MALER KOTLA, Punjab. An unused menu card embossed in gold with the Nawab’s coat of arms.

An unused menu card printed on off white card with a gilt border and with the arms of Maler Kotla embossed in gilt at the head together with the state’s name. Fine condition. A scarce ephemeral survival from the days of lavish princely hospitality. The use of English style armorials is something that the Princes began to adopt around the time of the great Imperial Assemblage at Delhi in 1877, although the heraldry system planned for the sub continent was never fully evolved. Maler Kotla is a small but important Muslim state close to the great Sikh states such as Patiala. The Nawab was particularly loyal to the Crown and provided troops during the First World War. This type of card would have been used on great state occasions such as that when the Nawab entered the Viceroy Lord Minto and his entourage in the early years of the 20th century. The motto on the scroll beneath the arms is that of the Order of the Star of India Heaven’s Light Our Guide: the Nawab was a Knight Commander of the order [K.C.S.I.]    jan18/2