Monday 20 August 2012

PATIALA

                                           Patiala

                                        
Patiala (Punjabi: ਪਟਿਆਲਾ) is a city located in south-eastern Punjab, in northern India.The city is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around a castle named Qila Mubarak (the Fortunate Castle). It was constructed by a militiaman, Baba Ala Singh in 1763.[2]
Patiala is a Congress-Party stronghold. In popular culture, the city remains famous for its traditional turban (a type of headgear), paranda (a kind of tasselled tag for braiding hair), patiala salwar (a type of female trousers), jutti (a type of footwear) and Patiala peg (a measure of liquor).[2]
The first Indian astronaut, Rakesh Sharma, was born in Patiala.[3][4]

Contents

Geography

Patiala is located at 30.34°N 76.38°E.[5] It has an average elevation of 250 metres (820 feet). During short existence of PEPSU, Patiala served as it capital city. During the reign of Maharajas, Patiala state extended from Narnaul, Hissar in Harayana to Kandaghat and Chail in Himachal.

History

Main article: Patiala State
In the 18th century, the political vacuum created by the downfall of the Mughals was successfully filled up by the Sikh Misldars in Punjab by thwarting the designs of the Marathas and the Afghans. One among these independent principalities of the Sikhs was that established by Baba Ala Singh at Patiala.
The rulers of the erstwhile states of Patiala, Nabha and Jind trace their ancestry to one Chaudhary Phul. Apparently the appellation of dynasty 'Phulkian' is derived from their common founder. One of his sons, Chaudhary Ram Singh, was baptised and blessed by Guru Gobind Singh. His son Ala Singh assumed the leadership in 1714 A.D. when Banda Bahadur was engaged in the fierce struggle against the Mughals. A man with vision and courage, Ala Singh carved out an independent principality from a petty Zamindari of 30 villages. Under his successors, it expanded into a big State, touching the Shivaliks in north, Rajasthan in the south and upper courses of the Jamuna and the Sutlej. While confronting the most trying and challenging circumstances in the middle eighteenth century, Baba Ala Singh, unlike many of his contemporaries, displayed tremendous courage and shrewdness in dealing with the Mughals, Afghans and Marathas, and successfully established and maintained a state which he had started building up bit by bit from its nucleus Barnala.
After the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761 in which the Marathas were defeated, the writ of the Afghans prevailed throughout Punjab. It is at this stage that the rulers of Patiala began to acquire ensigns of royalty. Ahmad Shah Abdali bestowed upon Ala Singh drum and banner after latter's death, his grandson Amar Singh, succeeded and received the title of Raja-i-Rajgan. He was also allowed to strike coins.
His Highness Maharaja Bhupinder Singh (1900–1938) gave the Patiala state a prominent place on the political map of India and, in the field of international sports. Most of the buildings with splendid architectural designs were constructed during his reign. It was His Highness who got the Patiala Aerodrome built for his use.
His son Maharaja Yadvindra Singh, a true nationalist, was among those Indian princes who readily came forward to sign the Instrument of Accession, thus facilitating the process of national integration. In recognition of his services, he was appointed the Rajpramukh of the newly established Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU).
Though historians have tried to trace the origin of Patiala (as far as the name is concerned) to Rig Vedic literature, the town as it stands today was founded by Ala Singh with the construction of the Qila Mubarak in 1763. One gets the impression as if the city was designed and developed according to a plan akin to that of temple architecture. In the heart of the city was the seat of the king similar to the house of the deity and the residential areas of communities developed almost status-wise. Close to Qila Mubarak were the Mohallas of the Khatris, Aroras, Baniyas along with the big Havelis of the nobility, The first settlers of Patiala were the Hindus of Sirhind, who opened their business establishments outside the Darshani Gate. The lower caste got settled on the peripheral areas of the Patiala city now known as Chur Majris. As in all the medieval towns, there were separate localities of dancing girls. Dharampura Bazar was one such in Patiala, which was frequented by the ruling elite. In the late nineteenth century, the ruling class having been granted huge Jagirs became rich and started constructing huge mansions with sprawling lawns. Some of the buildings though shabbily maintained, stand as mute evidence of that feudal glory.
Maharaja Narendra Singh (1845–1862) fortified the city of Patiala by constructing ramparts and ten gates around the city:
  • Darshani gate - Main entrance of Qila Mubarak
  • Lahouri gate
  • Nabha gate
  • Samana gate
  • Sirhindi gate
      
  • Sheranwala gate
  • Safabadi gate
  • Sunami gate
  • Top Khana Gate
  • Ghalori Gate
The royal house is now headed by His Highness Maharajadhiraj Captain Amarinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur of Patiala who also served as the Chief Minister of Punjab from 2002 to 2007. The royals are still considered as cultural and political icons in Patiala.
Maharaja Karam singh who ruled from 1813 to 1845 the Sikh Kingdom of Patiala in Punjab was also known as a traitor who joined the British East India Company and helped the British during the First Anglo Sikh wars against another Imperial Sikh Empire of Punjab which was larger and extended from Tibet Kashmir, Plains of Punjab to Peshawar Near the Afghan corders.

