About My Town

Patiala is relatively a young city of royal heritage and rich tradition. Founded in 1764 by Baba Ala Singh, a soldier par excellence on an ancient mound, "PRASTHALA", frequently referred to in the Mahabharta epic, Patiala has since then acquired a place of eminence in political, social, religious, music and fine arts, cultural, academic and military spheres. It was Maharaja Bhupinder Singh (1900-1938) who gave Patiala State a prominent place on the political map of India. Later at the time of Indian independence his son Yadvindera Singh took a patriotic lead by signing the instrument of accession facilitating the process of national integration.
Patiala is famous for its peg (a reference to Patiala Peg - an unusually large (double of normal) shot/peg of whiskey), pagri (traditional headgear), paranda (tasselled tag for braiding hair) and Jutti (traditional Punjabi footwear).
Patiala has given it's name to alcoholic drinks, any serving of alcohol which is unusually large or double than the normal serving is referred to as the Patiala Peg. This term is understood in most parts of India. There are multiple stories behind this epithet, all related to the opulent and hedonistic lifestyle of one of the maharajas of Patiala - Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, who was a heavy drinker.
Patiala is home town of many eminent personalities like cricketers Navjot Sidhu, Mohinder Amarnath, Reetinder Sodhi, Bollywood Stars Jimmy Shregill, Om Puri, Punjabi Singers Gurdas Mann & Harbhajan Mann, Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal & above all Sq Ldr Rakesh Sharma, first and only Indian till date in space and so on.

My Town (Gurdwara Sahib)

Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib shrine is situated in what used to be the village of Lehal, now part of Patiala city. According to local tradition, supported by an old handwritten document preserved in the Gurdwara, one Bhag Ram, a jhivar of Lehal, waited upon Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji during his sojourn at Saifabad (now Bahadurgarh), and made the request that he might be pleased to visit and bless his village so that its inhabitants could be rid of a serious and mysterious sickness which had been their bane for a long time.

My Town (Sheesh Mehal)

The Sheesh Mahal was built behind the main Moti Bagh Palace to serve as a pleasure complex, by The Maharaja of Patiala, Narendra Singh, in 1847 and his much-admired aesthetic sense governed the design and decoration of this stunning palace to a substantial extent. The Sheesh Mahal`s greatest treasures are its excellent museum, a fine collection of antiques, which gives a fabulous insight into the life, and times of Maharajas of Patiala. The paintings in two of its well maintained , mirror-worked chambers are of Kangra and Rajasthani qalam, depicting the poetic visions of Keshav, Surdas and Bihari. Patiala itself, there are objects from rest of India as well. Foremost among the galleries of the museum is the Medal Gallery, an awesome collection of more than 3,000 medals and coins from across the world, dating from the 12th to the 20th centuries. The Sheesh Mahal now houses a museum an art gallery, and also the North Zone Cultural Centre, set up by a society to preserve art.

My Town (Quila Mubarak)

Patiala, a city of gardens and palaces, has a rich
architectural and cultural heritage.
The oldest part of Patiala is the walled city within which Quila Mubarak; the oldest fortified palace of the city, sits on a raised mound.

Quila Mubarak forms the core around which the walled city developed. It dates back to 1763 AD. Baba Ala Singh, who was the founder of the Patiala dynasty built a kachigarhi (mud fortress) and named it Quila Mubarak. Later, it was reconstructed in baked bricks. Maharaja Amar Singh (1765-1781 AD) completed the construction of the inner palace called the Quila Androon. Maharaja Sahib Singh (1781- 1813 AD), Maharaja Karam Singh (1813 AD - 1845 AD) Maharaja Narinder Singh (1845 AD to 1862) had also resided in this fort.