District- Patiala, the Royal City of Punjab

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Patiala, the land of Maharajas and a royal city is widely known for its ‘pagri’, ‘dresses’, ‘peg’, ‘Jutti’, Reshmi naale, ‘Patiala Sahi salwar’, folk songs, dances like Gidha and Bhangra and food like ‘Makki de roti’ and ‘Saraason da saag’ in its traditions and culture. Patiala was formerly known as ‘Ala De Patti’ because Baba Ala Singh was the founder of this place. In 1763 Baba Ala Singh laid the foundation of “Quila Mubarak and the city is built around it. Patiala, an erstwhile princely state and a district headquarters of Punjab is situated in the Malwa region of Punjab.

Patiala is relatively a young city, a few years more than two centuries old. It was His Highness  “Maharaja Bhupindra” Singh (1900-1930) who had given Patiala 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.

The first settlers of Patiala were the Hindus of Sirhind, who opened their business establishments outside the Darshani Gate. The lower caste got settled in the peripheral areas of 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. After the partition of India in 1947, a large number of refugees from west Punjab came and settled in the Patiala district. Narendra Singh (1845-1862) fortified the city of Patiala by constructing ten gates around the city. The royal house is now headed by Sukhbir Singh Badal and Prakash Singh Badal who also served as Minister of Patiala from 2007 to 2012. Also, they are still considered cultural and political icons in Patiala. The complete district of Patiala is subdivided into 5 sub-divisions/tehsils with a total of 942 villages. It consists of  8 blocks Samana, Patran, Nabha, Rajpura, and Patiala. It also has 3 sub-tehsils. 

Patiala district is one of the famous princely states of erstwhile Punjab. Forming the south-eastern part of the state, it lies between 29°49’ and 30°47’ north latitude, 75°58’ and 76°54’ east longitude. It is surrounded by the districts of Fatehgarh Sahib, Rupnagar, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh in the north, Sangrur district in the west, Ambala and Kurukshetra districts of the neighboring state of Haryana in the east, and Kaithal district of Haryana in the south. 

Patiala offers varied choices for accommodation from guest houses/rooms to budget and luxurious hotels. Deluxe hotels normally cost you from 800 to 1500 Indian Rupee. One can go for Dhillion hotel Residency having only 5 rooms, or go for Fly Over Classic and Narain Continental hotels having over 30 rooms. Economy hotels include Harpavittar International, Kaka International, and Corner Bar. 

When talking about Patiala, how can we forget about the traditional and exotic flavors of Patiala? Patiala provides varied choices to food lovers. From well-known mutton dishes and exotic chicken to paneer and Makki-ki-Roti, Patiala is simply fascinating when it comes to food.  The famous local/street food places in Patiala are:  

    • Bhagwan Das Restaurant
    • Jaggi Restaurant
    • Green Valley Restaurant
    • Food Point Restaurant
    • Punjabi Chulha Dhaba
    • Dharme Da Dhaba
A truly amazing place, Patiala has rich historical relevance and great history. An important city in Punjab, it has great political relevance as well. Reflecting the liveliness of Punjabi culture, there is great variety in food, tradition, and hospitality in Patiala.


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