Patiala: Qila Mubarak all set to host musical evenings
Ravneet Singh
Tribune News Service
Patiala, February 12
The stage is set. Qila Mubarak, which is undergoing renovation, is all set to host events, part of the heritage festival, which will begin on February 22. Preparations for events are going on along with renovation of the darbar hall, front façade, the Ran Baas area and Androon Mehal. The restoration work will finish by June this year.
Qila Mubarak is an old fort first built as a ‘kachigarhi’ (mud fort) by Baba Ala Singh, known to be the founder of Patiala in 1763. Later, the fort was reconstructed with bricks.
The fort will host musical evenings and performances of noted artistes, including Kuchipudi dancer and Padma Bhushan awardee Raja Radha Reddy, Padma Bhushan Ustad Zakir Hussain and sitar player Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan among others.
Noted artistes, including Ustad Shujat Khan, Pt Ulhas Kashalkar and others have performed at
Qila Mubarak during previous festivals.
Darbar hall, front façade, the Ran Baas area and Androon Mahal of the iconic Qila Mubarak are being renovated as part of different projects initiated by the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Punjab.
The state government is spending Rs 10.34 crore on the renovation and restoration of the Ran Baas area, which could be used for running a hotel.
Along with the Ran Baas (guest house), darbar hall, museum and art gallery are also undergoing renovation and at present are closed for the public. The district administration is restoring walls from which paint has come off.
The Deputy Commissioner, Patiala, Kumar Amit, said, “As was done for the previous events, we are managing transportation facilities, the venue and the stage. We will be reviewing all the preparations before the start of the event.”
Efforts on to restore monument
Earlier, 300-year-old Qila Mubarak was in bad shape. Efforts were made by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Patiala, for the preservation of the historic fort. Amrik Singh Chinna, then convener of the trust, led efforts for the restoration of the ‘qila’, Sheesh Mahal and Moti Bagh Palace. The trust also filed petition in a court against the state government’s decision to demolish building ‘declared unsafe’. Later, the government was directed to restore the heritage building.
