during that time, however, Ala Singh successfully took away 30 villages from a minor Zaminder. During his regin, he successed to expand his empire into a large state, extending to Rajasthan in the south and parts of Shivaliks in the north.
In 1763, Baba Ala Singh by constructing the Patiala fort, known as Qila Mubarak, marked the starting point of the present day Patiala city surrounding the fort. The first settlers were the Hindus of Sirhind in the state of Patiala who opened their independent business outside the Darshani Gate.
After the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761 in which the Marathas were defeated by the Afghans, the writ of the Afghans prevailed throughout Punjab. If was after the defeat of Marathas when rulers of Patiala came to royalty. The Patiala state saw more than forty years of constant power struggle with the Afghan Durrani Empire, Maratha Empire and the Sikh Empire of Lahore. In 1808, the Raja of Patiala entered into a treaty with the British against Ranjit Singh of Lahore in 1808, thus becoming confederate in the grand empire building process by the British in, the sub-continent of India. Patiala became a 17-guns salute state during the British Raj. As a result of the treaty, the prominent rulers of Patiala state, Karam Singh, Narinder Singh, Mahendra Singh, Rajinder Singh, Bhupinder Singh and Yadvindra Singh, were treated with nobility and respectfully by the British.
Maharaja Bhupender Singh during his reign between 1900 to 1930, he gave Patiala state a shape in the political map of India. During his reign, most of the architecturally magnificent buildings were constructed.
Geography and cityscape
editPatiala is a municipal corporation which comes under the governance of the Patiala Metropolitan Region. The city is situated at 30.32 ° North and 76.40 ° East, in the state of Punjab, India with an average elevation of 250 metres. The city has a total area of 339.9 Km^2. Patiala is surrounded by Sangrur towards the West, Nawan Shahr to the North and Ludhiana to the north west.[2]
The city is located in the fertile Indo-Gangetic plains of India with the land being virtually flat. The land is formed by the materials brought from the Himalayas by the river movement.[3]
The city is approximately 74.3 KMs west of the Punjab's capital Chandigarh. Patiala city was formed around the Quila Mubarak Fort, which is built on 10 acres of land and contains the main palace of Qila Androon, the Darbar hall and the Ran Baas. The area imediately around the fort is well known for ornament and fabric shops.[4]