Discover Kapurthala’s Glorious Past from Magnificent Monuments to Royal Heritage and the Legacy of Maharajah Jagatjit Singh’s Vision

To follow the trail of Kapurthala monuments, unveiling the mysterious past can prove to be an exhilarating experience. This led to the drive past the luxuriant green fields of wheat Rabi-crop though the food bowl on India — Punjab; with thoughts immersed in the life of Francophile Maharajah of Kapurthala — Jagatjit Singh who penned down his personal diary in French!! While going through a Kapurthala catalogue dated 1900 AD, I decided to take a trip to the 18th century Jat-Sikh Kingdom of Kapurthala in Punjab to unveil its glorious past.

Morocco to Kapurthala

I drove towards the impressive Moorish-mosque, which is very stylised and Moroccan in form. It stands as a symbol of secular views of Maharajah Jagatjit Singh. A run-down garden with few walkers and huddled group of cards players could not dampen my spirits.

I admired the minimalistic yet remarkable architecture of the famed replica of the Qutbya Grand mosque of Marakesh in Morocco; which is the signature structure of Morocco! I walked through the entrance recalling that the Moorish Moroccan mosque was constructed by the order of Maharajah Jagatjit Singh in 1926 and completed four years later at a cost of Rupees 4 lakh! Right then, I stood at the same momentous spot where in the year 1930, His Highness Maharajah Kapurthala Jagatjit Singh stood with His Highness Nawab of Bahawalpur — Sadiq Mohammed Khan Bahadur facing a congregation of one lakh people who had gathered for the ceremonial opening of the reproduction of the Grand Mosque of Marrakesh in Kapurthala, there was no reliving the moment but I was spellbound.

Keeping in sync with the French characteristics of the State of Kapurthala it was designed and built by a French architect Monsieur Manteaux. According to Maharajah Kapurthala- Brigadier Sukhjit Singh, the Moorish Masjid is a unique and exclusive monument of South East Asia.

State Durbar Hall

The interiors are white with magnificent royal palace look-Fabulous ceiling pattern in gold. In the derelict garden outside, I chanced upon a great spot for photography near the regal bronze statue of Maharaja Randhir Singh with the once magnificent Darbar Hall and its massive wooden door entrance in the background. The present Maharajah Kapurthala comments that the statue has been fully restored by INTACH. He suggests re-adaptive use of the Darbar Hall to house Punjab State Historical Archives. Forlornly, I compared its lost grandeur with original photos in the 1900 Kapurthala Catalogue. Much more must be done beyond initial restoration.

— The author is a travel writer, community leader and researcher