Town-planning in Patiala State and City : a report to H.H. the Maharaja of Patiala

· 1922 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1For what reasons? Not simply because they have as yet often

2some leeway to make up—though that is often true, as even here.

3But for a larger reason. The world-history of City Development shows

4that this has only adequately taken place when the fertile union has

5occurred, of a deeply civilised and well-skilled people, ideally minded

6too—with an active individual leader—usually therefore their ruling

7Prince,—who has risen to the full height of his great position, with its

8comprehensive outlook and correspondingly wide appeal: and who has

9thus led and organised his people towards the civic achievements of

10peace, no less definitely as have others towards war. The supreme

11examples of the West are, in antiquity, Pericles for Athens, Augustus

12for Rome, and Solomon for Jerugalem—practically three Western

13Maharajas. The best later Cities tell the same tale. On one side that

14ofa community with artistic qualities and technical skill; and with

15those deeper ideals, domestic, social, and cultural, which the Arts—and,

16above all, Architecture,—are needed te express—(and without which, Art

17falls to mere luxury and over-decoration, with social decline). Then

18for such communities the ccrresponding leadership—that of a Prince,

19rising from the comparatively simple and initial tasks of Palace-building,

20even Tomb or Temple-byilding, to City-building, Thus often through-

21out this monumental land, and splendid History, of India :—from

22Asoka to Akbar ; or thence again to Man Singh of Jaipur, and many

23more,

24It is this rare opportunity which lies here anew before the Indian

25Princes and their Cities: and thus in Patiala to-day. There are of

26course, dangers: in these pages later indicated—as from the Paris of

27Napoleon III, the Berlin of William I and If, and the like—of which

28there are also instances in India. For the ideal City can neither be

29built by Prince alone, nor by People alone. But by both together—

30_ since either alone is as an Army without a General, or a General with-

31out his Army with him.

32VI.

33It may be asked—on what grounds, this high estimate of the

34artistic, architectural, and deeper qualities of the people of this City ?

35To this question two immediate answers may be given, First, that

36though Patiala is at first sight not to compare with the finer State

37Capitals through India, closer study, such as the writer has given

38during recent months, reveals a remarkable amount of domestic

39architecture of real beauty and this of local style, (as the accompanying

40sketches and water-colours show ; though but samples, of what might

41have been multiplied tenfold). |

42It may again be gaid that this good, even beautiful, work is of

43the past, and too truly, The old mistris have been dying out, and with

44too few (when any) successors. But ag proof positive that the true

45spirit, and even skill, of Architecture and of decoration still survives

46among the people and of this City, I need go no further back than to

47the recent Moherram. The ‘‘Tazzias” then carried in procession to

48the Karbala were necessarily few, and on modest scale, compared