The Rose
Pink City 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. Houses with latticed windows line the streets with their rose pink colour, lending enchantment to the scene, which is almost magical at sunset.
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.
Jaipur, the pink city was founded in 1727 by
Maharaja Jai Singh II, a Kachhwaha Rajput, who ruled from 1699-1744. Initially his capital was Amber, which lies at a distance of 11kms from
Jaipur. He felt the need of shifting his capital city with the increase in population and growing scarcity of water.
Jaipur is the first planned
city of India and the King took great interest while designing this city of victory. He consulted several books on architecture and architects before making the lay out of
Jaipur.
After several battles with Marathas, Jai Singh was keen on the security aspect of the city. Due to this reason, he focused on his scientific and cultural interests to make a brilliant city. Being, a lover of mathematics and science, Jai Singh sought advice from
Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, a Brahmin scholar of Bengal, to aid him design the
city architecture. Vidyadhar referred the ancient
Indian literature on astronomy, books of Ptolemy and Euclid, and discussed the plan with the King.
With a strategic plan, the construction of the city started in 1727. It took around 4 years to complete the major palaces, roads and square. The city was built following the principles of Shilpa Shastra, the
Indian Architecture. The city was divided into nine blocks, out of which two consist the state buildings and palaces, whereas the remaining seven blocks were allotted to the public. In order to ensure the security, huge fortification walls were made along with seven strong gates.
According to that time,
architecture of the town was very advanced and certainly the best in
Indian subcontinent. In 1853, when Prince of Wales visited
Jaipur, the whole city was painted in Pink color to welcome him. Still, the neat and broadly laid-out avenues, painted in pink provide a magical charm to the city.
Jaipur is rich in its cultural and architectural beauty, which can be traced in the various historical and aesthetic places that reside in the city. This city of victory really wins the hearts of the people with its splendid charisma.
Fair & Fastival in Jaipur :Makar Sankranti :The festival is celebrated on the 14th of January every year. This has now become the festival of kite-flying which does not spare the soaring spirits of anyone in
Jaipur. The devoted ones, however, take a holy dip in the kund at
Galtaji. The traditional sweet associated with it is Phirni, made in abundance by the halwais of
Jaipur.
Gangaur :Young girls and newly married women praying for their loved one or husband respectively, offer prayers to Goddess Parvati in spring (March-April). A colourful procession follows the silver and gold palanquins of Goddess Parvati brought out from the City Palace. Ghever, the traditional sweet associated with this festival is prepared all over in
Jaipur city.
Elephant Festival :This
festival is held on the day of
Holi, the
festival of colours, at the Chaughan stadium. Beautifully decorated and caparisoned elephants assemble to participate in the royal procession.
Elephant polo,
Elephant race,
Elephant tug-of-war with a few tourist and holi on elephant back are some of the exciting events.
Teej Festival :To celebrate the advent of the monsoon, girls and young women dressed in
colourful leharia sarees or costumes,
sing songs and offer
puja to goddess parvati, and
pray for conjugal bliss and happiness. An elaborate procession comes out of the
City Palace for two consecutive days. Villagers come to watch it in large numbers and buy knick-knacks from the stalls on the footpaths of the main bazars.
Dussehra Festival :Dussehra is celebrated by staging Ramlila in different parts of the city and cuminating in the ceremonial burning of the giant effigies of Ravan, Kumbhakaran and Meghnath, celebrating
Lord Rama's victory over the Demon King, and victory of Good over Evil.
Diwali Festival or Deepawali Festival :Celebrated every year in October- November,
Diwali is perhaps the most popular of all
Indian festivals. The origin of this festival can be traced back to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, when Lord Rama returend to this kingdom Ayodhya after 14 years of exile.
Shopping in Jaipur :The
builders of Jaipur took special care to provide ample space and facilities for the production and marketing of
hadicarfts which made the place famous throughout
India and abroad. An entire street and several city sectors were earmarked for artisans and traders. The main
Shopping markets in Jaipur are along
Jauhari Bazar,
Bapu Bazar,
Nehru Bazar,
Chaura Rasta,
Tripolia Bazar, Raja Park, Ganpati Plaza and
M.I. Raod. Shops specialising in
Jaipur precious and semi precious stones,
Jaipur ornaments and Jaipur silver jewellery are to be found on and along
Jauhari Bazar.
