Wandering through the Pink City – Jaipur

Cradled among the mighty Aravallis, the pink city of Jaipur lies on the edge of the Thar Desert. It is the capital of the desert state of Rajasthan. Magnificent ornate palaces and impressive fortresses truly exudes a regal grandeur. The Rajputs of Rajasthan were a martial race and their folkore, arts, crafts, theatre and traditional dance reflects themes of courage and valor. It is the Rajasthan’s largest city. Jaipur derives its name from an astronomer prince, Sawai Jai Singh II, who built the city in 1727. The whole city of Jaipur is dotted with pink sandstone monuments that add colour and charm to this wonder city.

Things to see and Do :

Hawa Mahal: Built for the queen and her companions, Hawa Mahal derives its name from the cool westerly winds that blow through it. It was built by Mahraja Sawai Partap Singh in1799 AD. It is also known as the Palace of Winds. It has a spectacular pyramidal façade. Five stories high it has small window each with its own balcony.

City Palace : The magnificent City Palace, is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthani and Mughal art. The interiors of the Palace has various royal halls decorated with miniature paintings, carpets, old weapons and robes of royal princess. The most amazing thing that we found in the City Palace were the two 1.6 m tall silver vessels, which were used for the Ganges River water taken to the England in 1902. They are made from coins and are listed in the Guiness Book of Records. There were two – three shops inside the City Palace selling books, Kurtis, Kurtas, jewellery, bandhini, jutis, pottery and puppetry.

Jaigarh Fort : As the Jaigarh fort stands at the top of the picturesque hill it provides the breathtaking view of the whole city below it. Nahargarh fort was built by the Maharaja Jai Sawai Singh of Jaipur. It is also referred to as the Tigers Fort. Visiting this palace provides the memories of the life time.

Amber Fort : The stunning Amber fort or Palace looks like the jewel shinning in through the mountain bushes. The Palace was built by the Raja Man Singh in 1592. Within the Palce is the Jai Mandir or the Hall of Glory, with its justly famed Sheesh Mahal. The most interesting part of the Amber Fort is the elephant ride to the hill. If you have the enough time than check out the private living quarters especially the Zeena.

Jantar Mantar : Jantar Mantar is the biggest of all the five observatories inIndia. It was built by Sawai Jai Singh in 1726 AD. Each construction in Jantar Mantar hasspecific purposes such as measuring the exact position of stars or circulating eclipses. Curves, corners, colours and the cosmos all come together in this palace.

Shopping in Jaipur : Jaipur offers good shopping opportunities for the tourists such as hand block printing, tie and dye fabrics, light quilts, dhurries, carpets, embroidered footwear, silver jewellery, miniature and folk paintings.

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