Jaipur

General Information

Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan. Also known as the Pink City, it was founded in the year 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya was the chief architect of this one of the finest planned cities of India. It took 4 years time to construct the major roads, squares and monument of Jaipur city. It was divided into nine sectors out of which two had royal buildings and palaces while the remaining seven sectors were allotted for public residences. Jaipur experiences semi-arid climate and receives 650 mm rainfall annually. Monsoon season extends from June to September while temperature remains around 30 °C during the summer months of April to July.

Tourist attractions in Jaipur

Hawa Mahal : Literally meaning the Palace of Winds, the five storey honeycomb like structure has 953 intricately carved windows from where royal ladies used to view street processions below without themselves being seen by anybody else. The palace has good architecture for air circulation and ventilation that provides cool breeze to the visitors.

City Palace : It is the combination of Mogul and Rajput styles of architecture. Mubarak Mahal, Chandra Mahal, Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas and Chandra Mahal are the main attractions of the City Palace, built by Maharaja Jai Singh II.

Jantar Mantar : This medieval time observatory is a UNESCO declared World Heritage Site. It was built by Maharaja Jai Singh between the years 1727 to 1734. It has 14 huge size geometrical devices called Yantras that were used to measure movements of heavenly bodies and to calculate the occurrence of eclipses.

Amber Fort : The fort was originally built by Kachwaha rulers between the years 1600 to 1727 AD. It is named after Amber town and is built with yellow sandstone. Sheesh Mahal is the main attraction of the fort. The best way to explore Amber Fort is to hitch an elephant ride to its top from where you can have a panoramic view of the city. Light and Sound Show is held at the fort every night.

Jaigarh Fort : It was considered the strongest fort out of the three in the area, other two being Amber Fort and Nahargarh Fort. Jaigarh Fort has scenic gardens and presents the spectacular view of Amber Fort.

Other tourist attractions of Jaipur are :

• Govind Devji Temple
• Jal Mahal
• Nahargarh Fort
• Sisodia Rani Palace and Garden
• Moti Doongari
• Albert Hall Museum
• Laxmi Naryan Mandir
• Madhvendra Palace
• Jain Mandir
• Galtaji
• Vidhyadhar Gardens

Getting There

By Air : Direct flights are available from Jaipur Airport to Singapore, Bangkok, Dublin, Dubai, Muscat, London etc. Domestic flights also run for Delhi, Jodhpur, Chennai, Banglore, Mumbai etc.

By Train : Long distance trains run from Jaipur to all other major cities of India like Kolkata, Gwalior, Bhopal, Surat, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar etc. Superfast Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains also make a scheduled halt at Jaipur Railway Station. Some trains also stop at Gandhinagar and Durgapura railway stations.

By Road : Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) operates AC and non AC buses for nearby cities of Rajasthan, Delhi, UP, Haryana and other states. AC Volvo buses also run for Delhi's IGI airport on regular intervals.