Patiala State was a kingdom and princely state in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, 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 A gun salute or cannon salute is the use of a piece of artillery to fire shots, often 21 in number (''21-gun salute''), with the aim of marking an honor or celebrating a joyful event. It is a tradition in many countries around the world. Histo ...

and held precedence over all other princes in the Punjab Province during the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. The state was ruled by Jat Sikhs of the Sidhu clan. The kingdom's imperial troops also fought in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

on behalf of the

British Indian Empire The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

Etymology

The state took its name from its principal city and capital,

Patiala Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, 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, Patiala, Qila Mubar ...

, from Punjabi ''patti Ala'' meaning a strip of land belonging to Ala Singh, founder of the city and state.

History

Family background

The Patiala ruling family remotely claimed origins from Bhati Rajputs of

Jaisalmer Jaisalmer , nicknamed ''The Golden city'', is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur, in the heart of the Thar Desert. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Jaisalmer district ...

in the 12th century, specifically the Jadon Bhati chief Jaisal who was the founder and first ruler of Jaisalmer. Based on this, the Phulkian rulers claimed Rajput status up-to the 20th century. At some point, their ancestors moved from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan to Phul in Punjab. The ruling house claims descent from Rao Hem Hel of Jaisalmer, the third son of Jaisal, who settled in 1185 at

Bhatinda Bathinda is a city and municipal corporation in Punjab, India, Punjab, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Bathinda district. It is located in northwestern India in the Malwa (Punjab), Malwa Region, west of the capital city o ...

. Other sources describe Hem Hel as being the grandson of Jaisal. Hem Hel would expand to Hisar, where he was pushed back to Bhatinda by Prithviraj Chauhaun. Hem Hel managed to take control of territory located south of Muktsar and expelled the previous Punwar rulers from the tract. Hem Hel died in 1214 and was succeeded by his son Jaidrath (Jundar). Between 1526 and 1560, the ancestral family of the later Patiala rulers was headed by ''

chaudhary Chowdhury (also: Choudhuri, Chaudhuri, Choudhury, Chaudhri, Chaudhary) is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to eminen ...

'' Bariam, a Phulkian Jat. Bariam was awarded with a ''chaudhriyat'' grant by the

Mughal emperor The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty (House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in ...

Babur in 1526 due to his actions in supporting the Mughal invader at the

First Battle of Panipat The First Battle of Panipat, on 21 April 1526 was fought between the invading forces of Babur against Ibrahim Khan Lodi, the List of sultans of Delhi, Sultan of Delhi, in North India. Babur's forces, em ...

. This grant allowed Bariam to collect revenue from the

badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, ...

located to the southwest of

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

. In 1560, custodianship over the family was then led by Mehraj, who was followed by Pukko. Pukko was followed by Mohan, who led the family until 1618. Mohan and his son Rup Chand were killed in circa 1618 during a skirmish with Bhattis. From 1618 onwards, the family was led by Kala, who was the second-son of Mohan. Kala was succeeded by Phul, a son of Rup Chand. According to lore, Phul met with Guru Hargobind, with the guru prophesying that Phul's descendants would spread-out and be successful. This was through the Sikh guru making a pun on Phul name, which means "flower", and that Phul's descendants would "bear many blossoms" and "satisfy the hunger of many". Phul had seven sons and two wives, with two prominent sons being Rama and Tiloka, with both being born to the same mother. Phul headed the family until 1652, being succeeded by Rama Chand. In 1696, Guru Gobind Singh is believed to have blessed the family, having issued a '' hukamnama'' edict on 2 August 1696 (2 Bhadon 1753 Bk.) addressed to Rama Chand and Tiloka Chand of the family urging them to visit the guru's court and bring with them men and horses. The Sikh guru also gifted Rama and Tiloka a battle-standard and eleven weapons, which is seen as bestowing a special accord onto the family. In 1702, Rama and Tiloka underwent the '' pahul'' ceremony at Damdama Sahib, with their Khalsa baptism being conducted by

Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; born Gobind Das; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708) was the tenth and last human Sikh gurus, Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the ...

himself. Thus-after, the family started appending the '' Singh'' title to their name. However, according to Barbara Ramusack, Ala Singh was the first member to adopt the Singh title. Out of the six sons of Rama, two of them also appended their name with Singh (with one of these two being Ala Singh). Rama Chand was succeeded as head of the family by Ala Singh in 1714. Whilst Rama's descendants formed the ruling house of Patiala State, the descendants of Tiloka formed the ruling house of Nabha and Jind states. Ala Singh, the founder of Patiala State, was a descendant of the Sidhu clan of

Jats The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in ...