Education

Since Indian independence in 1947, Patiala has emerged as a major education center in the state of Punjab. The city houses Yadavindra Public School, a prestigious public school set up by His Late Highness Maharajadhiraj Yadavindra Singh in 1948, Punjabi University,[6] Thapar University,[7] Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law,[8] General Shivdev Singh Diwan Gurbachan Singh Khalsa College[9], Mohindra College, Multani Mal Modi College, Rajindra Hospital, Government Medical College, Patiala, Government College for Girls and Govt. Bikram College of Commerce, one of the premier commerce colleges in Northern India.
Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports, Patiala is a sports hub of North India. Rajiv Gandhi National University Of Law, Patiala[10] was the first national law school of north region established under Punjab Government Act of 2006.
Patiala city has many playgrounds, including the Raja Bhalindra Sports Complex, more commonly known as Polo Ground on Lower Mall Road, which houses an indoor stadium. Other sports facilities include Yadavindra Sports Stadium for athletics(in the Yadavindra Public School, Patiala), Rink Hall for roller skating, and National Institute of Sports, Patiala.

Rajindra Kothi, Patiala located in the Baradari Gardens, now a heritage hotel

Tourist attractions

Qila Mubarak Complex

The Qila Mubarak complex stands in 10-acre ground in the heart of the city, and contains the main palace or Qila Androon (literally,'inner fort'), the guesthouse or Ran Baas and the Darbar Hall. Outside the Qila are the Darshani Gate, a Shiva temple, and bazaar shops which border the streets that run around the Qila and sell precious ornaments, colorful hand-woven fabrics, ‘jootis’ and bright ‘Parandis’.
It was the principal residence of the Patiala Royals until the construction of Old Moti Bagh Palace.
The entrance is through an imposing gate. The architectural style of this palace is a synthesis of late Mughal and Rajasthani. The complex has 10 courtyards along the north-south axis and each courtyard is unique in size and character, some being broad, others very small and still others mere slits in the fabric of building. Though the Androon is a single interconnected building, it is spoken of as a series of palaces. Each set of rooms makes a cluster around a courtyard, and each carries a name: Topkhana, Qila Mubarak, Sheesh Mahal, Treasury and Prison. Ten of the rooms are painted with frescoes or decorated intricately with mirror and gilt. In a tiny portion of the complex is a little British construction with Gothic arches, fireplaces made of marble and built-in toilets perched on the Mughal Rajasthani roof. Burj Baba Ala Singh even today has a fire smoldering ever since the time of Baba Ala Singh, along with a flame brought by him from Jwalaji. Every year its decorated beautifully for the Heritage Festival.

Sheesh Mahal

A part of the Old Moti Bagh Palace built in the 19th century by the Maharajas is the famous Sheesh Mahal, literally meaning the Palace of Mirrors. The mahal contains a large number of frescoes, most of which were made under His Highness Maharaja Narinder Singh. A lake in front of the palace adds to the beauty. Lakshman Jhula, a bridge built across the lake, is a famous attraction among the tourists. A museum housing the largest collection of Medals from the world collected by His Highness Maharaja Bhupinder Singh is also place here.

Baradari Gardens

The Baradari Gardens is located in the north of old Patiala city, just outside Sheranwala Gate. The garden complex, set up during the reign of Maharaja Rajindera Singh has extensive vegetation of rare trees and shrubs and flower dotted with impressive Colonial buildings and a marble statue of Maharaja Rajindera Singh. It was built as a royal residence with a cricket stadium, a skating rink and a small palace set in its heart named Rajindera Kothi which after extensive restoration opened as a heritage hotel run by Neemrana Hotels group in 2009. It is Punjab's first heritage hotel.[11]

Sporting venues and gardens

Patiala is home to numerous inter state sporting teams in tournaments like Black Elephants.[clarification needed] The city has facilities for sports such as cricket, swimming, shooting, skating and hockey. The City Has Stadiums Such as Dhruv Pandove Ground and Various other venues such as Yadavindra Public School, Raja Bhalinder Stadium and National Institute of Sports

Demographics

As per provisional data of 2011 census Patiala urban agglomeration had a population of 445,196, out of which males were 236,238 and females were 208,958. The literacy rate was 86.63 per cent.[12]
See also: List of cities in Punjab and Chandigarh
As of 2001 India census,[13] Patiala had a population of 302,870. Males constituted 54% of the population, and females 46%. Patiala had an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 64.9%. In Patiala, 10% of the population was under 6 years of age

Culture and traditions


Phulkari from Patiala
Patiala's sway over the Malwa area extended beyond merely political influence. Patiala was equally the set of religious and cultural life. Educationally, Patiala was in the forefront. Patiala was the first town in this part of the country to have Degree College - the Mohindra College - in 1870. Patiala has also seen evolution of a distinct style of architecture. Borrowing from the Rajput style, its beauty and elegance are, however, moulded according to the local traditions.

