The Maharajahs and Nawabs of the Princely states of India during their hey day when India was under the British rule built in their kingdoms beautiful palaces and other administrative buildings that were suitable to their official needs, etc and commensurate with their royal status. The historical buildings were used for public services such as district courts, education, health services,etc. Such structures were built with meticulous care and style and, now, they stand apart for their beauty and striking architecture. The city of Kapurthala, Punjab has many amazing buildings that attract lots of tourists.
Kapurthala, the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District, was once the capital of the Kapurthala Princely State ruled by Ahluwalia Dynasty during the colonial British rule. An important tourist center, it is known for a blend of French and Indo-Saracenic architectures consisting of fascinating palaces and gardens. There are many monuments that take us right back to the royal reign and the impact of colonial rule in this city. This city was one of the first in Punjab to have modern amenities like communication systems, sewage facilities, potable drinking water, etc long ago. and they still keep going. Guru Nanak sahib, the head Guru of Sikhs, had spent 14 years of his life in this town, meditating under the 'Ber' tree (which is still very much here) and traveled to spread the message of peace, love and oneness..
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| Sardar Jassa Singh. Kapurthala, India. facebook.com |
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| Sardar Jassa Singh. Kpurthala, Pinrest com. |
Above image: Jassa Singh Ahluwalia (1718-1783), born in Ahlu or Ahluwal near Lahore, established by his ancestor, Sadda Singh, was a true follower of Sixth Guru, Sri Hargobind. Hence the name Ahluwalia stuck to him. His forefathers were kalals-(wine merchants, hence he is also called Jassa singh Kalal. The Aluwalia rulers and their descendants took care of the small state with dedication and it earned them as good administrators; besides they were men of charitable disposition and known for their interest in the welfare of the society, public services and munificence. ..............
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| Maharajah Jagatjit singh, localguidesconnect.com |
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| Location map, Kapurthala. mapsofindia.com |
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| NJSA Govt. College, Kapurthala,, India. collegedunia com |
The Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Government College, which was the first college in this region and affiliated to Calcutta university, is housed in a well built ornate building called Silver Jubilee Hall.. Located in a serene ambiance, it was established in 1856 by Maharajah Randir Singh as Sanskrit Vidyalya - named Randir school, In the formative stages, the students were taught under the shadow of Peepal tree in the traditional guru-shishya parampara. The Peepal tree, close to the college building, is more than 200 years old. Knowing many languages is beneficial, Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu and English languages were offered for the benefit of the students. In 1916 when Jagajit Singh was the ruler, the French language was offered to the students. In 1882, when Punjab university came up at Lahore (now in Pakistan), it was affiliated to it. Presently, affiliated to the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, the college takes the name of Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia (1718 – 1783), the founder of Kapurthala State. The Silver Jubilee Hall that was built in 1916 to mark the silver jubilee of the founder of the state, celebrated its 150th year in October, 2006
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The Moorish Mosque:
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| Interior, Moorish mosque, Kapurthala, India.justdial com |
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| Moorish mosque, Kapurthala, Punjab, India. .pinrest.com |
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| Moorish Mosque, Kapurthala, Punjab, India .flickr.comn |
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The secularism was the guiding principle of the Aluvaniya rulers and the history of Kapurthala is well represented in the fascinating Moorish Mosque, a replica of the Grand Mosque of Marakesh, Morocco, North Africa. Built by a French architect, Monsieur M Manteaux, it was commissioned by Maharajah Jagatjit Singh.who took 13 long years to complete the mosque. Its consecration was done in the presence of the late Nawab of Bhawalpur (now in Pakistan). What is special about this mosque? The impressive interior decoration in the dome was done by the artists of the Mayo School of Art, Lahore. This Moorish-styled mosque is a national monument under the management of the ASI - the Archeological Survey of India. It was one of the monumental creations in the State during the premiership of the late Diwan Sir Abdul Hamid Kt., CIE,OBE.who played a key role in its construction with consent from the Maharajah. Its wooden model - a replica of this structure is on display at the entrance of the Lahore Museum (Punjab, Pakistan). The restoration of Moorish Mosque was being carried out under the auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in 2017.
This unique Moorish Mosque, Shalimar garden, Panj Mandir, the stately Durbar Hall, the beautiful Kamera garden complex with the majestic rest house etc atrract the tourists to this city. These and other sites form the vestiges of the glorious days of the reign of the Aluwalia dynasty.
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Jagatjit Palace:
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| The jagatjit palace, Kaputhala, Punjab, India en.wikipedia.org |
The Jagatjit Palace, built on a plot of 200 acres of prime land was designed by a French architect M. Marcel and the construction done by a local builder Allah Ditta. It is a stylish building designed on the model of the French palace of Versailles and among the many attractive buildings in the city, it is like diamond-crusted Crown. It took 8 years to complete the building in 1908 and the erstwhile Maharajah Jagatjit Singh. built it as a token of his love for his new wife Anita Delgado.
The Darbar Hall:
The most attractive structure in this city is the Darbar Hall (Court), one of the finest in India. Following renaissance style of architecture with the sunken park in the front (Known as Baija), the beautiful figures made of plaster of Paris and the neatly painted ceilings characterize the Durbar Hall (Diwan-E-Khas). It is made of red bricks, impressive domes and stone lattice work, the The unique feature is the design of door and window frames that display Islamic style. The lattice works enhance the beauty of this hall and create a soothing ambiance. There is also a statue of the ruler near the main wooden entrance.
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| Durbar Hall, Kapurthala, Punjab, India. .localguidesconnect.com |
The Hall was built according to the Sikh tradition and the large interior halls were used for various public functions. The ruler used it as his durbar (court) to listen to the people and their needs, etc.
At present the erstwhile Durbar Hall of Maharajah Jagatjit Singh houses a Sainik School (military school) which comes under the Department of Defense, Central government. Also functioned here were District and Sessions Courts along with deputy Commissioner's office in part of the State Durbar Hall. This Durbal hall was restored back to old glory in 2016-17. The Rs 5-crore project was funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the job of restoration, conservation, etc was done by a private company - Rajputana Construction Private Limited, Jaipur; the work was to be completed by January 2017. It became a government property in 1947.
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| Kapurthala place. India nativeplanet.com |
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| Jagatjit palace, Kapurthala. dist. court functions here.Flicker.com |
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| Restoration work.The Durbar Hall, Kapurthala, Punjab India,.tribuneindia.com |
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The Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board was all set to restore four structures in Kapurthala district at an estimated cost of Rs 11 crore. These included the Darbar Hall which houses the main administrative complex of the district, Gol Kothi, Gulabi Kothi— also known as the Bhoot Bangla— and the Baggi Khana, which currently houses the police headquarters. There are many monuments here that need urgent repair and restoration work. .
https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/kapurthala-s-palace-of-justice-to-be-palatial-again-indo-saracenic-architecture-maharaja-jagatjit-singh-sikh-tradition/story-Ee04UI7HPJ9lgo6KXVMfcP.html
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