Black Gum – Nyssa sylvatica

Patiala State was a self-governing princely state in British India, 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.^[2] Patiala State was the largest and most important princely state in the Punjab Province.^[3] The state's ruler, the Maharaja of Patiala, was entitled to a 17-gun salute and held precedence over all other princes in the Punjab Province during the British Raj.^[2]

Etymology

The state's name came from the name of its principal city and capital, Patiala, which itself comes from the roots patti and ala. The word patti means "strip of land" in Punjabi, and 'ala' comes from the name of the founder of the city and Patiala state, Ala Singh, thus meaning ‘the land of Ala Singh’.^[4]

History

Founding and territorial evolution

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Prehistoric Madrasian culture Soanian, c. 500,000 BCE Neolithic, c. 7600 – c. 1000 BCE Bhirrana 7570 – 6200 BCE Jhusi 7106 BCE Lahuradewa 7000 BCE Mehrgarh 7000 – 2600 BCE South Indian Neolithic 3000 – 1000 BCE
Ancient Indus Valley civilization, c. 3300 – c. 1700 BCE Post Indus Valley Period (Cemetery H Culture), c. 1700 – c. 1500 BCE Vedic civilization, c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE Kuru Kingdom, c. 1200 - c. 500 BCE Early Vedic Period Rise of Śramaṇa movement Later Vedic Period Spread of Jainism – Parshvanatha Spread of Jainism – Mahavira Rise of Buddhism Kingdom of Magadha Haryanka Dynasty c. 544 – c. 413 BCE Shaishunaga Dynasty c. 413 – c. 345 BCE Nanda Dynasty, c. 345 – c. 322 BCE Mahajanapadas, c. 500 – c. 345 BCE
Classical Kingdom of Magadha Maurya Dynasty, c. 322 – c. 185 BCE Shunga Dynasty, c. 185 – c. 75 BCE Kanva Dynasty, c. 75 – c. 30 BCE Sangam period Kushan Dynasty, c. 30 – c. 230 CE Satavahana Dynasty, c. 30 BCE – c. 220 CE Gupta Dynasty, c. 200 – c. 550 CE
Early medieval Chalukya Dynasty, c. 543 – c. 753 CE Harsha's Dynasty, c. 606 CE – c. 647 CE Karakota Dynasty, c. 724 – c. 760 CE Arab Invasion, c. 738 CE Tripartite Struggle, c. 760 – c. 973 CE Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty Rastrakuta Dynasty Pala Dynasty Chola Dynasty, c. 848 – c. 1251 CE 2nd Chalukya Dynasty, c. 973 – c. 1187 CE
Late medieval Delhi Sultanate, c. 1206 – c. 1526 CE Slave Dynasty Khalji Dynasty Tugluq Dynasty Sayyid Dynasty Lodhi Dynasty Pandyan Dynasty, c. 1251 – c. 1323 CE Vijayanagara, c. 1336 – c. 1646 CE Bengal Sultanate, c. 1342 – c. 1576 CE
Early modern Mughal Dynasty, c. 1526 – c. 1540 CE Suri Dynasty, c. 1540 – c. 1556 CE Mughal Dynasty, c. 1556 – c. 1857 CE Bengal Subah, c. 1576 – c. 1757 CE Maratha Empire, c. 1674 – c. 1818 CE Company Raj, c. 1757 – c. 1858 CE Kingdom of Mysore, c. 1760 – c. 1799 CE Sikh Empire, c. 1799 – c. 1849 CE
Modern The Great Rebellion, 1857 – 1858 CE British Raj, 1858 – 1947 CE Independence Movement Independent India, 1947 CE – present Dominion of India, 1947 – 1950 CE Republic of India, 1950 CE – present
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Patiala State was founded by Ala Singh, the first Raja of Patiala in 1763, when, after the Battle of Sirhind, the Sikh Confederation partitioned the Sirhind area and gave the territory to Ala Singh.^[2] The areas in Sirhind, along with Ala Singh's other conquered territories, formed the initial territories of the Patiala state.^[5]

