Patiala, a former princely state capital, retains a strong royal architectural legacy, its grand Qila Mubarak fort complex and ornate Sheesh Mahal palace reflecting the wealth and cultural patronage of the Patiala royal family under successive maharajas. The city is also closely associated with distinctive Punjabi cultural markers — the loose-fitting Patiala salwar and the potent Patiala peg measure of whisky both trace their names to this city's royal-era social culture.
Beyond its palaces, Patiala's old city markets and the National Institute of Sports, housed partly within former royal grounds, add further dimensions to a city that blends deep princely heritage with a more everyday contemporary Punjabi urban character.
Patiala served as the capital of the princely state of Patiala, one of the largest and most prominent Sikh princely states, ruled by the Phulkian dynasty until India's independence, with much of the city's surviving grand architecture dating to this royal period.
October to March.
About 65km from Chandigarh, roughly 1.5-2 hours by road.
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