Jaipur- An exotic Pink city
At a glance
Jaipur is the gateway to historical and colorful Rajasthan. It is named after its founder Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in early 18th century; he built the city palace and other buildings in the walled city of Jaipur. Earlier he was living in Amber Fort and decided to move because of growing population and water scarcity. Jaipur is a heritage city known as ‘Pink City’, because the city was painted with terracotta pink color in honour of the visit of Prince of Wales in 1876.
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Jaipur is 260 km from Delhi and it forms the third arm of ‘Golden triangle tour‘ the prolific tourism potential territories of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur combined. Jaipur is the biggest city in Rajasthan with immense tourism potential.
Why visit Jaipur
When in Jaipur you can experience its heritage and rich culture of Rajasthan state. The people here are very alert about their culture and roots. They are very hospitable, God fearing and honest. While in Jaipur you will have the chance to explore various religious places, historical forts & other heritage monuments. Also, museums showcasing Rajput legacy, grandeur of palaces and tremendous shopping opportunities. Here one can buy handicrafts, fabrics, bed spreads & clothes with ethnic prints, traditional shoes mojris and various other articles, that will make your visit to Jaipur a memorable affair.
Places not to miss
Hawa mahal
Hawa mahal or ‘palace of winds’ was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Singh for royal women. The monument is designed such that the women are veiled by virtue of building’s design and women could watch whatever is happening on streets down there. It has 156 lattice hanging windows and 953 small windows or Jharokhas. Five floored edifice has clear flow of winds inside and exterior projects a honey comb look. Inside the building there is one museum that showcases Jaipur ‘then and now’ artifacts and other displays.
City palace and Museum
A grand palace standing tall in the middle of walled city of Jaipur City Palace was built at the start of 18th century by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. The City Palace has mix styles of Rajput, Mughal and European architecture. The entry gates are ‘Udai Pol’, ‘Jaleb Chowk’, ‘Tripolia Gate’ and ‘Virendra Pol’, Tripolia gate is reserved for VIP and Royal guests and family’s entrance. Important landmarks inside are ‘Chandra Mahal’, ‘Mubarak Mahal’, ‘Diwan-I-Khas’ and the ‘Govind Dev Ji Temple. Inside the palace there is one Museum too which richly showcase artifacts and ancient memorabilia.
Jantar Mantra
It’s an astronomical observatory built in early 18th century. It has set 20 fixed instruments. These are used to study constellations and stars through naked eyes. The innovations are commendable when you consider the time it was built in. A masonry Sundial to show the time, stands for all to see its value. This is the most significant and the best preserved of India’s historic observatories. It’s under world UNESCO heritage site.
Amer fort
Located at Amber 11 km from Jaipur is a very famous and most visited forts of Rajasthan. Built in 1592 by Raja Man Singh it was original capital of the state before Jaipur. The Amer Fort was built in red sandstone and marble and the Maotha Lake adds a certain charm to the entire Fort. The fort has several important buildings ‘Diwan-i-Aam’, ‘Sheesh Mahal’ and ‘Sukh Mahal’. The Amer Fort has influences of both Rajput and Mughal architecture. This fort also has the ‘Shila Devi’ Temple and the ‘Ganesh Pol’ which is a gate that leads to the private palaces of the kings. The Amer Fort has several grand pavilions and halls of great interest besides other popular attractions.
Nahargarh Fort
Barely 5 km away from Jaipur it stands on the edge of the Aravalli Hills, overlooking the pink city of Jaipur. The view of the city from the fort is impressive, it was built in 1734 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. It was built as a retreat and planned as a part of security ring.
Jaigarh Fort
Maharaja Jai Singh II in 1726 built this fort as the security cover for Amber fort, it stands over and has a vivid view of it. Its distance from Jaipur is 15 km, and its area is spread over 3km x 1km. The fort has the biggest canons on the wheels in the world called ‘Jaivana’, that was built in the same premises. The palace complex has buildings such as Laxmi Vilas, Lalit Mandir, Vilas Mandir and Aram Mandir, an armory and a museum.
Other not to miss places
There are two more museums one is called Albert Hall or Central Museum this have some worth seeing display of artifacts. Dolls museum a collection of dolls from all over the world. Jal Mahal, an old relic of fort on way to Amer fort. Birla mandir- a laxmi Narayan Temple are few of the other places one has to see when in Jaipur.
Accommodations
There are some exotic places to stay in Jaipur. You can have all budget and Luxury hotels available as per your pocket and choice. You can book on internet on various sites.
How to reach
Air- Jaipur’s Sanganer airport is 7 km for domestic flight airport and 10km for International flights. Regular flights available to and fro all major cities in the world.
Train- Jaipur is well connected to entire country through train services. Special tourist trains like ‘Palace on the wheels’ taking tourists to all major tourism related cities in Rajasthan.
Road– National Highways 8, 11 and 12 connects all cities of India from Jaipur by road. Delhi to Jaipur road is good, and all buses normal and luxury ply on it, the taxis are available too.
Local transport- Local transports are taxis, 3 wheeler autos, tempos, cycle rickshaws and local buses.