The splendours of princely Kapurthala

By G.S. Aujla

MAHARAJA Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala can be called the Shah Jehan of Punjab keeping in view his interest in creating glorious edifices. During his reign as a sovereign ruler for 58 years and a ruling prince for 71 years, he transferred the best architectural features from Europe to the princely state of Kapurthala exhibiting the best blend of the exotic and the indigenous.

• Industries need better infrastructure
• No more Paris of Punjab
• Eminent persons

MAHARAJA Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala can be called the Shah Jehan of Punjab keeping in view his interest in creating glorious edifices. During his reign as a sovereign ruler for 58 years and a ruling prince for 71 years, he transferred the best architectural features from Europe to the princely state of Kapurthala exhibiting the best blend of the exotic and the indigenous.

A great traveller, Maharaja Jagatjit Singh set on the three major voyages in his lifetime. During his regime his first visit to Europe was in 1893, three years after assuming full powers as a ruler. What he saw in the outside world greatly influenced him and he brought the best features to the medium-sized state of Kapurthala. From each such visit, fresh innovations and improvements were introduced in the state. He introduced the modern sewage and water system for the city and a telephone system in 1901, linking various parts of the state. The other outstanding features of his regime were an improved judicial system in 1904, reforms in the state forces and the police from 1906 to 1910, a State Assembly and State Council in 1916, free compulsory primary education from 1918, agricultural cooperative credit societies in 1920, and industries at Hamira and Phagwara in the 1940s.

Maharaja Jagatjit Singh’s quest for beauty coupled with his global exposure, enabled him to create a string of beautiful buildings in Kapurthala which exemplified the best of exotic and native streams. The celebrated Jagatjit Palace (currently Sainik School) built in 1906 by French architect Monsieur M. Marcel was inspired by the palaces of Versailles and Fontainebleau. Its plaster of Paris figures and painted ceilings represent the finest features of French art and architecture. The present Mall Road (Thandi Sarak) in Kapurthala and Camera Gardens with tall trees and flower beds were an ideal setting for morning and evening promenades. Villa Buona Vista (the residence of the present Maharaja), a delightful hunting lodge on the banks of the Bein rivulet was built in 1846; the picturesque chateau next to Savoy Hotel at Mussoorie in Uttar Pradesh was built in 1898. Both the villa and chateau were designed by J.O.S. Elmore. The state gurdwara, a scintillating epitome of Indian religious architecture — blending the best of Islamic and Hindu features — had an excellent setting in spacious green lawns ideal for mass langars held at the time of religious congregations.

Perhaps Maharaja Jagatjit Singh’s most notable creation and the highest tribute to the spirit of true secularism that prevailed in those days, was the little jewel of a mosque built for the predominant Muslim population of Kapurthala that comprised 60 per cent of the state before 1947. The Muslim and Hindu communities held honoured places of distinction and merit in all walks of the state and its administration. It was in this context, that on a visit to Morocco, Maharaja Jagatjit Singh was so taken by the breathtaking beauty of the Grand Mosque in Marrakash that he commissioned a French architect, Monsieur M. Manteaux, to commence work on a miniature replica of this Mosque in 1927. It was completed in 1930 at the cost of about Rs 6 lakh and consecrated in the presence of the Nawab Sahib of Bahawalpur. The inner dome was decorated by artists of the Mayo School of Art, Lahore. When questioned as to the cost involved, Maharaja Jagatjit Singh put an end to all further remarks by stating in a letter to the then Viceroy, in 1938:

"Your excellency may be unaware that 60 per cent of my population comprises my loyal Muslim subjects. It is only in the fitness of things that the best place of worship in my state, must be constructed for them."

This beautiful architectural specimen, perhaps the only one of its type in South-East Asia, after much collective effort, has only recently been declared a national monument. It is now under the Archaeological Survey of India and some restoration work is currently being carried out.

