Bahadurgarh Fort, Patiala

Bahadurgarh Fort near Patiala was begun in 1658 by Nawab Saif Khan, a devotee of Guru Tegh Bahadur who asked the Guru to stay with him for a part of every monsoon. The Nawab never finished the fort. Its present shape is the work of Maharaja Karam Singh of Patiala, who had come to the throne at thirteen and started a large reconstruction in 1837 that took close to eight years and cost about ten lakh rupees.

The fort is circular, enclosed by two lines of ramparts and a moat. Inside stands Gurdwara Sahib Patshahi Nauvin, with octagonal turrets around a sanctum for the Guru Granth Sahib, lotus-shaped domes and a paved courtyard. Saif Khan is said to have given up his conquests and wealth to live as a hermit here, and his tomb lies some 300 yards from the fort; his followers light a lamp at it every Thursday, and a yearly fair is held in his memory.