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 of Interest
(Jaipur)
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.
Travel Information:
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.
Local Transport:
Unmetered auto-rickshaws, buses, cycle-rickshaws.
The Rajasthan State Roadways operates regular
bus service to Amer Palace and around the city.