Among the notable Hindu temples mention must be made of the famous Panj Mandari — a group of five impressive temples which used be the centre of attraction during major Hindu festivals. A large number of Ahalkars in the court of the Maharaja were Hindus.

Among a host of other buildings two more deserve special mention — the State Courts, kutcheri as it was known, and the J.J. Club. The State Courts is a sprawling edifice in red bricks with impressive domes and grills resembling East European structures. The designs of doors and windows are Islamic — partly due to the fact that most of the artisans were Muslims and adept at Muslim art and craft.

The cenotaph in Shalimar Gardens reflects the finest engraving and chiselling work in red sandstone often seen in royal buildings of the Mughal period. On the contrary the J.J. Club on the Mall is a typical Greeco-Roman specimen of architecture resembling the Acropolis at Athens in Greece.

A visit to this erstwhile princely state would still be a treat for art and architecture lovers although the deterioration in the veneer of these buildings leaves one quite despondent.

A seminar recently organised by the district administration of Kapurthala focused attention on the tourism potential of this erstwhile princely state and suggested, among other things, the setting up of a Kapur-thala Heritage Society to be headed by Brig Sukhjit Singh (retd), the present scion of the princely family, and having in its membership a large number of civil servants and public men dedicated to the preservation of the beauty of this city.

Industries need better infrastructure

By Jasmine Sandhu Sandhawalia

KAPURTHALA, called the Paris of Punjab during the erstwhile princely rule, attracted industrial units as the then Maharaja granted various privileges which with the passage of time were withdrawn for one reason or the other. However, the Kapurthala area still holds a place in the industrial sector.

With the establishment of the rail coach factory at Hussainpur, near Kapurthala, in 1988, the industry has receivd a boost here. So far the rail coach factory has manufactured 7724 coaches of different types. On August 15, the rail coach factory launched Swaran Shatabdi.

As a result of the setting up of rail coach factory, a number of subsidiary units handling forgings, castings, and furnishing items like seats and berths have come up in the region. Nearly 180 units manufacture components of coaches in this region. Many more such units are still coming up, providing a lot of employment opportunities.

The other major industrial unit here is the Jagatjit Industries Limited set up by I.P. Jaiswal in 1944 under the patronage of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh. The industrial house manufactures and markets alcoholic beverages, malt, malt extract, malted milkfoods, milk powder, ghee, dairy products, glass and plastic containers. The company’s brand is ranked amongst the 10 fastest growing brands in the world. The industry is one of the major players in the alcoholic beverages business in the country.

Though the distillery has generated job opportunities for the unemployed in villages in its vicinity, it has also ruined the ground water as the chemically treated water (waste after distilling) is dumped in open tanks and farmers use this arsenic water for irrigation within a radius of 10 miles. The tubewell water too has turned dirty. The government has taken no measures to check this contamination or to provide potable water. The villagers recently submitted a memorandum in this regard to the local minister, but no action was taken by the authorities concerned.

Then there is the rice-sheller industry. There are more than 100 shellers in the district with quality rice being shelled and exported. Another major industry manufactures electrical items like switches. The leather industry has also gained momentum and belting units are being set up here on the lines of international standards. The industry needs infrastructure like a good road and rail link with the rest of the country.

No more Paris of Punjab

AFTER the merger of Kapurthala state, known as the Paris of India, into Pepsu, the town has not made the desired progress in the fields of education, medical health, sports, housing and cultural activities.

After the Partition, the only planned colony developed by the improvement trust has been the Model Town. The lackadaisical attitude of the Urban Development Depart-ment has helped private colonisers to exploit the housing sector. Colonies have been carved out of governent land. These colonies have no sewerage, drinking water supply system, metalled roads, parks etc, which are the necessary components of planned development.

While the health services have been in a shambles since Independence, the condition of the Civil Hospital’s building has been dilapidating with each passing year. The X-ray plant is out of order most of the times, forcing poor patients to get their X-rays from private clinics, which are mushrooming in front of the hospital. The intensive care centre has broken beds and dirty linen.