Phul Cinema on The Mall facing the Fountain Chowk is built in Art Deco style
With the active patronage of the Maharajas of Patiala, a well established style of Hindustani music called the "Patiala Gharana" came into existence and has held its own up to the present times. This school of music has had a number of famous musicians, many of whom came to Patiala after the disintegration of the Mughal Court at Delhi in the 18th century. At the turn of the century, Ustad Ali Bux was the most renowned exponent of this Gharana. Later his sons, Ustad Akhtar Hussain Khan and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan achieved world wide fame and brought glory to the Patiala Gharana.
After partition of India, a lot of refugees people migrated from various parts of Pakistan and settled on the Muslim properties in Patiala. The then Maharaja of Patiala, His Highness Yadavindra Singh, Rajpramukh of PEPSU along with his wife Her Highness Maharani Mohinder Kaur organised a large number of camps and worked tirelessly for the people.

District Administration

  • The brand new Mini Secretariat on Nabha Road, which houses all the major offices including that of the DC and the SSP, was completed in record time, owing to the initiative of the member of parliament of Patiala and local administration.
  • The Senior Superintendent of Police, an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service, is responsible for maintaining Law & Order and related issues in the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Punjab Police Service and other Punjab Police officials.
  • The Divisional Forest Officer, an officer belonging to the Indian Forest Service, is responsible for the management of the Forests, Environment and Wild-Life in the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Punjab Forest Service and other Punjab Forest officials and Punjab Wild-Life officials.
  • Sectoral development is looked after by the district head officer of each development department such as PWD, Health, Education, Agriculture, Animal husbandry, etc. These officers are from various Punjab state services.

Transport

Patiala has one of the highest number of vehicles per capita in India.[14] Wide, well maintained roads and parking spaces all over the city and is Connected to cities as Chandigarh, Delhi, Amritsar by Road.Patiala is well connected by road by NH 64 (Zirakpur - Patiala - Sangrur - Bhatinda) and NH 1 (Delhi - Patiala - Amritsar), and has both a railway station and the Patiala Airport.
Patiala is connected by road to all the major towns. Distance between the Major Towns and Patiala :-

Notable people


Mohindra College, Patiala at night
  Jagroop Singh Mahal, District & Sessions Judge

Geri route

Geri route is a set of streets frequented by the youth of the city to meet and socialize with each other.

The Geri route is a set of streets in Patiala on which youth, especially young couples, regularly drive cars. The word geri means "rounds", and thus the name derives from the "rounds" that people make through the route.[15] The route, which travels mainly through Bhupindra Road, City Center, Upper Mall, Stadium Road and Leela Bhawan Market of the city, has been used in this manner since the 1970s, with the route especially gaining popularity in the 1980s when car ownership became more common among young residents.
Since at least 2001, local police have maintained a very strong presence on Valentine's Day to prevent eve teasing and other forms of harassment, as well as traffic violations.In 2007 and 2011, Punjabi University, which lies, along the route closed its campus, allowing only those with student permits to enter. In addition, at least as far back as 2002, portions of the route have been barricaded to completely block traffic. The heavy police presence is in part due to documented illegal activities, such as one year[when?] when some women travelling on the route were molested. Police also set up checkpoints and provide other security on Holi.[16]

Sister cities

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ a b "History of Patiala". Official Website of District Patiala. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  3. ^ "U.S. and Russian Human Spaceflights, 1961-Sep. 30, 1995". NASA. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  4. ^ "Biographies of International Astronauts". SpaceFacts. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  5. ^ "Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Patiala".
  6. ^ http://universitypunjabi.org
  7. ^ http://www.tiet.ac.in
  8. ^ http://www.rgnulpatiala.org
  9. ^ http://www.khalsacollegepatiala.org
  10. ^ rgnulpatilala.org
  11. ^ "Fort right". The Tribune. August 6, 2009.
  12. ^ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above". Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 2012-07-07.
  13. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  14. ^ Top Ten Towns with Highest Nos. of Car Ownership in India
  15. ^ "Dodging the cops on Patiala's romance street". Hindustan Times. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  16. ^ "Happy Holi! Play well, play safe". Indianexpress. 11 March 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2012.

