Patiala is a city located in south-eastern Punjab, in northern India.The city is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around a castle named Qila Mubarak (the Fortunate Castle). It was constructed by a militiaman, Baba Ala Singh in 1763. Patiala is a Congress-Party stronghold. In popular culture, the city remains famous for its traditional turban (a type of headgear), paranda (a kind of tasselled tag for braiding hair), patiala salwar (a type of female trousers), jutti (a type of footwear) and Patiala peg (a measure of liquor). The first Indian astronaut, Rakesh Sharma, was born in Patiala.