Jaipur Travel Guide
The picturesque capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur is color washed pink-the color
associated with hospitality in Rajput culture. Built in 1727 A.D. by Maharaja
Sawai Jai Singh JI, 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.
The only planned city of its time, Jaipur is encircled by a formidable wall.
A young Bengali architect, Vidyadhar Bhattacharya formalised the city’s
plans in a grid system. The wide straight avenues. Roads, streets, lanes and
uniform rows of shops on either side of main bazaars were arranged in nine rectangular
city sectors (Chokris), in accordance with the principles of town planning set
down in the ‘Shilpa Shastra’- and epochal treatise on the Hindu architecture.
A city like Jaipur, where modernity and tradition live hand-in-hand, is truly
rare. Perhaps this is what makes it an attractive destination for tourists who
flock to Jaipur , year after year .
Jaipur is named after its founder the warrior and astronomer sovereign Sawai
Jai Singh II (ruled 1688 to 1744). The decision to move out of his hilltop capital
Amer was also compelled by reasons of growing population and paucity of water.
Moreover in the early seventh century the power of the great Mughals was dwindling
with its aging Monarch Aurangzeb and after several centuries of invasions the
north was now quite and the wealth of the kingdom had become greater than before.
Seizing upon this opportune time Jai Singh planned his new capital in the planes.
Jaipur is a corroborative
effort of Sawai Jai Singh's strong grounding in sciences and astrology and a
Bengali architect Vidyadhar with a strong instinct for planning.
Moreover in the early seventh century the power of the great Mughals was dwindling
with its aging Monarch Aurangzeb and after several centuries of invasions the
north was now quite and the wealth of the kingdom had become greater than before.
Seizing upon this opportune time Jai Singh planned his new capital in the planes.
Jaipur is a corroborative effort of Sawai Jai Singh's strong grounding in sciences
and astrology and a Bengali architect Vidyadhar with a strong instinct for planning.
There is a timeless appeal to Jaipur’s colorful bazaars where one can shop
for Rajasthani handlooms and trinkets. Beautifully laid out gardens and parks,
attractive monuments and marvelous heritage hotels, once the residence of Maharaja’s
are worth admiration. Not to mention the ambling camels and cheerful people
in multi-hued costumes that make your trip to the pink city a memorable one.
Jaipur is 260 km from Delhi and 240 km from Agra and forms the most chosen tourism
golden triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. It a bustling capital city and a
business centre with all the trapping of modern metropolis but yet flavoured
strongly with an age-old charm that never fails to surprise a traveller. The
old Jaipur painted in Pink can grip any visitor with admiration. Stunning backdrop
of ancient forts Nahargarh, Amer, Jagarh and Moti Dungri are dramatic testimonials
of the bygone era and a reminder of their lingering romance.