 

Posted by at No comments:

BATHINDA HMEL


                                     BATHINDA HMEL

Bathinda is one of the oldest and famous cities of Punjab. Immersed in history at the same time rubbing shoulders with modernity, is how one would describe Bathinda. The district spans over a total area of 3,382 sq. km. and is situated in the Southern part of Punjab State in the heart of Malwa region. Bathinda, is surrounded by more than 12 small cities and is famous for its big grains, cotton and grapes markets, besides business activities picking up speed  in the growing Steel, Power and Refinery sectors. Tourist destinations like Damdama Sahib, Bahia Ford, Maiser Khana Mandir, Quila Mabarak, Rose Garden, Chetak Park and Zoological Garden attracts a large number of tourists from all over the globe every year.
Investments, both domestic and international, are flowing in vigorously, causing a rapid multiplier effect on Bathinda’s economy and lifestyle. As part of the massive development programme to make Bathinda a model city of Punjab, the government will set up a special economic zone for textile, a flying school, an international cricket stadium and academy, a domestic airport and an air conditioned bus terminal-cum-commercial complex.
Bathinda is home to the ‘Sharjah of Punjab’, the largest military cantonment of Asia. Bathinda is fast emerging on the real estate Map of India and is one of the most sought after land in Punjab. Bathinda is home to industrial setups like National Fertilizers Ltd., Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant, Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant, Petrochemical Plants, Yarn & Textiles Plants, Citrus Fruit Belts, Sugar Mills and many excellent educational institutions. The Centre has also been approached to issue No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the two civil airports in the State at Bhisiana in Bathinda and Sahnewal near Ludhiana. An IIT or IIM is also proposed to be set up in the city. Technocity, first animation and multimedia studio of Punjab, is also situated in Bathinda. The Punjab government has also decided to set up a state-of-the-art Institute of Hotel Management at Bathinda. International players are very keen on developing properties in Bathinda. A large MNC group has recently acquired prime location land in Bathinda and will be developing a city centre. The main attraction of the City Centre would be a world-class 5-Star hotel project. The Group will also construct a Mall, a 4-Screen Multiplex, an Entertainment Zone, Hyper Market, Food Courts and Anchor Stores.
Reaching Bathinda
Bathinda is well connected to New Delhi and other cities of India by fast trains. There are direct trains that run from Delhi to Bathinda via Patiala, Ambala, Hisar and Rohtak. The journey takes approximately six hours. With the domestic airport slated to be completed by 2010, it will soon have global connectivity with direct flights linking to airports of India.
Nearest Railway Station :  Bathinda Junction Railway Station
Nearest Airport : Chandigarh Airport (About 250 kms away from Bathinda), Amritsar Airport (186 km), Delhi Airport (about 400 kms away from Bathinda)
Hotels for Accommodation at Bathinda :
Sepal Hotel : Bathinda Goniana Road, Bathinda, Punjab Sepal Hotel, Bathinda provides fine accommodation in its 36 well appointed rooms. The hotel is located at a distance of just 1 km from the railway station. The rooms at the hotel are well-equipped with all the modern facilities. Some of the in-room facilities include television, telephone, running hot and cold water and a prompt room service.
Bahia Fort Hotel : The Mall, Bathinda, Punjab Bahia Fort Hotel, Bathinda provides fine accommodation in its 42 elegantly appointed rooms. The rooms at the hotel are well equipped with all the modern facilities. Some of the in-room facilities include television, telephone, running hot and cold water and room service. The hotel also offers facilities like money changing and safe deposit. 

                         


Posted by at No comments:

मोबाइल फोन फेंकने में नया विश्व रिकार्ड बना


      हेलसिंकी : फिनलैंड के एक किशोर ने देश में आयोजित होने वाले मोबाइल फोन फेंकने की प्रतियोगिता में नया वर्ल्ड रिकार्ड बनाया है। किशोर ने इस प्रतियोगिता में जो मोबाइल फोन फेंका वह संभवत: उसी का था। फिनलैंड के सरकारी टेलीविजन चैनल वाईएलई ने बताया कि 18 वर्षीय इरे कार्जालेनेन ने अपना मोबाइल फोन आश्चर्यजनक रूप से 101.46 मीटर की दूरी तक फेंका।

दक्षिण अफ्रीका के जेरेमी गैलप दूसरे स्थान पर रहे जिन्होंने मोबाइल फोन को 94.67 मीटर की दूरी तक फेंका।
आयोजकों के अनुसार यह प्रतियोगिता मोबाइल फोन इस्तेमालकर्ताओं को उन सभी हताशा और निराशा को दूर करने का मौका प्रदान करती है जिसका सामना उन्हें इस आधुनिक यंत्र के चलते करना पड़ा है

Posted by at No comments:

Sunday 19 August 2012

Miss World 2012

Newly crowned Miss World Yu Wenxia of China waves after she won the Miss World 2012 beauty pageant at the Ordos Stadium Arena in inner Mongolia, China on August 18, 2012.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)