Famous for ‘peg’, ‘pagri’, ‘paranda’ Patiala presents a beautiful bouquet of life-style even to a casual visitor to the city. A brilliant spectrum of Rajput, Mughal and Punjabi cultures, a fine blend of modernity and tradition and a judicious synthesis of all that is beautiful in form and bold in spirit conjure up a vision called 'Patiala'.
Erstwhile capital of one of India's richest princely states, city of palaces and museums, is a consumer goods emporium. Punjabi shoes, golden and silver, shoes embroidered in several patterns and colours to matchdresses, silver and gold embroidered "naalas" (or pyjama strings) parandhas(women weave them at the end of their plaits or braids) of varied shapes and designs but uniformly beautiful hand-woven head coverings, Phulkaris which can only be described as embroidered epics and its vegetarian and non- vegetarian royal cuisine are famous.
The painted chamber of Kali Devi temple on the Mall is a protected monument. Rajpura, midway between Patiala and Chandigarh is an old Mughal outpost with a dilapidated fort. It is an important town today. Cables, tyres and a whole range of agro-products are manufactured here. The famous Horlicks Company has a manufacturing unit at Nabha situated at a distance of about 25 kms from Patiala.
The cultural pattern introduced by Patiala state carried its own flavour. This culture was not confined to the elite of the court but also percolated to the common people. The average Patialvi developed, like the Lakhnavis, greater consciousness of his personal bearing than any other people in the region. For example, the Patiala Sikhs have a particular style of rolling their beards and tying their turbans. Things have changed after the migrations of 1947, but the cultural stamp of Patiala remains intact. A migrant to Pakistan, FazliHamid, Deputy Director, Bureau of Reconstruction, Government of Pakistan, in his letter dated Lahore, 30 January 1965, provides interesting testimony. He writes: "In the Patiala State over the centuries, we Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus had lived happily together and developed traditions, cultural outlook and a way of life of our own which had the unmistakable stamp of Patiala. The Patiala tradition was based on tolerance, fellow feeling, gentlemanliness and catholicity. I hope we Patialvis will dedicate ourselves to the ideals of peace and humanity wherever we happen to be."
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