The Legacy of Patiala’s 'Qila Mubarak'

Once the largest private residence in Asia, Patiala’s Qila Mubarak’s fate spiralled downwards to the world’s 100 most endangered monuments in 2004. But earlier this year the Ran Baas palace within the complex of the erstwhile Qila (fort) opened to the public as a luxury hotel. The restoration work for the same was taken on by the Park hotels, outsourced by the Panjab government. ‘We took possession in 2021, right in the middle of the pandemic,’ recalls Pallavi Paul, chairperson of Park Hotels. The first step Pallavi took was to bring on architect Abha Narain Lambah—a leading heritage architect in the last two decades, also involved in the restoration work of the Qila. The Qila was first built as a kachi garhi (mud fort) in 1783 by the shrewd warrior ruler, Baba Ala, founder of the Phulkian dynasty. According to the resident historian at Ran Baas, Simar Singh of Mirpur, by accepting the title of Raja from Afghan invader Ahmed Shah, Baba Ala became the first Sikh monarch in history. Under his rule, Patiala went from being a provincial backwater to one of the great trading stops of the east. Today buildings from varying periods and architectural styles dot the Qila compound—from the late Mughal and Rajput influenced courtyards to the colonial and European-aired Jalau Khana and Darbar Hall. One of the glories of Ran Baas are the breathtaking frescoes entwined with the Jaipur, Shekhawati, Mughal, and Kangra schools of art that flourished under Sikh patronage. Historian Sam Dalrymple says, ‘The Masnad Mahal (inside the Qila) is Patiala’s answer to the Sistine chapel, and should in any reasonable world be a world heritage site unto itself’. The Mahal, known for its Sikh-Mughal frescoes, depicts Sikh Gurus and Hindu mythology. ‘The emphasis on Krishna serves a dynastic purpose. Some Sikh kings appropriated Krishna as their own progenitor, regarding him as the ideal noble and virtuous king, despite their allegiance to the Sikh Panth (collective)’, says Dalrymple. A portrait of Patiala’s Sikh Maharaja Karam Singh is thus flanked by the figures of Hindu Gods Krishna, Rama, Garuda, and Hanuman inside the Mahal.