Jaipur was founded by Maharaja Jai Singh II (1693-1743),
is the capital of Rajasthan. It is a major attraction
for the first-time visitor. Jaipur is surrounded on
all sides by rugged hills, crowned with forts &
enclosed by embattled walls.
The Old City (Known as the Pink City) is a great place
to wander around. The whole city was painted in Pink
colour by Maharaja Man Singh II when Prince of Wales,
later Edward VII, visited Jaipur in 1876 AD. Today,
every home within the city is obliged by law to maintain
its facade. It is a very well planned city laid out
in a grid pattern and was designed by a young Bengali
engineer and scholar by the name "Vidyadhar Bhattacharya".
Jaipur was and remains the only city in the world,
symbolising the nine divisions of the universe, through
nine rectangular sectors sub-dividing it. Jaipur is
a royal city & this is its most noticeable aspect,
small buildings & festivals testify it.
Jaipur & its surroundings are rather like an endless
museum. The city also offers an endless variety of
crafts. Jewellers here still fashion the beautiful
enamel-on-gold pendants, studded on the reverse with
precious stones or pearls & turquoise that one
sees in miniature paintings. Jaipur's lacquer bangles
are famous all over the world.
Places to see
Amer Palace
High on the rugged hills outside of town sits ancient
forts, including Amer (often called the Amber Fort),
where the Jaipur royal house held court for seven
centuries. Visitors ridding painted elephants can
ascend to the fort to see magnificent gateways, courtyards,
pavalions, and a gliterring chamber of inlaid mirrors.
Hawa Mahal
Jaipur's most famous landmark is the Palace of the
Winds or Hawa Mahal, a fantasia of 1953 ornate of
windows set in a rose-colored five storey facade.
The palace , tier upon tier of curved arch surmounting
fairy casements with "jali", lattice work
screens. From here the ladies of the court could look
out at festive processions without jeopardizing their
modest seclusion..
Jal Mahal
A picturesque palace admist the Man Sagar Lake. It
is Jaipur's lake palace surrounded with water. It
is built for royal duck shooting parties.
Jantar Mantar
The architectural astronomical instruments of 18th
century Rajasthani king named Jai Singh contained
in an amazing, three-storey-high complex known as
Jantar Mantar.
City Palace
A pride of peacocks adorn an ornate doorway in Jaipur's
City Palace. Palace retainers stand at attention as
in the past when Jaipur Court was headquartered here.
The palace is now a fine museum. It houses a remarkable
collection of textiles, paintings, manuscripts, and
extraordinary weapons. On display there are two huge
urns of silver, said to be the largest silver vessels
in the world. Nakkarkhana-ka-Darwaza, the imposing
gateway of the City Palace guarded by stone elephants,
is monumental.
Jaigarh
The western skyline is dominated by the extensive
walls, watch towers and gateways of Jaigarh built
by Jai Singh in 1726. It is one of the few military
structures of medevial India preserved almost intact,
containing palaces , gardens, open and covered reservoirs,
a granary, an armoury, a canon foundary and several
temples. It is the royal treasury for several years.
The world's largest cannon on wheels is to be found
here. The fort has its own museum and provide an excellent
view of Amer Palace.
Nahargarh Fort
Built in 1734, the Nahargarh Fort lies north-west
of City Palace and provides some stunning views of
the city down below both during daytime and night.
Sisodia Rani Ka Bagh
Has beautiful gardens, fountains, pools & some
magnificent pieces of sculpture.
Albert Hall Museum
It exhibits include a natural history collection,
models of yogis adopting various positions, tribal
ware, dioramas depicting Rajasthani dances and sections
on decorative arts, costumes, drawings and musical
instruments
Nearby Attraction
Bairath
An important historical place with the excavated remains
of a circular Buddhist temple - unique in Rajasthani
and the earliest known temple in India. Bairath also
has relics of the Mauryan, Mughal and Rajput periods.
A mint constructed by Akbar, a beautiful Mughal garden
and a remarkable monument with painted chhatris and
wall built by Jahangir are other attractions
Gaitor
The cenotaphs of the royal family are at Gaitor, just
outside the city walls. The cenotaph of Maharaja Jai
Singh II is particularly impressive. The cenotaphs
of the maharanis of Jaipur are on Ambr road, midway
between Jaipur and Amber. Nearby is the Jal Mahal
(water Palace), in the middle of the lake and reached
by a causeway.
Galta
The temple of the sun god at Galta is 100m above Jaipur
to the east, a 2.5km climb from Surajpol. A deep,
temple-studded gorge stands behind the temple and
there are good views over the surrounding plains.
Ramgarh Lake
A huge artificial lake created by constructing a high
bund amidst tree covered hills. While the temple of
Jamwa Mata and the ruins of the old fort are some
of its antiquities, its beautiful landscape, especially
during in oils pools, makes it an idyllic picnic spot.
Samode
The beautiful Samode Palace, has been rebuilt and
renovated and provides a fine example of the Rajput
haveli architecture and is an ideal spot for outings.
The highlight of the building is the exquisite Diwan-i-Khas,
which is covered with original paintings and mirrorwork.
Sanganer
This small town is entered through the ruins of two
' Tripolias ' or ' Triple-gateways '. The town has
a ruined palace and a group of Jain temples with fine
carvings. Entry to the temples is restricted. The
town is an important centre for craft, industry and
produces some of the finest hand printed textiles
from units of block and screen printers. This textile
is popular all over the country and abroad. It is
noted for its hand printed handloom industry using
simple techniques.
Vidyadhar's Garden
Nestled in a narrow valley, this beautiful garden
was built in honour of jai Singh's chief architect
and town planner.
Best Season
September-March
Languages
English, Hindi, Rajasthani.
How to reach?
Air : There are flight connections to Delhi, Kota,
Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
Rail : An excellent connection from Delhi is Shatabdi
Express which provides a fast, air-conditioned rail
service. Other connections to Jaipur are from Bikaner,
Jodhpur, LJdaipur, Ahmedabad, Secunderabad, Agra,
Lucknow, Mumbai and Calcutta. Some important train
connections are : Marudhar Express (Varanasi-Jaipur-Jodhpur);
9770 Express (Jaipur-Purva), .Gujarat Mail (Mumbai-Jaipur-Delhi
Sarai Rohilla); Shatabdi Express (New Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer);
Superfast Express (Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Jaipur); Mandore
Express (Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Jaipur-Jodhpur); Intercity
Express (Jaipur-Delhi Sarai Rohilla); Chetak Express
(Udaipur-Jaipur-Delhi Sarai Rohilla); Ahmedabad Mail
(Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Jaipur-Ahmedabad); Jodhpur Mail
(Marwar-Jaipur-Delhi Sarai Rohilla).
Road : A convenient mode of travel to Jaipur is by
road, through a network of comfortable tourist buses.
Rajasthan Roadways runs excellent regular service
of AC and Deluxe Coaches from Delhi (From Bikaner
House, Pandara road and ISBT, Kashmeri Gate) Some
Road distances are Delhi 259 km, Udaipur 405 km, Jodhpur
336 km, Ahmedabad 657 km.
.
India
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