Jaipur

Jaipur

Jaipur is also called the pink city. It is the capital and the largest city of the Rajasthan. It is far away around 268 km from the national capital New Delhi. Jaipur was founded by the Rajput ruler Jai Singh II, in 1727. Jai Singh was the ruler of Amer. the king Jai Singh after whom the city is named .Jaipur was designed by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. The city was painted pink to welcome HRH Albert Edward, Prince of Wales by the ruler of Sawai Ram Singh.

After independence, Jaipur was made capital of the state of Rajasthan. Jaipur is a famous tourist site in India and a part of the Golden Triangle tourist circuit along with Delhi and Agra.  UNESCO World Heritage Committee has added Jaipur as the ‘Pink City of India’ in World Heritage Sites. Amber Fort and Jantar Mantar both the tourist places of Jaipur are in UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Tourist Places in Jaipur

Jaipur is a major tourist place in India and a part of the Golden Triangle. According to Trip Advisor's Traveller's Choice Awards for Destination, Jaipur got 1st rank among the Indian destinations in 2015. Jaipur Exhibition & Convention Centre (JECC) is Rajasthan's largest convention and exhibition centre. It is popular for organizing events such as Vastara, Jaipur Jewellery Show and Stonemart.

Hawa Mahal

Hawa Mahal is also called The Palace of Winds which is located near the city Palace in Jaipur. It is a palace in Jaipur which is built with the red and pink sandstone and extends to women's chambers.

In 1799, Hawa Mahal was made by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh who was the grandson of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh.  He was inspired by the structure of Khetri Mahal so he made this historical palace. This was designed by Lal Chand Ustad. Its unique five floors are with its 953 small windows called Jharokhas decorated with complicated latticework. These windows allowed cool air inside this Palace which makes the whole area more pleasant during the high temperatures in summer. The main intent of the lattice design was to allow royal ladies to see daily routine and festivals celebrated in the street. They had to obey the rules of 'purdah' which not allowed them from seeming in public without face coverings.

Jal Mahal

Jal Mahal is a Palace also called Water Palace. It is located in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur. In the 18th century, The palace and the lake nearby it were renovated by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber.

The Jal Mahal palace has a picturesque view of the lake itself. The palace is built in red sandstone. It is a five floor building and four floors remain underwater when the lake is full and the top floor is visible.

City Palace

The City Palace was constructed by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II In 1727.  He moved his court to Jaipur from Amber. The Palace was also religious and cultural events as well as a patron of arts. It now has Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum and continues to be the home of the Jaipur royal family. It is said that the royal family of Jaipur is the descendants of Lord Rama. The palace complex has many buildings, numerous courtyards, restaurants and offices of the museum Trust.

Amer Fort

Amer Fort or Amber Fort is a fort located in Amer which is away 11 kilometers from Jaipur. Amer Town and the Amber Fort were originally made by the Meena and later on it was ruled by Raja Man Singh I. It is situated on high hill. Amer Fort is famous for its artistic style features. The fort can be seen from Maota Lake, because of large ramparts. It is the basic source of water for the Amer Palace. Nowadays, Amar Fort is the main tourist attraction in Jaipur.

The Amer Fort is also famous as the Amer Palace. Fort was constructed of red sandstone and marble. The palace is laid out on four levels and each has with a courtyard. It contains of the Diwan-e-Aam or Public Audience Hall, the Diwan-e-Khas or Private Audience Hall, the Sheesh Mahal or Jai Mandir and the Sukh Niwas where a cool climate is artificially made by air within the palace. The palace was the residence of the Rajput kings and their families. At the entry gate of the palace near the fort's Ganesh Gate, there is a temple of Shila Devi who is a goddess of the Chaitanya cult. This was given to Raja Man Singh when he defeated the Raja of Jessore, in 1604. There were 12 queens of Raja Man Singh so he prepared 12 rooms, one for each Queen. Every room had a staircase that was connected to the King’s room. The World Heritage Committee held in Cambodia in 2013 which declared Amer Fort and five other Forts of Rajasthan as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar is located in Jaipur which is largest one. There are total five Jantar Mantars in India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage that this sundial can give the local time to an accuracy of 2 seconds. In the early 18th century, Total Five Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi are made by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur.  They were made between 1724 and 1735.

The Jantar Mantar is an equinoctial sundial. The Jantar mantar have like Samrat Yantra, Ram Yantra, Jai Prakash and Niyati Chakra that are used to for several astronomical calculations. The main purpose was to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon and planets.

Nahargarh Fort

Nahargarh Fort is located on the edge of the Aravalli Hills and overlooking the city of Jaipur. This fort was originally named Sudarshangarh but later on it is known as Nahargarh which means abode of tigers. It is said the Nahar here stands for Nahar Singh Bhomia whose spirit obstructed construction of the fort. A temple is built in his memory within the fort to give pacify his sprit which thus became known by his name.

Jaigarh Fort

Jaigarh Fort was constructed by Jai Singh II in 1726. Jaigarh Fort is set on the Hill of Eagles of the Aravalli range. The fort is made to protect the Amer Fort and palace and was named after him.

The fort has cannon named Jaivana Cannon which was manufactured in the fort premises. At that time it was the world's largest cannon on wheels. Jaigarh Fort and Amer Fort are connected by underground ways.

Birla Mandir

Birla Mandir is also known as Lakshmi Narayan Temple. It is a Hindu temple located in Jaipur which is made by the B.M. Birla Foundation in 1988. It is made solely of white marble. It is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu and along with other Hindu gods and goddesses. Diwali and Janamashtami are celebrated in the temple.  Its Construction starts in 1977 under the direction Ramanauj Das and Ghanshyam Birla and it is opened on February 22nd, 1988.

Sanghiji

Shri Digamber Jain Atishya Kshetra Mandir is set away 16 km from Jaipur. It is an ancient Jain temple which is made of red stone. It is believed that the idol of deity of this temple, Lord Rishabhanatha, the first Tirthankara, is 4000 years old. Temple has a dharamshala with all modern facilities including Bhojanalaya.

How to Reach

By Air: The nearest airport is Sanganer Airport. It is around 12 km far from the Jaipur city. Private and Government Buses, cabs and rented taxis can be taken easily from outside of the airport to reach the city.

By Rail: The Nearest railway station is the Jaipur railway station. It has good train connectivity with other major stations in Rajasthan and from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. Jaipur railway station is also well connected to others tourist places in Rajasthan such as Ajmer and Udaipur. Traveling by train within Rajasthan is a good and cheap option.

By Road: Jaipur has good road connectivity to various part of the country. State transport, Volvo and deluxe buses are regularly available. Sleeper buses are available from Delhi, Kota, Ahmedabad, Udaipur and Ajmer. It is typically an overnight journey and reaches in Jaipur in morning. This journey is quite cheap and comfortable.

Best time to Visit

Jaipur can be visited any time of the year. The best time is to visit it from October to March. These months are enjoyable. Although these months are very cold but this time is a good to visit the forts of Jaipur. April to September is very hot so avoided these months for visiting.