. He was born into the Phulkian dynasty, a confederacy established by Chaudhary Phul Sidhu-Brar. Ala was the third-son of his father Rama. Ala Singh’s leadership and military prowess enabled him to establish Patiala as a significant princely state in the Punjab region.

Founding and territorial evolution

According to Giani Gian Singh's '' Twarikh Guru Khalsa'', Ala Singh was bestowed the title of ''raja'' by emperor Muhammad Shah of the Mughal Empire in 1725 C.E. (1781 Bk.) at the Delhi Durbar to recognize Ala Singh's efforts toward fighting insurgents. Ala Singh was awarded the title by Wasiyar Khan of Sirhind. Afterwards, Ala Singh would expand and consolidate his power. The locality of Patiala was founded by ''

sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar (, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royal family, royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other Aristocracy (class), aristocrats. It ha ...

'' Ala Singh in 1752. In 1761, the Afghans defeated the forces of Ala Singh at Barnala. Ala Singh was captured by the Afghans and taken to Ahmad Shah Abdali. The Afghans demanded a four lakh rupee ransom to secure Ala Singh's release. Ala Singh was a vassal of the Afghans. Patiala State was founded by Ala Singh as a chiefship slightly later in March 1762 after Ahmad Shah Abdali bestowed Ala Singh with the ''

raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

'' title, gifting him with a robe-of-honour, ''nagadas'' (war drums), the right to coin money, and an embrace. Yet Ala Singh was expected to bestow an annual tribute on the Afghan ruler. Ramusack dates this bestowal several years later in 1765. In 1763, after the Battle of Sirhind, the Sikh Confederation partitioned the Sirhind area and gave the territory to Ala Singh. The areas in Sirhind, along with Ala Singh's other conquered territories, formed the initial territories of the Patiala state. Also in 1763, Ala Singh constructed a mud-fortress around a mound, known as the Qila Mubarak (meaning "blessed fort"). Ala Singh established the rules for the right of succession based on primogeniture. Ala Singh's successor, Amar Singh, took-on the ''Raja-i-Rajagan Bahadur'' title in 1767. Patiala State became a British protectorate in 1809. Patiala State continued to expand during the rule of Ala Singh's two successors, Raja-Rajgan Amar Singh and Maharaja Sahib Singh (the first ruler to hold the title of Maharaja); however, the next major expansion of Patiala State's territory occurred during and after 1814, under Karam Singh. For Karam Singh's support during the

Anglo-Nepalese War The Anglo-Nepalese War (1 November 1814 – 4 March 1816), also known as the Gorkha War or Nepal-Company War, was fought between the Gorkhali army of the Kingdom of Nepal (present-day Nepal) and the forces of the British East India Company ...

, which took place between 1814 and 1816, the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

awarded him territory in the hill states, extending Patiala State's territory to areas in what is now

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

, including

Shimla Shimla, also known as Simla ( the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India. After independence, the city ...

and Chail. After the

First Anglo-Sikh war The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 around the Firozpur district of Punjab. It resulted in the defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession of Jammu ...

, which took place between 1845 and 1846, the state expanded again when, in return for its support during the war, the British Empire confiscated land from

Nabha State Nabha State, with its capital at Nabha, was one of the Phulkian princely states of Punjab (British India), Punjab during the British Raj in India. This state was ruled by the Sidhu clan belonging to the Sikhs, Sikh religion. History Orig ...

and rewarded it to Patiala State. After 1857 and during the rule of Narinder Singh, Patiala State's territory was expanded for the final time. Narinder Singh's services and the support to the British Empire resulted in Patiala State gaining

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

rights in the Narunal division of

Jhajjar Jhajjar is a town in Jhajjar district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is a part of Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) and situated on the road connecting Rewari to Rohtak (NH-352), Loharu to Meerut (NH334B), Charkhi Dadri to Delhi and Gu ...

, in modern

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

, and he purchased the

taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...

of Khamanu. Narinder Singh was also granted administrative jurisdiction over Bhadaur and the annual revenue from the area.

British suzerainty

In 1809, Patiala State entered into an alliance with the British Empire, whereby the state was given internal autonomy with certain restrictions, and the rulers of Patiala state recognised the British Empire as their suzerains. At the Ambala Darbar held in

Ambala Ambala () is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab (India), Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala ...

between 18–20 January 1860, a decision to exempt Patiala, Nabha, and Jind states from the doctrine-of-lapse. During the

, the rulers of Patiala State were entitled to a 17-

and held precedence over every other princely state in the Punjab Province.

Independence and abolition

1946 Political Subdivisions of India by National Geographic

In 1947, Yadavindra Singh, the last Maharaja of Patiala, agreed to the accession of Patiala State into the

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India, * * was an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations existing between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950. Until its Indian independence movement, independence, India had be ...

