On the afternoon of November 28, 1927, a day steeped in festivities amid the celebrations marking the Golden Jubilee of the reign of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala, the foundation stone of the Irwin Jubilee Memorial Hospital was laid by HE Baron Irwin of Kirby Under Dale, then Viceroy and Governor-General of India, in the presence of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala and the Viceroy’s wife, Lady Irwin.
Battalions of royal guards clad in full regalia and mounted on horseback offered a ceremonial guard and later held parades, saluting the Maharaja and his distinguished guests, with the king himself later presiding over the parades in ceremonial uniform on horseback.
Thus, an age of medical advancement was ushered into the prosperous state of Kapurthala.
During the progressive, verdant, flower-laden era of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala, the celebrations marking his 50-year reign also heralded modern medical advancements in the early 20th century. His celebrated “Paris of the East” — a land of palaces, gardens and fountains — was now making strides in the field of medicine.
Ten years after the foundation stone was laid, the Randhir Jagatjit Hospital was opened to the public in 1937. Soon after, the Lady Linlithgow Tuberculosis Hospital was inaugurated by the Maharaja along with Viceroy Lord Linlithgow and Lady Linlithgow on November 15, 1941.
The Maharaja’s cousin, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur — daughter of his uncle Raja Harnam Singh of Kapurthala — became independent India’s first Health Minister. A princess who turned Gandhian and exchanged silks for khadi, she envisioned the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. Her own estate in Shimla was donated, and funds raised from across the globe helped turn the AIIMS vision into reality.
Last week, when Kapurthala erupted in protest over the demolition of the twin medical heritage buildings, it was this collective remembered legacy that citizens fought to preserve. The issue has since been resolved by the district administration, which has promised that the new buildings will retain the same heritage facade.
The Deputy Commissioner also recently undertook a heritage tour of historic Kapurthala guided by Maharaja Jagatjit Singh’s grandson, 93-year-old decorated Army veteran Brig Sukhjit Singh, who showcased the surviving architectural marvels of Jagatjit Singh that continue to require government protection and restoration.
Jagatjit’s unparalleled legacy
Among the former subjects of the princely state of Kapurthala, and among present-day residents of the district in Punjab, the Maharaja is still remembered and celebrated as a benevolent and secular ruler who honoured his people and marked his reign with prosperity, progress and architectural marvels. While, until about a decade and a half ago, Kapurthala still retained echoes of its erstwhile glory, recent degeneration has angered many residents.
Kapurthala-based advocate Manu Dev Gautam, whose ancestors were office-bearers during the reigns of Maharaja Randhir Singh and Maharaja Jagatjit Singh, said, “Ever since the country attained Independence in 1947, no government has been able to replicate the advancement the Maharaja brought. His Kapurthala had gardens, plantations, flower beds and fountains. It truly resembled Paris. He was secular. He loved his Hindu, Muslim and Sikh subjects equally and built mandirs, mosques and gurdwaras for them. Before Partition, Kapurthala had a sizeable Muslim population, yet it never witnessed riots because of the Maharaja’s leadership. Every religious place had a library and some agricultural land. Kapurthala was an elevated, well-planned city that never flooded even when Kanjli and the Bein overflowed. He promoted linguistics and languages, and honoured merit through scholarships. Sports and water sports thrived. At the first Asian Games in Delhi, five players from Kapurthala were part of the basketball team.”
Manu Dev Gautam added, “The Maharaja also respected women. While women lived in fear in some other princely states, subjects and courtiers here knew women were safe in Kapurthala. Modern governments have not been able to match his vision. Buildings constructed during his reign, therefore, hold special importance for us.”
