I have been to Jaipur three times in different seasons and every time I have been mesmerized by the place. Jaipur also known as Pink city is the capital of Rajasthan. It is situated 300 Km from New Delhi. It is a city vibrant with palaces, colors, royal pageantry, forts, temples, precious stones and folklores filled with valor, romance and music.
Picture1 – Sawai Man Singh Statue in Jaipur
History
The ruler of Amber, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II founded this city on 18th November 1727. Amber was his capital city, which is 11 Km away from Jaipur and as the scarcity of water increased in Amber, the Maharaja decided to move his capital to Jaipur. Before shifting, the Maharaja who was a good astronomer and town planner did not want to go wrong in building the new city. Thus he discussed with many architects, astrologers and studied many books on architecture.
Picture2 – Road in front of Birla Mandir
The Maharajah appointed Vidyadar Bhattacharya, a Brahmin scholar from Bengal as Chief Architect and under his guidance built the plan of Jaipur on the principles of Vasthu Shastra. In 4 years from 1727 the city was complete with the city palace, gates, important buildings, roads and circles. It is one of the best planned Indian cities till date.
Picture3 – Amber Fort
The city is divided into 9 blocks representing the 9 planets. The whole city was surrounded by a fort to protect the people from invaders. There are 7 huge gates known as Suraj Pol (Sun Gate), Chand Pol (Moon Gate), Zorawar Singh Pol, Sangneri Pol, Ajmeri Pol and Hathi Pol. The directions of each street and market are east to west and north to south.
Picture4 – One of the Gates
In 1853 when Sawai Ram Singh was the king, the Prince of Wales visited Jaipur. To welcome him, the whole city was painted pink. Hence the city was nicknamed Pink City.
Picture5 – Shops painted pink
The major rivers that pass through Jaipur district are Banas and Banganga. The weather is extremes. It is very cold during winter and extremely hot in summer. The best time to visit Jaipur is from November to February.
Picture6 – Palace where Maharani Gayatri Devi resided
The current Maharaja of Jaipur Sawai Bhawani Singh Bahadur resides in the city palace.
Picture7 – View of Jaipur from Nahargarh fort
Tourists from all over the world visit Jaipur. Apart from the tourist spots, it is a great place to shop and eat out.
Places of interest in Jaipur:
Forts & Monuments
Jantar Mantar
Amber Fort
Albert Hall Museum
Hawa Mahal
Jaigarh Fort
Nahargarh Fort
City Palace
Jal Mahal
Rambagh Palace
Moti Dungri Fort
Picture8 – An ancient temple in Amber
Temples
Birla Temple also known as Lakshmi Narayan Mandir
Govind Dev Ji temple
Moti Doongri Temple
Galtaji
Shri Krishna Pranami Mandir
Swaminarayan Mandir
Jain Temple
Panchayati Hall devoted to Temples of Goddess Durga and Lord Shiva
Gardens
Ram Niwas Garden
Zoological Garden
Sisodia Rani Palace and Garden
Vidyadhar Garden
Central Park (Entrance near Statue Circle)
Smriti Van
Kanak Vrindavan
Jaldhara
Others
Chand Baori(stepwell)
Chokhi Dhani
Raj Mandir Cinema
Place Statistics:
Type of Place: Historical capital city
Situated: Rajasthan
Distance: 360 Km from Bikaner, 400 Km from Udaipur, 300 Km from New Delhi
Transport: Well connected by air (international), road and rail. For tourists there is a daily bus, which takes them to all the tourist spots in a day
Facilities: Luxury hotels, resorts, budget hotels, restaurants, café etc., available