. Members and descendants of the Patiala royal family maintained their princely titles until they were abolished in India in 1971 through the 26th Amendment to the

Constitution of India The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India, legal document of India, and the longest written national constitution in the world. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures ...

. Patiala State's historical territory is in the Indian states of

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Rulers and titles

Raja

*29 March 1762 – 22 August 1765: Ala Singh (b. 1691 – d. 1765) *22 August 1765 – 1767: Amar Singh (b. 1748 – d. 1781)

Raja-e-Rajgan

*1767 – 5 February 1781: Amar Singh (s.a.) **1771 – 1774: Himmat Singh (Pretender; died 1774) *February 1781 – 1813: Sahib Singh (b. 1774 – d. 1813) **1781 – 1790: ''

Dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the el ...

'' Nandu Mal (Regent)

Maharaja

*26 March 1813 – 23 December 1845: Karam Singh (b. 1797 – d. 1845) **26 March 1813 – 1823: Maharani Aus Kaur (f) – Regent (b. 1772 – d. af.1823) *23 Dec 1845 – 13 November 1862: Narinder Singh (b. 1823 – d. 1862) (from 25 June 1861 Sir Narendra Singh) *13 November 1862 – 14 April 1876: Mahendra Singh (b. 1852 – d. 1876) (from 28 May 1870 Sir Mahendra Singh) **13 Nov 1862 – 26 February 1870: Jagdish Singh (Regent, chairman of regency council) *14 Apr 1876 – 9 November 1900: Rajinder Singh (b. 1872 – d. 1900) (from 21 May 1898 Sir Rajendra Singh) **14 April 1876 – October 1890: Sir Deva Singh (Regent) (b. 1834 – d. 1890) (chairman of regency council) *9 November 1900 – 23 March 1938: Bhupinder Singh (b. 1891 – d. 1938) (from 12 December 1911 Sir BhupindraSingh) **9 November 1900 – 3 November 1910: Sardar Gurmukh Singh – (Regent, chairman of regency council) *23 Mar 1938 – 15 August 1947: Yadavindra Singh (b. 1913 – d. 1974) (from 1 January 1942 Sir Yadavindra Singh)

Administration

Demographics

Transport

Railways

The following railway stations were situated within Patiala State territory as per the 1941 Census Report:

Orders and decorations

The Nishan-i-Phul, Padshahi Phuli Manya Mandal, Yadu Vansha Manya Mandal, Guru Ghar Manya Mandal, and Nishan-i-Iftikhar were orders and decorations conferred by the Maharaja of Patiala.

Gallery

File:Painting of Ala Singh of Patiala in tondo, Pahari School, ca.1880.jpg, Ala Singh, the founder and first ruler of Patiala File:Miniature painting of Raja Amar Singh of Patiala, ca.1830.jpg, Miniature painting of Raja-e Rajgan Amar Singh of Patiala, ca.1830 File:Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia on left and Amar Singh of Patiala.jpg, Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia on left and Amar Singh of Patiala on right, late 18th century File:MotiBaghPalace.jpg, Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala. File:PATIALA,QILLA MUBARAK.jpg, The main gate of the Qila Mubarak File:Photograph of Maharaja Narinder Singh (alt. spelt as 'Narendra Singh') of Patiala State with attendants, by Jean Baptiste Oscar Malitte, ca.1860.jpg,

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

Narinder Singh of Patiala File:Mahendra Singh of Patiala.jpg, Maharaja Mahendra Singh of Patiala File:Portrait of Sir Rajinder Singh Maharaja of Patiala.jpg, Maharaja Rajinder Singh of Patiala File:Bhupinder Singh of Patiala.jpg, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala File:A panel of seven portraits of rulers of Patiala State.jpg, A panel of seven portraits of rulers of Patiala State File:Detail of an informal visit at Moti Bagh Palace from an album of photographs compiled by the wife of Dr. H.R. Hunter during his time as Dental Surgeon at Moti Bagh Palace during the reign of Maharajah Bhupinder Singh, circa 1922–23.jpg, Detail of an informal visit at Moti Bagh Palace from an album of photographs compiled by the wife of Dr. H.R. Hunter during his time as dental surgeon at Moti Bagh Palace during the reign of Maharajah Bhupinder Singh, circa 1922–23 File:YadavindraSinghofPatiala1930s.png, Yadavindra Singh, the last Maharaja of Patiala

Notes

References

External links

Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 20, page 40 -- Imperial Gazetteer of India -- Digital South Asia Library
{{Coord, 31, 07, N, 77, 38, E, region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title Princely states of Punjab 1763 establishments in India 1947 disestablishments in India Gun salute princely states Phulkian dynasty