Patiala State

Patiala State was a kingdom and princely state in British India, and one of the Phulkian States, that acceded to the Union of India upon Indian independence and partition in 1947. The state was founded by Ala Singh in 1763. Patiala State was the largest and most important princely state in the Punjab Province. The state's ruler, the Maharaja of Patiala, was entitled to a 17-gun salute and held precedence over all other princes in the Punjab Province during the British Raj.

Etymology
The state's name came from the name of its principal city and capital, Patiala, which itself comes from the roots patti and ala. The word patti means "strip of land" in Punjabi, and  'ala ' comes from the name of the founder of the city and Patiala state, Ala Singh, thus meaning ‘the land of Ala Singh’.



Founding and territorial evolution
Patiala State was founded by Ala Singh, the first Raja of Patiala in 1763, when, after the Battle of Sirhind, the Sikh Confederation partitioned the Sirhind area and gave the territory to Ala Singh. The areas in Sirhind, along with Ala Singh's other conquered territories, formed the initial territories of the Patiala state.

Patiala State continued to expand during the rule of Ala Singh's two successors, Raja-Rajgan Amar Singh and Maharaja Sahib Singh (the first ruler to hold the title of Maharaja); however, the next major expansion of Patiala State's territory occurred during and after 1814, under Karam Singh. For Karam Singh's support during the Anglo-Nepalese War, which took place between 1814 and 1816, the British Empire awarded him territory in the hill states, extending Patiala State's territory to areas in what is now Himachal Pradesh, including Shimla and Chail. After the First Anglo-Sikh war, which took place between 1845 and 1846, the state expanded again when, in return for its support during the war, the British Empire confiscated land from Nabha State and rewarded it to Patiala State.

After 1857 and during the rule of Narinder Singh, Patiala State's territory was expanded for the final time. Narinder Singh's services and the support to the British Empire resulted in Patiala State gaining sovereign rights in the Narunal division of Jhajjar, in modern Haryana, and he purchased the taluka of Khamanu. Narinder Singh was also granted administrative jurisdiction over Bhadaur and the annual revenue from the area.

British suzerainty
In 1809, Patiala State entered into an alliance with the British Empire, whereby the state was given internal autonomy with certain restrictions, and the rulers of Patiala state recognised the British Empire as their suzerains. During the British Raj, the rulers of Patiala State were entitled to a 17-gun salute and held precedence over every other princely state in the Punjab Province.

Independence and abolition
In 1947, Yadavindra Singh, the last Maharaja of Patiala, agreed to the accession of Patiala State into the independent Dominion of India. Members and descendants of the Patiala royal family maintained their princely titles until they were abolished in India in 1971 through the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India. Patiala State's historical territory is in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Raja

 * 29 March 1761 – 22 August 1765: Ala Singh (b. 1691 – d. 1765)
 * 22 August 1765 – 1767: Amar Singh (b. 1748 – d. 1781)

Raja-e Rajgan

 * 1767 – 5 February 1781: Amar Singh (s.a.)
 * February 1781 – 1810: Sahib Singh (b. 1774 – d. 1813)

Maharaja-e Rajgan

 * 1810 – 26 March 1813: Sahib Singh (s. a.)
 * 26 March 1813 – 23 December 1845: Karam Singh (b. 1797 – d. 1845)
 * 26 March 1813 – 1823: Maharani Aus Kaur (f) – Regent (b. 1772 – d. af.1823)
 * 23 Dec 1845 – 13 November 1862: Narinder Singh (b. 1823 – d. 1862) (from 25 June 1861 Sir Narendra Singh)
 * 13 November 1862 – 14 April 1876: Mahendra Singh (b. 1852 – d. 1876) (from 28 May 1870 Sir Mahendra Singh)
 * 13 Nov 1862 – 26 February 1870: Jagdish Singh (Regent, chairman of regency council)
 * 14 Apr 1876 – 9 November 1900: Rajinder Singh (b. 1872 – d. 1900) (from 21 May 1898 Sir Rajendra Singh)
 * 14 April 1876 – October 1890: Sir Deva Singh (Regent) (b. 1834 – d. 1890) (chairman of regency council)
 * 9 November 1900 – 23 March 1938: Bhupinder Singh (b. 1891 – d. 1938) (from 12 December 1911 Sir Bhupindra Singh)
 * 9 November 1900 – 3 November 1910: Sardar Gurmukh Singh – (Regent, chairman of regency council)
 * 23 Mar 1938 – 15 August 1947: Yadavindra Singh (b. 1913 – d. 1974) (from 1 January 1942 Sir Yadavindra Singh)