Kapurthala

Kapurthala, a former princely state capital, is notable for its unusually cosmopolitan royal architectural legacy, its rulers having drawn inspiration from French and European design for several significant buildings, most notably the Jagatjit Palace, modelled on the Palace of Versailles. This distinctly non-traditional royal architecture sets Kapurthala apart from most other Punjabi princely capitals, which more typically drew on Mughal or Rajput architectural influences.

The city's Moorish Mosque, another striking departure from conventional regional style, further reflects the eclectic architectural tastes of Kapurthala's rulers, giving the town a genuinely unusual heritage character worth exploring for visitors interested in India's more unconventional princely-era architecture.

Kapurthala's rulers, particularly Maharaja Jagatjit Singh in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, developed a strong personal affinity for French culture and architecture, directly commissioning buildings modelled on European designs rather than following more conventional regional royal architectural traditions.

About 20km from Jalandhar, roughly 30-40 minutes by road.