Patiala (Punjabi: ਪਟਿਆਲਾ) is a city in the Punjab state of India. Patiala district is one of the famous princely cities of erstwhile Punjab. Forming the south-eastern part of the state, it lies between 29°49’ and 30°47’ north latitude, 75°58’ and 76°54' east longitude.
It is the administrative headquarters of Patiala District, and was the capital of the premier princely state in the former Punjab Province of British India, headed by the Sidhu dynasty. Patiala is famous for its peg (a reference to Patiala Peg - an unusually large (double of normal) shot/peg of whiskey), pagri (traditional headgear), paranda (tasselled tag for braiding hair) and Jutti (traditional Punjabi footwear).
Patiala has given it's name to alcoholic drinks, any serving of alcohol which is unusually large or double than the normal serving is referred to as the Patiala Peg. This term is understood in most parts of India. There are multiple stories behind this epithet, all related to the opulent and hedonistic lifestyle of one of the maharajas of Patiala - Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, who was a heavy drinker.
Patiala is home town of many eminent personalities like cricketers Navjot Sidhu, Mohinder Amarnath, Reetinder Sodhi, Bollywood Stars Jimmy Shregill, Om Puri, Punjabi Singers Gurdas Mann & Harbhajan Mann, Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal & above all Sq Ldr Rakesh Sharma, first and only Indian till date in space and so on.
