 |
Sheesh Mahal, or the Palace of Mirrors, is one of the popular
tourist attractions of Patiala. It flaunts the ostentatious grandeur
of the royal Maharajas. The palace has been named so, owing to its
exquisite interior that is completely ornate with mirrors and
glasses, along with the pretty floral motifs painted on the walls.
There are grand mural paintings therein, most of which portray
themes from mythology and religion. Sheesh Mahal also depicts some
of North India's best classical poetry, especially that of masters
like Surdas, Keshav Das and Bihari Lal.
Painters from Kangra and Rajasthan were employed to paint the walls
of Sheesh Mahal. There are a variety of images engraved on the
palace walls, pertaining to literature, mythology and legends. |
|
|
These paintings convey Raga-Ragni, Nayak-Nayika and Bara-Masa, in
Rajasthani style. The prime attractions of the Sheesh Mahal are the
series of Kangra-style miniatures, depicting Geet Govind, an epic poem
by Jaidev. The Kangra paintings, depicting Lord Krishna Lila, reflect
the highest degree of professional and delicate taste. Besides
paintings, you can explore the artistic gallery of Tibetian sculpture
here.
Ivory carvings of Punjab, royal wooden carved furniture and a large
number of Burmese and Kashmiri carved objects are also presented. The
palace is rich with portraits of the rulers of Patiala, rare Janamsakhi
manuscripts & Jain manuscripts.
Sheesh Mahal has an exclusive exhibition of a large number of medals in
its Medal Gallery. There are as many as 3,200 medals that were collected
by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh from all over the world. His son, Maharaja
Yadvindra Singh gifted the priceless collection to Punjab Government
Museum. Some of the important medals seen here are The Order of the
Grater (England, 1348 A.D), Golden Fleece (Austria, 1430 A.D), St.
Andrews (Russia, 1688), and The Order of the Rising Sun (Japan). Besides
the medals there is also a rare collection of coins.
This collection consists of a vast range from the punch-marked coins
issued by the princely states in the 19th century. The palace is a
galaxy of art and culture, displaying antique paintings, bronzes,
sculptures and portraits of the Maharajas of Patiala as well.
Getting There
Patiala is well connected to
cities like Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar, on NH 1 via State Highway
no. 8 till Sirhind, which is on NH 1. Patiala is well connected to Delhi by
road as well as by rail. NH 64 (Zirakpur – Patiala – Sangrur – Bhatinda)
connects Patiala with Rajpura (on NH 1 and very well connected to Delhi) and
Zirakpur (suburb of Chandigarh).
Patiala has a railway station
under Ambala Railway division and
Patiala Airport, which
is not operational. The nearest domestic / international airport is
Chandigarh International
Airport, which is approximately 62 km from the city.
Patiala is connected by road to all the major towns.
|
