Jaipur India Tourism
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.
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.
City palace
Located in the heart of the walled city, The City Palace Complex gives you
an idea about the farsightedness of the founder of Jaipur Sawai Jai Singh.
He left behind a legacy of some of the most imposing and magnificent architecture,
art and craft structure in the city. Sawai Jai Singh built its many buildings
but some of some of the structures were also built by later rulers and some
of them are even dated in the in the twentieth century too. The palace is
a blend of Mughal and Rajasthani architecture and the royal family still
lives in a part of the palace.
Jantar Mantar
Across the road from the palaces is the famous JANTAR MANTAR one of the
five observatories in India . Built by Sawai Jai Singh, this is one of the
largest and the best preserved. A passionate hobby of the king in the field
of Astronomy, numerology, insighted him to execute this observatory and
with the help of skilled labourers, they managed to create a collection
of complex astronomical instruments chiselled out of stone and most of which
continues to provide accurate information to this day. The most striking
instrument is the Brihat Samrat yantra Sundial, an imposing yellow edifice
to the far right of the observatory complex which has a 27m high gnomon
arm set at an angle of 27degree.The shadow this casts moves up to 4m in
an hour, and aids in the calculation of local and meridian pass time and
various attributes of the heavenly bodies, including declination the angular
distance of a heavenly body from the celestial equator and altitude. This
highlight of the observatory has made it a centre of attraction for the
tourist visiting Jaipur.
Hawa Mahal
Poet king Sawai Pratap Singh built this palace of winds. This is the most
easily recalled landmarks of Jaipur and is also its icon. Located in the
city Palace it is best viewed from the outside for the palace is really
a facade. This five-storey building overlooking the busy bazaar street is
a stunning example of Rajput architecture and artistry with its pink delicately
honeycombed 953 sandstone windows known as 'jharokhas'. It was originally
built for the ladies of the royal household to watch everyday life and processions
in the city from their veiled comfort.
Amber Fort
Amber (pronounced Amer) is situated about 11 kilometres from Jaipur and
was the ancient citadel of the ruling Kachhawa clan of Amber, before the
capital was shifted in the plains to present day Jaipur. The Amber Fort
set in picturesque and rugged hills is a fascinating blend of Hindu and
Mughal architecture. Constructed by Raja Man Singh I in 1592 and completed
by Sawai Jai Singh I the fort is made in red sand stone and white marble.
The rugged forbidding exterior belies an inner paradise with a beautiful
fusion of art and architecture. Amber is the classic and romantic fort-
palace with a magnificent aura. The interior wall of the palace depicts
expressive painting scenes with carvings, precious stones and mirror settings.
In the foreground is the Maota Lake providing a breathtaking look. Built
mainly for the warring enemies as a safe place, the heavily structured walls
could defend the residents within the ramparts of the fort.
Jaipur India Tourism, North India Tourism Reservation Form