Jaipur – The City in Pink

Hi, I am Sameer Dutta from New Delhi,an accountant by profession. Travelling is my favourite hobby, usually, during my vacations I use to visit popular tourist destinations of India. Last month I managed one week holiday from my busy work schedule and set out for Rajasthan’s capital, Jaipur. When I reached Jaipur, I understood completely why the city is called pink city, it is due to pink coloured houses, shops and institutions. After enquiring about good hotels from locals, finally I booked a room in a budget range hotel. After that I moved outside my hotel for sightseeing tour of Jaipur city. I found that the entire city is fenced by a lofty wall and there are seven royal gates for entrance and exit.

In fact, Jaipur is a city of amazing variety, I found an excellent blending of Mughal and Rajput essence of architecture and culture in old buildings here. Most of the lofty palaces are made of red and white sandstone and white marble.

At first I visited the Hawa Mahal or the Palace of Winds, built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 AD. A five storeyed building, Hawa Mahal is made of red and pink sandstone and motif's are painted of quick lime. One of the finest examples of Rajput architecture and artistry, Hawa Mahal really enchanted me a lot. My tourist guide acknowledged me that the building was designed by Lal Chand Usta and is dedicated to Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha.

Just beyond the Hawa Mahal, the unique solar observatory, Jantar Mantar is located. It was also constructed by the founder of the city, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. After passing one hour in Hawa Mahal I returned back to my hotel for lunch. By 5’O clock in the evening I moved outside my hotel for exploring the markets of Jaipur. Traditional handicrafts, jewelleries, leather items etc. are some of the highlights of Jaipur. I bought three pairs of leather shoes and jewelleries for my family members at very cheap rate. I also got a good opportunity to interact with local people and returned to my hotel by 8 p.m. After having my dinner I went to my bed with the sweet memories of the day.

Next day, first I visited the City Palace which also has an incredible museum. In the City Palace museum I found the most amazing treasures held by the Jaipur royal family. From here I proceed to Amber Fort, just 10 kms from the main town. I enjoyed the Elephant Safari at Amber Fort which was once in a lifetime experience for me.

Apart from these, I visited a lot of interesting destinations in next two days which filled my mind with boundless joy. The serene outlook of Shila Devi temple, Jagat Shiromani temple and Narsingh temple enchanted me a lot. Besides, the tranquil Panna Meena Ki Baodi (stepwell) provided me an essence of the medieval culture. My tourist guide also showed me the resting places of the rulers and their wives, located at Gaitor and Maji ki Chhatri, generally known as Maharani’s cenotaphs.

The Jaigarh and Nahargarh Forts are located close to Jaipur city, so I didn’t forget to visit them. Jaigarh Fort, a rugged fort is situated in the hilly areas and has wonderful water storage system. Amazingly, the largest canon on wheels in the whole world- the Jai Van is located here. My tourist guide told me that the Fort of Nahargarh was named after a local deity Nahar Singh. I stayed for four days in Jaipur, I enjoyed every moment of vacation, I am sure that after going through my article you will also plan a trip to Jaipur. If you are still confused, don’t think, just plan a trip to Jaipur next vacation, I am assuring you that you will really remember the trip to Jaipur forever.

History of the city : During my Jaipur trip my travel guide me described the brief history of Jaipur city before me, that I want to share with you people. He told me the city was founded by the Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in the year of 1727. More interestingly, throughout the world, Jaipur is the only city which has been built on the principles mentioned in the ‘Shilpa Shastra.’ He also mentioned that the founder of city Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II (ruled from1688 AD to1744 AD) was himself a great mathematician, astrologer, astronomer and a great warrior too. With the wish to turn his dream of constructing an architectural wonder into reality, he recruited one eminent Bengali town-planner and architect, Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, who extracted one planned city from the breast of desert.