Moti Bagh Palace | |
---|---|
Type | royal palace |
Location | Patiala, Punjab, India [1] |
Built | 1847 [2] |
Original use | Residence of the Maharaja of Patiala |
Current use | Headquarters of the North Zone Cultural Centre; Office of the National Institute of Sports; museum. |
Architectural style(s) | Sikh architecture |
Moti Bagh Mahal (Pearl Garden Palace) is a palace in Patiala. [3] [4] The palace was built by Maharaja Narinder Singh, the great-grandfather of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, in 1847, [5] at a cost of half a million rupees. [6] The Old Moti Bagh Palace and New Moti Bagh Palace were built respectively by Maharaja Narinder Singh (reigned 1845–62) and Maharaja Yadavindra Singh (reigned 1938-47). [7] [8]
The Old Palace is one of the largest residencies in Asia, [9] housing the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NIS) currently. [10] [11] And the New Moti Bagh Palace is the residence of Former Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh currently. [12]
It was expanded in 1920s under the supervision of Sir Ganga Ram during the reign of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh. After independence, the Government of India took over the premises, and later converted it into a museum, a taxidermy gallery, and the North Zone Cultural Centre.[ citation needed ]
The National Institute of Sports (NIS) Patiala is situated in its East wing, [13] where the annual Patiala Heritage festival is celebrated.
There is another building, called the New Moti Bagh Palace, built in 1959, [14] that is residence of Amarinder Singh. [15]
The Palace incorporates Indian and European architectural features. [16]
Patiala is a city in southeastern Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the Qila Mubarak constructed by a chieftain Ala Singh, who founded the royal dynasty of Patiala State in 1763, and after whom the city is named.
Ranjit Singh was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. He ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He survived smallpox in infancy but lost sight in his left eye. He fought his first battle alongside his father at age 10.
The Lahore Fort is a citadel in the city of Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan. The fortress is located at the northern end of the Walled City of Lahore and spreads over an area greater than 20 hectares. It contains 21 notable monuments, some of which date to the era of Emperor Akbar. The Lahore Fort is notable for having been almost entirely rebuilt in the 17th century, when the Mughal Empire was at the height of its splendor and opulence.
Sir Duleep Singh, GCSI, also spelled Dalip Singh, and later in life nicknamed the "Black Prince of Perthshire", was the fifth and last maharaja of the Sikh Empire from 1843, serving on the thrones of Kashmir, and Jammu till 1846; and on the throne of Punjab till 1849. He was Maharaja Ranjit Singh's youngest son, the only child of Maharani Jind Kaur.
Amarinder Singh, is an Indian politician, military historian, former royal and Indian Army veteran who served as the 15th Chief Minister of Punjab. His father was the last Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala. Before starting his political career, Singh was an officer in the Indian Army, where he served from 1963 to 1966.
Majha is a region located in the central parts of the historical Punjab region, currently split between the republics of Pakistan and India. It extends north from the right banks of the river Beas, and reaches as far north as the river Jhelum. People of the Majha region are given the demonym "Majhail". Most inhabitants of the region speak the Majhi dialect, which is the basis of the standard register of the Punjabi language. The most populous city in the area is Lahore on the Pakistani side, and Amritsar on the Indian side of the border.
The Maharaja of Patiala was the title of the ruler of the princely state of Patiala, in British India. The first ruler of Patiala was Baba Ala Singh, who held the title of Raja. The second and third rulers, Amar Singh and Sahib Singh, respectively, held the held the title of Raja-e-Rajgan. Karam Singh, the fourth ruler, was the first ruler of Patiala who held the title of Maharaja. By the time of the seventh Maharaja, Rajinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala was recognized as the leader of the Sikh community and the most foremost prince in Punjab. During the British Raj, the Patiala maharajas were entitled to a 17-gun salute and had precedence over all the other princes in Punjab.
Sir Bhupinder Singh was the Maharaja of Patiala and a cricket player. Singh's reign as Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala, in British India, lasted from 1900 to 1938. He was born in a Sidhu royal Jat Sikh family. During his reign, Singh was most noted for his extravagance, contributions to sports, and for being an ally to the British Raj. He was also a member of the Phulkian dynasty.
