Sheesh Mahal medal gallery may shift to Rajindra Kothi

Manish Sirhindi 

Tribune News Service 

Patiala, June 16 

The medal gallery medal gallery set up in the Sheesh Mahal, which has one of the largest collections of the medals and decorations, is now likely to be shifted Rajindr Kothi. The matter has been taken up for discussion by the Punjab Department of Tourism, which in an attempt to revive the heritage building, is contemplating to shift the gallery here. 

The Patiala medal gallery is perhaps unmatched in the world in its richness and variety, In this collection, there are at present, more than 3200 Orders, Medals and Decorations. All these were the collections of Maharaja Bhupindra Singh (1900-1938) whose hobby was to collect such decorations from all over the world. His son, Maharaja Yadvindra Singh (1938-1974) gifted this ‘priceless’ treasure to the Punjab Museum after independence.  

The gallery contains the largest single and most valuable collections of medals and decorations in the world. The prominent among the medals on display are The Order of the Garter (England) of 1348 AD, The Order of the Golden Fleece (Austria) founded in 1430 AD. The Order of St Andrews (Russia) founded in 1688 by Peter the Great; The Order of the Rising Sun (Japan) and Order of the Double Dragon (China) and The Order of the White Elephant (Thailand). The collection contains medals from Belgium, Denmark, Finland and host of other countries of Africa and Asia.

On the advice of the Europeans, Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Maharaja Dalip Singh also issued medals which are studded with precious stones. Some of them display miniature paintings of the Maharaja in profile in the centre. Inspired by his hobby, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh instituted Orders and Decorations which carry portraits of Guru Gobind Singh and Radha Krishan. These medals reflect religion, culture and art of many countries in metal and are great sources of history.

Besides medals, there is a rare collection of coins. This numismatic collection presents a vast range from the punch-marked coins to those issued by the princely states in the 19th century. It is a total numismatic history reflecting upon country’’s trade, commerce, science and metallurgy.

Sources in the tourism department said that the proposal was at an initially stage and if it gets through, the medal gallery would be a big attraction and would help in revival of the heritage building.  

Recently, The Punjab and Haryana High Court has come to the rescue of Rajindra Kothi stalling Punjab government’s initiative to auction it to raise funds.