Jaipur

Location: Rajasthan
Famous as: The Pink City
Ideal time to visit: October- March
Main Attractions: Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, Amer Palace, Palace on Wheels

About Jaipur

Jaipur, an imperial city with its rugged fortresses and exquisite palaces displays remarkable amity in architectural grandeur. Referred as a city of Maharajas, some of the palaces, once the royal residence have been converted to heritage hotels.

Jaipur City was built by Maharaja Jai Sing in 1727. It is located in the state of Rajasthan and is famous for its forts, palaces and lakes. The city revels the glory of an affluent and eventful past. It is also known as the ‘Pink City’due to the pink shade applied to its buildings and forts.

Falling under the Golden Triangle, (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur) the city is visited by millions of domestic and foreign tourists. The old city of Jaipur is enclosed within seven gates, the most important of which are Chandpol, Jaipuri and Sanganeri

Main Attractions

City Palace

The palace is a magnificent blend of traditional Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. The part of the Palace is still used by the royal family as a residence and the rest portion is converted into a museum. The palace consists of several structures like Badal Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple, Mubarak Mahal, Chandra Mahal and City Palace Museum. The palace also consists of an art gallery with a superior collection of miniature paintings, carpets and royal belongings. The palace is 3.5km.from Jaipur. The best time to make a visit is from October to March and it is opened from 9.30 - 16:30hrs.

Hawa Mahal

Sawai Pratap Singh built the Palace of Winds in 1799. Lal Chand Ustad designed this impressive multi layered five-storey structure. It provides some excellent views of the colorful city. The Hawa Mahal was designed for the ladies of the royal house to watch the enchanting life on the street without being observed. Timings: 9hrs-17hrs.

Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar a stone observatory was built by Sawai Jai Singh between 1728 and 1734. It was built to measure the local time, altitude, the declination of stars, planets and to determine eclipses. Jantar Mantar is a grand celebration of astronomical science and each instrument here serves a particular function and gives an accurate reading.

Jal Mahal

Sawai Pratap Singh built the Mahal in 1799 A.D for royal duck shooting parties. This red sandstone palace is located 6.5 kms from Jaipur on the road to Amber is one of the delightful site at the center of the Man Sagar Lake. First four floors of the structure are submerged in water, only the top floor remains outside. It is also a home to large number of migratory birds arrive at the lake during winters.

Ram Niwas Garden

Located just outside the walled city is the sprawling Ram Niwas Garden. The garden houses the majestic Albert Hall Museum opened in 1887 AD, this impressive building displays a rich collection of paintings, carpets, ivory, stone and metal sculpture among other objects. Visiting timings are 1000-1600hrs

Excursion

Amber Fort

Amber fort lies at a distance of 11km from Jaipur is a fascinating blend of Hindu and Mughal architecture. Raja Man Singh built it in the 16th century. The fort crowns on top of the hillside, the walls and ceiling of the fort are engrave with ravishing glass mirrors that helps in splashing the sun rays all over the premises. Amber is also known for the marvelous Sheesh Mahal, Jai Mandir, Diwan-i-Aam, Sikh Niwas and the small Kali.

Jaigarh

Jaigarh, or the Fort of Victory, is a rugged fort built in 1726. The world's largest cannon on wheels is preserved here. The spacious parkotas (wallls) watch tower and gateways of Jaigarh are main source of attraction. The fort slso houses a museum, which displays a collection of weapons and cannons, used by the Rajput rulers. There is an excellent view of the Amer Palace from the fort. It is 11km. from Jaipur and visiting timings are 0900-1630hrs.

Bairath

The remnant of Buddhist temple 86km from Jaipur lies at Bairath. A mint constructed by Akbar, a charming Mughal garden and an unprecedented monument with carved and painted walls built by Jahangir.

Sanganer

Sanganer 40km. from Jaipur, is known for its textile block printing, papermaking and Jaipur blue pottery, besides several temples and an old palace. This small town attracts lot of tourist from all over the world.

Shopping at Jaipur

Jaipur is a shopper's paradise. It is famous for leather shoes, blue pottery, tie and dye sheets, scarves and other exotic wares. Jaipur’s craft, especially lacquer bangles are famous all over the world. Main shopping areas- Jaipur Handicrafts, Aravali Bazaar, Johari Bazaar, Mirza Ismail Road and Bapu Bazaar.

Fairs and Festivals

Kite festival

Held annually in January, it is the festival of kites with lights in them and fireworks that brighten the night sky.

Elephant festival

The festival is celebrated in the month of March. It is a festival of colors, and various elephant sports.

Gangaur Fair

Gangaur festival is a unique festival held in April and is celebrated in honor of goddess Guar.

Teej festival

Comes in the month of August essentially a woman festival, it marks the coming of monsoon.

Getting There

Air: is well connected to all the major cities, that include Delhi, Mumbai, Jodhpur, Udaipur. Indian Airline flights have also started to Dubai from Jaipur.

Train: Jaipur is on the Broad Gauge and hence connected to all the metro cities of India. There are daily trains from Delhi in morning Shatabdhi Exp. Luxurious Palace on Wheel train starts on every Wednesday from Delhi.

Road: Comfortable deluxe and air-conditioned buses are run by Rajasthan Roadways from Delhi (India Gate) to Jaipur. The roads are very good, and it takes around 5-6 hrs from Delhi.