Jaipur enjoys a high reputation for the
manufacture of jewellery. It is one of the most active jewel markets of the world and is famous for
precious and semi-precious stones and also for the
cutting, polishing and setting of these stone, particularly that of diamonds, topaz and emeralds.Tourist Places in Jaipur :Hawa Mahal :Built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799, the
Hawa Mahal is one of
Jaipur's major tourist attractions. Shaped like a pyramid, this five-storeyed palace is also known as the
Palace of Winds. Consisting of arched roofs and small windows, the
Hawa Mahal has become the biggest landmark in the city.
Jaigarh Fort :Known as the
Fort of Victory,
Jaigarh Fort is the most imposing
tourist attraction in Jaipur. At a distance of about 15 kilometers from the city, perched in the midst of thorny hills, the
Jaigarh Fort offers a panoramic view of the city below.The fort houses the world's largest cannon on wheels. Known as Jaivana, it was built in 1720. It is believed, out of the three underground tanks in the fort, one could store up to 60,00,000 gallons of water. The museum and armory inside
Jaigarh Fort are must-sees.
Nahargarh Fort :Built in 1734 by Maharaja Jai Singh, the
Nahargarh Fort, also known as the
Tiger Fort, was meant to bolster the defense of
Amer. This
tourist attraction in Jaipur offers an incredible view of the Man Sagar Lake.
Laxmi Narayan Temple :Also known as the
Birla Mandir Temple, the
Laxmi Narayan Temple is one of the
religious tourist attractions of Jaipur. Beautiful idols of Hindu gods and goddesses adorn the temple,
Birla Laxmi Narain Temple looks amazing in the night.
Rambagh Palace :This palace was built in 1835 by the Queen of
Jaipur. In the year 1972, the
Rambagh Palace was converted into a
heritage hotel and is now one of the premier attractions on your
Rajputana Splendour itinerary.
Amber Fort :Jaipur Attractions Standing tall over a small hillock overlooking the
Pink City,
Amber is the classic romantic
Rajasthan fort & palace.
Amber today is nothing but a reflection of the glorious past of the fierce Kachwaha Dynasty that ruled over this region from 12th to 18th century. Man Singh I started the construction of this fort in 1592 and, perhaps, it was the defence that topped his priorities before constructing this fort. The rugged walls of this fort may not look beautiful from outside, but the interior is a virtual paradise and painted scenes of hunting and wars adorn the walls along with
precious stones and mirrors set into the plaster. Half the fun at
Amber Fort is the walk from the road to the fort with majestic views of the surrounding valley. An elephant ride up to the fort is also an unforgettable experience. Not to be missed if you plan to
travel to Jaipur.
Jantar Mantar :Jaipur Attractions This
largest stone observatory in the world has a very interesting story behind its construction. Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of five
observatories in India including this one, was a great admirer of
developments in science and technology, especially
astronomy. Before constructing this
observatory, he sent his emissaries to all corners to the world, who returned with many manuals of
cutting-edge technology including a copy of La Hire's Tables. He built the structures following every detail given in the manual, but at the end, he found to his astonishment that the observatory was 20 seconds more accurate than that given by La Hire. Situated near the gate of the
City Palace, the observatory has 18 large instruments, many of them still in working condition. The
Jantar Mantar is not to be missed if you plan to
travel in Jaipur.
How to reach Jaipur city :Jaipur by Air :Jaipur has its own airport, and is well connected to all other tourist and business centres.
Jaipur by Rail :An excellent connection to
Delhi by Shatabdi Express and the Pink City Express. Other connections to
Jaipur are from Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ahemadabad, Secunderabad and Lucknow.
Jaipur by Road :A network of reasonably comfortable tourist buses, run by road corporations of
Rajasthan, Haryana and other
Indian States.
