At Ran Baas, The Palace, the team immerse us into the local arts and music, and we spend our evenings on the terrace, which is the highest point of Patiala. We sip freshly brewed chai, nibble on Punjabi high tea, watch the sunset colour the sky pink, purple and blue as Mukund, part of the hotel F&B team and a welcome face throughout our stay, tells us more about the qila’s history, and are regaled by the musical strains of a pair of live Sufi performers – Mohit and Mohit, practicing their family craft – as well as stories from Deep Mohan Arneja, general manager, who connects with his guests as if they are family. On a different day, at brunch, a live Sitar performs soothing tunes as we dine on comfort specialities; and paan, a traditional Indian mouth freshener, is arranged on the slightest mention by our wonderful stay coordinator, Sonu.
In our room, the furnishings are a beautiful blend of traditional and contemporary, with massive arches, high ceilings, detailed engravings, ornate chandeliers, hand-painted motifs, geometric prints and lacey curtains that add romance to the entire affair. A rich blue is draped everywhere, from the tiles to the bedding and beyond. This luxury matches all the other parts of the hotel, from the imposing, white façade, a stunning sight at nighttime, to the architecture, a fusion of Punjabi and Rajasthani design, to the grassy courtyards and the spa space, a converted part of the kitchen called the lassikhana.
The must-visit sites
The first stop on our tour of the city is the Moti Bagh Palace, a sprawling property over 100 acres of land, much of which now lays in disrepair. Enclosed within the walls of this palace is the Sheesh Mahal or Palace of Mirrors, built by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh for pleasure, joy and relaxation. The building is said to house unimaginable frescoes and mirrors, and even the world’s largest collection of medals, a milestone achievement for the Maharaja. Outside, marble statues and fighting cannons dot the gardens, and across a now dried-up man-made lake, a replica of the Lakshman Jhula of Rishikesh bridges the gap. Also in that compound is the Banaras Ghar, a banquet hall where the Maharaja hosted more than 100 covers; and the smaller Moti Bagh Palace, currently the residence of Captain Amarinder Singh.
From there, we move on to the Gurudwara Shri Dukhniwaran Sahib. According to local tradition, supported by an old handwritten document preserved in the holy site, a dweller of the village of Lehal, where the gurudwara now stands, waited upon the ninth guru of the Sikhs, Guru Tegh Bahadur. He pleaded with him to rid his village of a serious and mysterious sickness, which had been their bane for a long time. The Guru did so, and the site where he sat down became the site of this shrine, hence the name dukh-nivaran, literally meaning eradicator of suffering. On this day, the shrine is filled with the faithful, showing up for their share of the healing properties the water is said to have. As soon as we step foot on the marble, a heavy downpour begins, and we’re drenched from head to toe in almost a symbolic moment.
The food
At Ran Baas, The Palace, we are served some incredibly flavourful vegetarian Punjabi fare, from millet kichdi drenched in ghee to pakoda kadi, butter-laden naans, grilled paneer, dahi kababs, baingan ka bharta and home-style daal, all of which we consume at the Patiala Bar, a moody lounge splashed in shades of purple and blue. One mention of a preference for halal meat, and the chef sources halal chicken for us, a rarity in Punjab, to whip up a home-style chicken curry for our last dinner – such is the attention to detail. We traverse the lanes of the local bazaars and discover some of the specialities, including pure, homemade lassi, perfectly refreshing for hot summer days, and a whole world of confectioneries we never knew about at Jaggi’s Sweets – another local, family-run business.
As we tuck into our last meal in Patiala, I am reminded of what I’m taking away from this place – the people, in every step of the way.
IndiGo flies direct from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Chandigarh International Airport (IXC) with one-way fares from Dhs750. Room rates at Ran Baas, The Palace start from Dhs1,025. Book via relaischateaux.com
Images: Getty/Supplied
