The Jagatjit Palace, Kapurthala’s most famous historical building, is all set for renovation. The building was turned into the Sainik School in 1961.

The district administration has received more than Rs 2 crore from the school’s management for the renovation of the building.

A sum of Rs 1.01 crore were released by the Ministry of Defence last year for the same purpose and a matching grant of Rs 96 lakh was sent by the Punjab government.

The Sainik School authorities have recently transferred all the amount with the accumulated interests to the district administration for the work to start early.

The district administration was appointed as the nodal agency to carry out the work under the supervision of a technical committee.

According to sources, only one agency showed the interest in the restoration work after tenders were floated for the purpose. Hence, the offer was rejected on technical grounds. Now there is a proposal to invite INTACH, an NGO, for the purpose.

The palace was constructed by a Frenchman, M. Manteaux, in 1908 for the erstwhile ruler of Kapurthala on the patterns of the Palace of Versailles and Fontainebleau in France. Its statuary and painted ceilings represent the finest aspects of French aesthetics.

Many roofs of the palace were made in the 19th century “beaux-art” style.

The Mansard roof has a double slope. The lapis lazuli pillars were imported from Italy. The marble for the fireplaces and the furniture also came from France. The reception hall was named after Sun King, Louis XIV of France.

The palace museum boasts of priceless antiques and paintings.