A Preview

     Medal Gallery at Sheesh Mahal, Patiala houses one of the largest collections of orders, decorations and medals.  The collection is perhaps unmatched in the world in its richness and variety.  These, over 3200 orders, decorations and medals were the personal collection of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh (1891-1938) who was an incredibly keen collector of rare and beautiful objects.  His son Maharaja Yadavindra Singh gifted this priceless collection to the Punjab Government in 1962.

      The collection is awesome, varied and large.  Spanning seven centuries upto the First World War and six continents, each object commemorative of the rich cultural and martial heritage of its land.  Each medal reflects a glorious past and history and is a record of valorous deeds and devotion to duty; a mute testimony to human endeavour and sense of commitment.

       This magnificent collection and rare treasure is lying in comparative obscurity, unknown to most of us.  This site is therefore attempt at exposing to the world the richness of this unique collection of medallic art.  The site is also a tribute to the brave men and women of the Armed Forces, for only they know the full worth of a medal.  

      Since the medal gallery is a unique feature of the heritage of Patiala, no justice could have been done without devoting an exclusive section to it.

     The section has been divided into easily navigable sub-sections to enable the reader to jump onto the sub-section of interest without having to follow a linear path. Links to the sub-sections are given on the right.

The Collector

The Collection

Voyage to Sheesh Mahal

British Orders and Decorations

• Victoria Cross
•