The Sikhs are adherents to Sikhism, the fifth largest organized religion in the world, with around 25 million adherents. Sikh History is around 500 years and in that time the Sikhs have developed unique expressions of art and culture which are influenced by their faith and synthesize traditions from many other cultures depending on the locality of the adherents of the religion. Sikhism is the only religion that originated in the Punjab region with all other religions coming from outside Punjab. All the Sikh gurus, many saints, and many of the martyrs in Sikh history were from Punjab and from the Punjabi people. Punjabi culture and Sikhism are mistakenly considered inseparably intertwined. "Sikh" properly refers to adherents of Sikhism as a religion, strictly not an ethnic group. However, because Sikhism has seldom sought converts, most Sikhs share strong ethno-religious ties, therefore it is a common stereotype that all Sikhs share the same ethnicity. Many countries, such as the U.K., therefore misconcievingly recognize Sikh as a designated ethnicity on their censuses. The American non-profit organization United Sikhs has fought to have Sikhs included on the U.S. census as well, arguing that Sikhs "self-identify as an 'ethnic minority'" and believe "that they are more than just a religion".
Yadavindra Singh was the ninth and last ruling Maharaja of Patiala from 1938 to 1947. Singh kept his royal titles until 1971, when princely titles were abolished through the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India. In his life, Singh was also a diplomat, sports administrator and former cricketer who played one Test in 1934.
Sir Rajinder Singh was the Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala from 1876 to 1900. During his reign, Singh was noted for his military service, extravagant spending habits, tense relations with the British Raj, marriage to an Irish woman named Florence Bryan, and his contributions to sports both as a player and as a financial benefactor. Singh was regarded as the leader of the Sikh community and the premier Maharaja in Punjab.
The Phulkian dynasty of Maharajas or sardars were Sikh royals and aristocrats in the Punjab region of India. Members of the dynasty ruled the states of Badrukhan, Bhadaur, Faridkot, Jind, Malaudh, Nabha, and Patiala, allying themselves with the British Empire according to the terms of the Cis-Sutlej treaty of 1809. The dynasty is named after Phul Sidhu-Brar, the 17th-century common ancestor of the Phulkian states and the founder of the Phulkian Misl. Members of the Phulkian dynasty, who are the direct descendants of Rawal Jaisal Singh, the founder and ruler of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer, migrated to the present-day Malwa region in Punjab.
Mehtab Kaur was the second wife of the ninth and the last ruling Maharaja of Patiala Yadavindra Singh (1913–1974). She was the mother of Amarinder Singh, the former Chief Minister of Punjab. Had it not been for the erstwhile Indian princely families being stripped of their titles in 1971, upon the death of her husband she would have been considered Rajmata, and in popular usage was commonly referred to as such.
The Patiala peg is a peg of whisky in which the amount is decided based on the height between the top of the index and base of the little fingers when held parallel to one another, against the side of the standard 26.5 oz (750ml) glass bottle. This has been confused with Chinese peg at times, in which water is poured followed by liquor thus forming two distinct layers.
Patiala State was a kingdom and princely state in British India, and one of the Phulkian States, that acceded to the Union of India upon Indian independence and partition in 1947. The state was founded by Ala Singh in 1762. Patiala State was the largest and most important princely state in the Punjab Province. The state's ruler, the Maharaja of Patiala, was entitled to a 17-gun salute and held precedence over all other princes in the Punjab Province during the British Raj. The state was ruled by Jat Sikhs of the Sidhu gotra (clan).
Mahendra Singh (1852-1876) was the Maharaja of Patiala from 1862 to 1876.
Rani Raj Kaur was the wife of Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia Misl and the mother of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire. She was affectionately known as Mai Malwain after her marriage. She is also referred to as Sardarni Raj Kaur and Rajkumari Bibiji Raj Kaur Sahiba before marriage. She was the daughter of Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind.
Punjab Sports University, officially Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Punjab Sports University (MBSPSU), is a residential and affiliating sports state university in Patiala, Punjab, India.
Narinder Singh , also spelt as Narendra Singh, was the Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala from 1845 to 1862. He was one of the first local rulers to receive the Order of the Star of India and was a member of the Indian Legislative Council during Lord Canning's Viceroyalty.
Karam Singh was the fourth ruler of Patiala State and the Maharaja of Patiala. Singh was the first of the Patiala rulers to have the title of Maharaja. His reign was noted for Patiala State's territorial expansion and his support for the British Empire.