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.^[6] For Karam Singh's support during the Anglo-Nepalese War, which took place between 1814 and 1816, the British Empire awarded him territory in the hill states, extending Patiala State's territory to areas in what is now Himachal Pradesh, including Shimla and Chail.^[6][7] After the First Anglo-Sikh war, 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 and rewarded it to Patiala State.^[6]

After 1857 and during the rule of Narinder Singh, Patiala State's territory was expanded for the final time.^[6] Narinder Singh's services and the support to the British Empire resulted in Patiala State gaining sovereign rights in the Narunal division of Jhajjar, in modern Haryana, and he purchased the taluka of Khamanu.^[6] Narinder Singh was also granted administrative jurisdiction over Bhadaur and the annual revenue from the area.^[6]

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.^[6] During the Britsh Raj, the rulers of Patiala State were entitled to a 17-gun salute and held precedence over every other princely state in the Punjab Province.^[2]

Independence and abolition

In 1947, Yadavindra Singh, the last Maharaja of Patiala, agreed to the accession of Patiala State into the independent Dominion of India.^[8][9] 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. Patiala State's historical territory is in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Rulers and titles

Raja

• 29 March 1761 – 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.)
• February 1781 – 1810: Sahib Singh (b. 1774 – d. 1813)

Maharaja-e Rajgan

• 1810 – 26 March 1813: Sahib Singh (s. a.)
• 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 Bhupindra Singh)
  • 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)

Demographics

Religious groups in Patiala State (British Punjab province era)

Religious group	1901[10]		1911[11][12]		1921[13]		1931[14]		1941[15]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Hinduism [a]	880,490	55.14%	563,940	40.06%	642,055	42.81%	623,597	38.36%	597,488	30.86%
Islam	357,334	22.38%	307,384	21.84%	330,341	22.03%	363,920	22.39%	436,539	22.55%
Sikhism	355,649	22.27%	532,292	37.81%	522,675	34.85%	632,972	38.94%	896,021	46.28%
Jainism	2,877	0.18%	3,282	0.23%	3,249	0.22%	3,578	0.22%	3,101	0.16%
Christianity	316	0.02%	739	0.05%	1,395	0.09%	1,449	0.09%	1,592	0.08%
Zoroastrianism	26	0%	22	0%	21	0%	2	0%	21	0%
Buddhism	0	0%	0	0%	3	0%	2	0%	3	0%
Judaism	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	12	0%
Others	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	1,482	0.08%
Total population	1,596,692	100%	1,407,659	100%	1,499,739	100%	1,625,520	100%	1,936,259	100%
Note: British Punjab province era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.

Gallery

• 
  Ala Singh, the founder and first ruler of Patiala
• 
  Miniature painting of Raja-e Rajgan Amar Singh of Patiala, ca.1830
• 
  Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia on left and Amar Singh of Patiala on right, late 18th century
• 
  Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala.
• 
  The main gate of the Qila Mubarak
• 
  Maharaja Narinder Singh of Patiala
• 
  Maharaja Mahendra Singh of Patiala
• 
  Maharaja Rajinder Singh of Patiala
• 
  Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala
• 
  A panel of seven portraits of rulers of Patiala State
• 
  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
• 
  Yadavindra Singh, the last Maharaja of Patiala

See also

• Maharaja of Patiala
• Patiala State Monorail Trainways
• Political integration of India
• Phulkian sardars
• Nabha State
• Jind State
• Faridkot State
• Malaudh
• Bhadaur
• Kaithal
• Cis-Sutlej states
• Nanu Singh Saini
• 85 (Patiala) Field Battery

Notes

References

Further reading

• Chavan, Akshay (15 February 2019), "Hitler's Gift to The Maharaja of Patiala", Live History India
• Dhavan, Purnima (2011). When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799. Oxford University Press (US). ISBN 978-0199756551.
• Priscoli, Jerome Delli; Wolf, Aaron T. (2010). Managing and Transforming Water Conflicts. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521632164.

External links

• Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 20, page 40 -- Imperial Gazetteer of India -- Digital South Asia Library

31°07′N 77°38′E / 31.117°N 77.633°E / 31.117; 77.633