Punjab has always fascinated me - its history, its food, and the sheer amount of love its people pour into everything (including the size of their meal portions). Recently, I found myself in Punjab wandering through Chandigarh, Jalandhar, and eventually to the shimmering Golden Temple in Amritsar. Along the way, I collected stories from locals - some unforgettable, some… well, let’s just say the lassi was stronger than my memory. But one story stuck with me forever—the legend of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala.
Now, this wasn’t your average king. Standing at six and a half feet tall, he was the kind of man who didn’t just enter a room - he rearranged the ceiling fan. When he rode his black Arabian horse through town, ladies were said to go weak in the knees. (And not just because of his height - apparently, he had charm thicker than Punjabi butter chicken gravy.)
In his famous Moti Bagh Palace, the Maharaja had 365 queens - yes, one for each day of the year. Clearly, he was a man who took calendars very seriously. And when he showed up late to the King Emperor’s court, nobody dared complain. Why? Because, well, it’s hard to argue with someone who practically was the definition of “royal swag.”
But Maharaja Bhupinder Singh wasn’t just about palaces and queens - he was also a sportsman. His polo team was undefeated, and part of his army liked to play a game called skull pegging (which sounds less like a sport and more like something from a Viking nightmare). Eventually, the more civilized version of it became known as “tent pegging.”
Here’s where it gets interesting: the Maharaja once invited the Irish team “The Viceroy’s Pride” for a tent pegging match. Knowing the Irish were tough competition, the Maharaja came up with a master plan. He hosted them for a royal dinner the night before the match and served them whiskey. But not just any whiskey - giant, absurdly over-sized glasses of whiskey. The kind that could make even the Irish raise an eyebrow.
As expected, the next morning the Irish team showed up with hangovers so fierce, they could barely see the pegs, let alone hit them. The Maharaja’s team, of course, won. When the Irish complained that they’d been tricked with massive pours, the Maharaja simply smiled and said:
“In Patiala, our pegs are larger.”
And just like that, the legendary Patiala Peg was born.
So the next time you find yourself sipping a Patiala Peg, raise your glass for Maharaja Bhupinder Singh - a man who turned over-sized drinks into royal strategy. 🍻
Very interesting and making our spirits high for a patiala king and his pegs.
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