Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Government College

It comes to the honour of very few institutions to celebrate golden, platinum or diamond jubilee of their existence, but celebrating post centenary golden jubilee is a rarity. Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Government College, erstwhile known as Randhir College, Kapurthala is one such institution, and rather only one in the whole of Punjab which has entered the 150th year of its establishment. It was established as a Sanskrit Vidyalya and named Randhir School in the year 1856 by the visionary ruler of Kapurthala, His Highness Raja Randhir Singh. It happens to be the same year in which three universities in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay were established under the new education policy based on the Woods Dispatches of 1854. The students used to sit under a Peepal tree, under which Havan Kund was erected, and get education in the traditional Guru-Shishya Parampara. This 200 year old Peepal tree still adorns the college premises. In 1864 teaching up to the entrance standard was introduced and the European Mr.Hudesn was appointed as principal in 1871.