Maharaja Narinder Singh

Narinder Singh (26 November 1824 – 13 November 1862), also spelt as Narendra Singh, was the Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala from 1845 to 1862. He was one of the first local rulers to receive the Order of the Star of India and was a member of the Indian Legislative Council during Lord Canning's Viceroyalty. He is popularly regarded as one of the wisest rulers of Patiala, with him having a wide diversity of interests.

Biography Narinder was born in 1824, his father was Maharaja Karam Singh of Patiala. At an early age, his father arranged for him to be educated in the Urdu and Persian languages, making Narinder the first Patiala heir to have his education arranged personally by his father, with the two sharing a close bond. In his youth, he was betrothed to a princess from Alwar, who may have influenced his later artistic intrigues. He would keep a painting of his father near him to keep an example in mind and preserve Karam's memory. Despite the construction of Moti Bagh, he continued to reside regularly at Qila Mubarak. In 1859, he added the Darbar Hall to the Qila Mubarak complex. His daughter, Basant Kaur, married Bhagwant Singh, the Maharaj-Rana of Dholpur. His other daughter, Bishan Kaur, married Jaswant Singh, the Maharaja of Bharatpur.

Patron of the arts and science

Narinder Singh was a patron of the arts, hiring artists, architects, musicians, poets, and historians. A Gurmukhi astrolabe was produced during his reign. After his death, his style of art-patronage was continued by his successors and imitated by other Sikh states, such as Kapurthala, Nabha, Jind, and Faridkot.