Jump to content

Kapurthala Princes


Freed

Recommended Posts

These pictures are especially for all the SA members who are feeling "Broody"

All together now say AAAHHH !!

These pictures of the Kapurthala Princes are adorable !!

The first is a tinted photograph of the Kapurthala Princes sat on a tiger skin with dazzling 'Kalgis' on silk turbans and Superb 'Chogas'

The second shows the Anglo-phile and Franco -phile tendencies of Kapurthala - The princes looking cute in their "Little Lord Fauntleroy" outfits

kapkids8kz.png

kapkids20zl.png

* both taken from The Unforgettable Maharajas - 150 years of Photography - Roli Books 2003

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The last time I was in India I snuck into Jagatjeet Singh's Versailles style Eleysee palace and took a few shots before being kicked out. Its a really intriguing enormous french building with beutiful guilded interiors stuck in the middle of rural punjab. I will send some pics for someone to post

aman

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please do ! would love to see them .

I've always thought that it is a shame the Kapurthala palace is now a school and not open to the public - It would, along with the Old Patiala palace, make an excellent Heritage hotel - on the lines of those in Rajastan - They'd bring in lots of tourist and NRI money - which would pay for restoration etc - It would also give us Punjabis more places to go to & somewhere swish to stay - Other than the usual 'fake' Irish Pub style heritage places you get - it's not polite to say - but yes I mean you 'Haveli' restaurant Jalandhar !!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Kapurthala Palace is the Sanik School (a very high class private school). If you ask nicely at teh gate they let you in - although it helps if you ring in advance and talk to the headmaster but they are very accomodating. They dont let you inside the building itself, but often there is the odd door open, they certainly dont let you into the grnad parts of the building which are kept pretty well preserved but completely unused.

In Kapurthala its also worth visitng the Caccherria (law courts) which was the Indian palace of the Maharajah (built by his father I think) and if you root around the old city theer are a coupl of interesting havelis.

In Patiala the old fort (Qila Mubarack) is being restored, at long last, and will open to the public at some stage (unless the khalsitanis think that this is another GOI plot and scream to get that shut down!). The irritating thing is taht there are some really wonderful sites in East Punjab but they are totally innaccessible unless you are willing to bribe, pander and sweet talk your way in and quite honestly very few people are.

aman

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some pictures I took on a visit in Nov 2003 of Kapurthala and Patiala:

unknownfrenchstylebuildingkapu.th.jpg

Unknown French style building on the outskirts of Kapurthala now almost derelict and dangerous inside

009pan12anew9dt.th.jpg

Rooftop shot from the Qila Mubarack Patiala

desktopversionnew6az.th.jpg

From one of the crumblig turrents of teh Qila Mubarack Patiala

file0011new2jg.th.jpg

Alcove seat in the Shish Mahal, Qila Mubarack Patiala

insidedurbarroomkapurthala4new.th.jpg

Iside the Durbar Room of the Kapurthala Palace now used as the offices of the General PO

kappalacegv6new5hc.th.jpg

Outisde of the Law Courts Kapurthala

All pics taken in Nov 2003

Aman

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SUPERB PHOTOGRAPHS !!!

wonderful pics Amandeep Bhaaji - It always makes me sad to see such majestic buildings crumbling away - My pind is in Doaba Jalandhar dist. and all the old havelis and houses have been knocked down and replaced with Monstrous marble tiled houses/ Villas in the Costa-del -Sol style

In fact as you drive around doaba you would think you were in Spain or some Dusty Toronto suburb from all the identikit Villas.

NRIs must have money to burn building all these Huge NRI castles with swimming pools and building Amusement parks , Pubs and Marriage Palaces - Doaba is chockful of these . I wish some of that money could go to a Heritage fund to save all these Majestic Crumbling Buildings

When I was last in Amritsar I heard a story that a number of Historic Havelis - some with priceless frescos of people like M.Ranjit Singh were going to be knocked down to make way for a Shopping centre

I saw one and if I had the Money I would have saved the Facade and shipped it to England it was that beatuiful !! -- Why do Indian builders have to Demolish - they should learn a lesson from the Architectural Salvage people in UK who save pieces of condemned buildings and sell them to people with more money than sense

Not that I am advocating that - I would prefer that Punjabis stop knocking down their heritage.

I do have a theory - I blame Nek Chand and his rock garden in Chandigarh - People have got used to rubble displayed as art - that they think nothing of knocking down a historical Haveli and using the rubble to make a fake Spanish villa. !!!

Apologies if I've offended any fellow Doabis or lovers of the Rock garden !!!

Madra Sahib More Pictures PLEASE !!!! I love them !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...