Jaipur, the glistening Pink City, was founded by and named after Sawai Jai Singh II. It beckons tourists with a magnificent display of its royal Rajput heritage in its imposing forts and impressive palaces. Added bonus is the warm hospitality of its colorful people and of course a plethora of handicrafts to shop for. Tourists can enjoy watching and participating in various festivals that Jaipur hosts-from the modern Jaipur Literary festival to the traditional Teej, Gangaur and Kite festival.
Summers are very hot in Jaipur, with temperature almost 45°C while the winters are cool and ideal to plan for a holiday, although the temperature may dip down to 8.3°C in winter.
Jaipur is well connected by Air with Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jodhpur and Udaipur. Trains are available from the states of Delhi, Agra, Mumbai , Chennai, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Forts and Palaces
Amer Fort lies atop a hill about I km away from the city. Within its complex are temples, gardens and pavilions built by generations of its rulers. Tourists can ride elephant- back up the steep road to the palace complex and from the chowk or the center of the complex, climb up the stairs to the Sitala Mata temple.
Jaigarh fort, one of the best preserved medieval military forts, lies high on a hill, a few kilometers away from the Amer fort. Inside is a weapons museum displaying a large collection of swords and small arms. Also displayed is a giant cannon- Jai Ban Cannon- believed to be the largest cannon on wheels in the world.
Over- looking the city, Nahargarh fort lies about 8 km away. Floodlit at night, the fort has beautiful building added by later rulers, though most of its original structure is now in ruins.
City palace, the home of the former maharaja lies within the walled part of Jaipur, in the heart of the city. Inside this imposing palace are a textile museum of various Rajasthani dresses, and a weapons museum of the Rajput and Mughal armoury. In the corner of the courtyard is an art gallery with a fascinating collection of paintings, carpets and rare ancient manuscripts.
Hawa Mahal, a red sandstone structure with intricately latticed windows or jharokhas is one of easily recognized monuments of Jaipur. The anterior of the five storey palace is viewed from the streets of Deohri bazaar. Tourists can pay an entrance fee to visit all the monuments and forts, and pay additional charges for photography.
Moti Doongri and Jal Mahal are two other interesting palaces.
Monuments and temples
Jantar Mantar, the largest of the five astronomical observatories built by Maharaja Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur, houses eighteen elaborate and unique instruments. This observatory is now a UNESCO world heritage site. Tourists can also visit the B M Birla Planetarium, one of the most modern planetariums in India.
Albert Hall, designed by Sir Swinton Jaicob, stands in the middle of Ram Niwas Bagh, a garden. It is now a museum displaying miniature paintings, sculpture, blue pottery and portraits of former Maharajas. Photography is prohibited here.
Govind Devji Temple lies inside the City Palace. The Krishna deity, said to be the facial image of Lord Krishna, is originally from Vrindavan and was re-installed here by Jai Singh II. The Lakshmi Narayan Temple lies close to Moti Doongri Palace.
Other interesting spots some distance away are Sisodia Rani Palace, newly renovated with beautiful gardens, and Gaitor, a memorial to former Maharajas. At Galtaji there is a sun temple.
Heritage hotels and Havelis
Tourists can stay in and get a feel of the royal life-style in a heritage hotel. Most of the residences and palaces of former Maharaja have been converted into luxury hotels. Rambagh Palace is one of the most impressive luxury hotels in India, and one of the nicest places to stay. Narain Niwas, Jai Mahal, Raj Mahal are other Palaces. Samode haveli, a 200 year old haveli, is a popular place to stay.
Festivals
Two colorful traditional festivals celebrated in Jaipur are Teej and Gangaur. Both are dedicated to the worship of Shiva and Parvati. Processions are taken out through the city and women carry the divine images through the city. On Teej, held in the monsoons, colorful dressed women swing from specially erected and decorated swings throughout the city. In March around Holi an elephant festival is held; elephants adorned with elaborate floral arrangements move in a sequence in a pageant held for them.
A large fair is held annually at the Sitala Mata temple in Amber fort.
A shopper’s paradise
Silver jewelry, gemstones, ethnic fabrics and handicrafts, Jaipur has lots to offer. Embroidered leather footwear is a specialty, as is the famed blue pottery. Bapu Bazaar and Nehru Bazaar are the places to buy fabric and textiles in the traditional tie and die and sanganeri prints. Johri bazaar is the place to shop for semi precious stones and silver jewelry. Other things to buy are antiques, Rajasthani paintings and marble handicrafts. However, most markets are shut on Sunday.
Last Updated on 4/25/2012
