Jaipur the capital city of Rajasthan was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in the year 1727 AD. It is also known as the pink city of India. Jaipur displays a remarkable harmony and architectural splendor. The ancient heart of the Pink City still beats in its fairy-tale palaces, rugged fortresses perched on barren hills and broad avenues that dot the entire city.

Jaipur is considered the first planned city of its time. It was planned by a young Bengali architect, Vidyadhar Bhattacharya who had formalized the city's plans in a grid system. The city was planned on the principles set down in principles of 'Shilpa Shastra'.

There is a timeless appeal to Jaipur's colorful bazaars where one can shop for Rajasthani handlooms and trinkets. The beauty of Jaipur is further enhanced by the beautifully laid out gardens and parks, attractive monuments and marvelous heritage hotels.

The City Palace
The city palace lies in the heart of the old city. It was the former royal residence which was built in a blend of the Rajasthani and Mughal styles. Once here, you will be stunned by the carved arches with Grey-white marble columns, ornate with floral motifs in gold and colored stones. The entrance is taken care by the carved elephants in marbles. Some parts of palace is converted into museum. The palace museum has a superb collection of Rajasthani costumes and armory of Mughals and Rajputs including swords of different shapes and sizes with chased handles, some of them inlaid with enamel and embellished with jewels and encased in magnificent scabbards.

It also has an art gallery with an excellent collection of miniature paintings, carpets, royal paraphernalia and rare astronomical works in Arabic, Persian, Latin and Sanskrit, acquired by Sawai Jai Singh II to study astronomy in detail.

Hawa Mahal
Jaipur's most famous landmark is the palace of the winds or hawa mahal, a fantasia of 953 ornate of windows set in a rose-colored five storey facade. The palace, tier upon tier of curved arch surmounting fairy casements with "jali", lattice work screens the ladies from the public. From here the ladies of the court could look out at festive processions without jeopardizing their modest seclusion.

Nahargarh Fort
Beyond the hills of Jaigarh, stands the fort of Nahargarh like a vigilant sentinel guarding Sawai Jai Singh's beautiful capital. Much of the original structures are now in ruins, but the lovely buildings added by Sawai Ram Singh II and Sawai Madho Singh II in the 19th century are preserved in a good condition. Some of the rooms provide the most spectacular view of the city below.

Jantar Mantar
Jai singh's interest in astronomy led him to construct the famous Jantar Mantar, a stone observatory. It was used as a calendar but a bit more sophisticated than calendar as it also helped in knowing the time which was study with the help of sun rays falling on the scientifically designed structures. The most striking of these are the Ram Yantras used for gauging altitudes.

Govind Devji Temple
The most popular temple of Jaipur dedicated to Lord Krishna. It is located in the central pavilion of the Jai Niwas Garden to the north of Chandra Mahal. The image of the patron deity-Govind Devji, which was originally installed in a temple of Vrindavan, was reinstalled here by Sawai Jai Singh II as his family deity.

Ram Niwas Bagh
This lush spacious garden with a zoo, an aviary, a greenhouse, a herbarium , a museum and popular sport ground was built by Sawai Ram Singh II in the 1868 AD as a famine relief project. Later this garden was converted into a museum which was designed by Sir Swinton Jacob and it is now known as is now called Albert Hall. It houses a rich exquisite collection of sculptures, paintings, decorative wares, natural history specimen, and Egyptian mummy and the celebrated Persian carpet.

Amber Fort:
High on the rugged hills outside of town sits ancient forts, including amer (often called the amber fort), where the jaipur royal house held court for seven centuries. Visitors riding painted elephants can ascend to the fort to see the magnificent gateways, courtyards, pavilions, and a gliterring chamber of inlaid mirrors.

How To Get There

Air:
Jaipur has its own airport, and is well connected to all other tourist and business centers.

Rail:
An excellent connection from Delhi by Shatabdi Express and the Pink City Express. Other connections to Jaipur are from Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ahemadabad, Secunderabad and Lucknow.

Road:
A network of reasonably comfortable tourist buses, run by the road corporations of Rajasthan, Haryana and others states.