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| Jagatjit Singh Club, Kapurthala, Punjab, India kapurthalaonline.in |
Now the district capital, Kapurthala was once the capital of Kapurthala State (ruled by Ahluwalia Dynasty), a princely state in British India. The city boasts of many buildings that were built with a blend of French and Indo-Saracenic architecture, giving importance to aesthetics. The visitors to the city can not escape from observing the secular aspects of this place. It is also known as the city of Palaces & Gardens.
Founded by Baba Jassa Singh Sahib (1718 – 1783), who happened to be a dynamic Sikh leader of his time who ran the administration with fortitude and firm determination. Baba Jaaa headed the various Sikh Misaldars (Leaders) and went past the period of mayhem and ravages inflicted on the Punjab province by Ahmed Shah Abdali. The Ahluwalia dynasty takes its appellation from the Village of Ahlu near Lahore, Baba spent rupees nine lakhs for rebuilding the sacred Darbar Sahib at Amritsar after its sacking.
The Misals were consolidated into the Sikh Kingdom under Maharajah Ranjit Singh (1780 – 1839). Sardar Fateh Singh Ahluwalia, (1784 – 1836) the Ahluwalia Chief and descendant of Baba Jassa Singh, was a contemporary of Sardar Ranjit Singh as the Maharajah was known before becoming the ruler of the Sikh Kingdom in 1801. After the Treaty of Amritsar in 1806, with the English company by Fateh Singh and ruler Ranjit Singh, the former Ahluwalia became close to Ranjit Singh and helped him ascend the throne of Lahore.
A self-made and self-educated man under the English teachers, he was a polyglot knowing many languages, including Sanskrit and Persian. The state administration was run by a succession of British civilian officers such as Sir Lepel Griffin, Sir Mackworth Young, Sir Charles Rivaz, et al during his minority.
Assuming full ruling powers in 1890, he celebrated his Silver Jubilee in 1915, and later he ruled his kingdom for 58 long years till India's freedom in August 1947. During the colonial rule, he had the rare opportunity to attend the Second Plenary Session of the Round Table Conference in London in 1931 and a Member of the Indian Defense Council in 1941. Being the ruler of a small kingdom, every time he went abroad, he would introduce new innovations or improvement in his country. These included a modern sewage and water system to meet the city' need, a telephone system in 1901 establishing vital communication network with various parts of the State, better judicial system in 1904, modernizing state and police forces from 1906 to 1910, a State Assembly and State Council in 1916, free compulsory primary education in 1918, agricultural co-operative credit societies in 1920, and industries at Hamira and Phagwara in the 1940’s.
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| Ruler Jassa Singh Ahluwallia sanskritimagazine.com |
Silver Jubilee Hall, Kapurthala, Punjab, India:
(J.S.Singh Ahluwalia College)
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| Maharajah Jagatjit, Punjab India Singh Pinrest com. |
Maharajah Jagatjit Singh’s overseas trips helped him a lot to improve his inherent desire in architecture aesthetics and these resulted in the construction of inspiring buildings in Kapurthala. One of the buildings being the Silver jubilee Hall that presently houses the Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Government College. It is an impressive building built in 1916 in colonial style and the occasion was to mark the silver jubilee of the rule of the erstwhile Maharajah Jagatjit Singh. Actually the Durbar Hall is the place where the college functions. It is a popular tourist spot of Kapurthala. The design style tells us the close ties the Kapurthala royalty had developed with the French. The U-shaped building
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| Jubilee Hall, Kapurthal, Punjab. entrancezone.com |
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Jagajit Singh Club, Kapurthala, Punjab, India:
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| Jagatjit Singh Club bldg., Kapurthala, Punjab, India.. bharatonline.com/ |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kapurthala
https://www.nativeplanet.com/kapurthala/attractions/the-jubilee-hall/
