A Coffee Table Book titled 'The Maharaja Ranjit Singh Fort, Phillaur', beautifully depicting its journey through the historical events, was released today as a part of the bi-centennial celebrations of the fort.
The book is jointly compiled and edited by Punjab Police Academy (PPA), Phillaur Director cum DGP, R S Gill and D J Singh Senior Deputy Director and Dean, PPA.
Addressing the gathering on this occasion Mr Gill said that the enchanting Fort of Phillaur is one of the jewels of Punjab.
Revealing details about the book, Dr. D J Singh announced that this coffee table book is the first narrative history of the Phillaur Fort built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh during his life time.
The book is a comprehensive chronicle of the life and times of one of the most strategically situated fort with important artillery and garrison installations in the country.
Built as a Serai by the Mughals, it was converted into a Fort by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1809 to protect his frontiers. Its uniqueness lies in its architecture being mainly Mughal, but partly Sikh, partly British and even modern Indian, he said.
As the fort completes 200 years, it has changed hands from a Mughal Serai to a Sikh Bastian, to a centre of higher police education.
The story of Fort Phillaur is intricately linked with the Punjab Police whose training centre has been located here since 1891.
Thousands of officers, men and women, British as well Indian from different states and countries during the pre and post Independence have undergone their basic and advanced training here and gone on to serve the people and the country.
The book refreshingly steps beyond the most basic of stories, however, and attempts to place the Fort Phillaur in the context of the national and international events to which it was called upon to respond.
The fort has played a vital role in pioneering the formal police training in the country that has become its hallmark, he said.