The indifferent attitude of the authorities towards maintaining the bus stand, can be gauged from the fact that garbage is dumped in front of the bus stand and the entire area is full of potholes which are a great nuisance during rains. The bathrooms are not properly maintained and the shops selling eatables overcharge.

The town has the famous Shalimar Bagh which was once famous for holding the Basant Mela. Earlier, the bagh had beautiful flowers, trees and fountains. Today it is without any greenery and has become encroachers’ paradise. Even a local girls’ college has encroached upon its area. The swimming pool in the bagh requires minor repairs to make it functional, but it is beyond comprehension as to why the municipal council is shy of undertaking repairs. The Kamra Gardens and the Mall Road where once laburnums stood with their yellow flowers hanging gracefully in summers, now don’t have a single tree. One of the most neglected building, however, is the local club here. Having a French architecture, its beautiful ceiling has been demolished by the club management. And it is not even being maintained on a regular basis.

The civic amenities provided by the government are in a pathetic state. The Horticulture Department here has hardly planted any trees to beautify the town. Telephone Department does not attend to complaints for days. The poles of telephones and electricity are a major hazard for the traffic since they are located unstrategically on the roads.

Before the establishment of Lahore University, the local Government College was affiliated to Calcutta University and the college was famous for producing students like Ghulam Mohammad, Governor-Gene-ral of Pakistan, Swaran Singh, former Union Minister for Defence. But today the education facilities offered to students are inadequate and students have to commute to Jalandhar for postgraduate studies.

Meanwhile, the recent drive against encroachments launched by the district administration under the mandate of High Court was only an eyewash as the Deputy Commissioner’s official residence is encroaching upon an area of 800 ft by 8 ft on the Jalandhar-Kapurthala road. This encroachment is a "moral booster" for other encroachers.

The only Sainik School in the state, established in 1961, is in a dilapidated condition today as the state government has not issued any funds since 1961 for its maintenance. While the school has so far churned out almost 600 officers, the highest amongst all Sainik Schools in the country, the school is barely being able to manage to pay its 125 staff members from a meagre fees being charged from its 600 residential students.

The usual excuse of resource crunch is not applicable to the municipal council as nazool land/maufi land which vests in the municipal council valued at Rs 100 crore is not being resumed by the bureaucracy.

The successive municipal committees of Kapurthala have eroded its beauty — the stately mansions, beautiful orchards, lush green lawns. Fountains have been demolished and the Mall Road subject to restaurants. This is a dying town due to the apathy of its citizens.

(J.S.S.)

Eminent persons

• Brig Sukhjit Singh (retd) MVC: The present scion of the princely family.

• Sochet Singh: Member, Constituent Assembly of India.
• Hukam Singh: Speaker, Lok Sabha.
• Sohan Lal Sahir: Prominent Urdu poet.
• S.S. Mesiah: Punjabi poet.
• Lala Amar Nath: Famous cricketer.
• Anil Punj: Recipient of Arjuna Award for basketball.
• R.B. Badri Dass: Prominent lawyer of the Lahore High Court.
• Jaspal Singh (IPS): Former Mayor of Baroda and Minister in the Gujarat Government.
• Karamjit Singh: Recipient of Victoria Cross in World War II.
• Waswa Singh: Founder of the Praja Mandal Movement.
• Jaswant Singh Neki: Former Director of the PGI.
• Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder: Former Union Minister.
• Air Marshal B.S. Sikand
• Baba Harnam Singh: Famous revolutionary.
• Dewan Jermani Dass: Author of the Maharaja and Prince and Princess.
• Bibi Amar Kaur: Sister of Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
• Arun Singh: Former Defence Minister.
• Martind Singh: Environmentalist.
• Col Thakur Singh of the Indian National Army.
• Pran Nath: Famous villain of Hindi cinema.