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Jaipur
The City-Capital In The Tone Of An Autumnal Sunset, Literally Blushed Pink When Prince Albert, The Consort Of Queen Victoria, Stepped On Its Soil In 1883. Interspersing The Play Of Red And Pink Were White Borders And Motifs, Painstakingly Outlining The Architectural Highlights Of Jaipur’s Buildings. Interestingly, The Royal Family, Earlier Residence, At Amber, Was Only 11 Km Away, And Had Been Since The 10th Century. Jaipur Was And Remains The Only City In The World Symbolizing The Nine Divisions Of The Universe Through Nine Rectangular Sectors Subdividing It. Jaipur Is A Royal City, And This Is Its Most Noticeable Aspect. Buildings Testify To It. Festivals Testify To It. Its Palace Hotels Testify To It. The Life Patterns Of Its Society Testify To It. The Pink City, the capital of Rajasthan State was built in the early 18th Century by Maharaja Jai Singh II, is a walled city with seven gates. Its six rectangular sections have wide well paved main roads and streets with spacious market squares at all cross roads. Popularly known as the pink city because of the pink paint applied to the buildings in its old walled city. ( In rajput culture, pink was traditionally colour associated with hospitality.) In contrast to the cities on the ganges plain, Jaipur has broad avenues and a remarkable harmony. The city sits on a dry lake bed ina wild and somewhat arid landscape, surrounded by barren hill surmounted by fortresses and crenellated walls. Jaipur long ago outstripped the conginees of its city wall yet retains a less crowded and more relaxed atmosphere than its large size and population might suggest.
City Palace: This Former Royal Residence Is An Imposing Blend Of Traditional Rajasthan And Mughal Architecture And Craftsmanship. In the heart of the old city, the city palace occupies a large area divided into a series of courtyards, gardens and buildings. The former Maharaja still lives in part of the palace. The seven - storey Chandra Mahal is the centre of the palace and commands fine views over the gardens and the city. The ground and 1st floor of the Chandra Mahal form the maharaja Sawai Man sing II Museum. The apartments are maintained in luxurious order and the museum has an extensive collection of art, carpets, enamel ware and old weapons. The paintings include miniatures of the Rajasthani, Moghul and persia schools. The armory has a collection of guns and swords dating back to the 15th century, as well a s many of the ingenious and tricky weapons for which the warriors Rajputs were famous. The textile section contains dresses and costumes of the former maharajas and maharanis of Jaipur.
Jantar Mantar: Adjacent to the entrance of the city palace is the Jantar Mantar, or observatory, begun by Jai singh in 1728. Jai singh’s passion for astronomy was even more notable than his prowess as a warrior and before commencing construction, he sent scholars abroad to study foreign observatory is. The Jaipur observatory is the largest and the best preserved of the five he build, and was resorted in 1901. At first glance, Jantar Mantar appears to be just a curious collection of sculptures but, Infact, each construction has specific purpose, such as a measuring the positions of stars, altitudes and azimuths, or calculating eclipses. The most striking instrument is the sundial with its 30 metre - high. The shadow this casts moves up to four metres an hour.
Jal Mahal: As Its Name Denotes, This Is A Palace Built Amidst A Lake And Intended As The Summer Resort For The Royal Family. The Palace Is Noted For Its Intricate Architecture.
Amber Palace: In Earlier Times, The Entire Complex Was Owned By The Minas And Dedicated To ‘Amba Mata’, The Incarnation Of Earth And Fertility. Amber was once the ancient capital of Jaipur state. Construction of the fortress palace was begun in 1592 by Raja Man singh, the Rajput commander of Akbar’s army. It was later extended and completed by the Jai Singhs before the move to Jaipur on the plains below, The fort is a superb example of Rajput architecture, stunningly situated on a hillside and overlooking a lake which reflects its terraces and ramparts.
Central Museum: The museum is housed in the architecturally impressive Albert Hall in the Ram Niwas Gardens, south of the old city. The upper floor contains portraits of the Jaipur Maharajas and many other miniatures and art works. The ground floor has a collection of costumes and woodwork from different parts of Rajasthan and a description of the people and life in the rural areas of the state. The collection, which started in 1833, is also notable for its brass ware, jewellery and pottery.
Gaitor: The cenotaphs of the royal family are at Gaitor, 6 ½ km from Jaipur on the road to Amber. The white marble cenotaph of Maharaja Jai Singh II is the most impressive and is decorated with carved peacocks. Next to it is the cenotaph of his son. Opposite the cenotaphs is the Jai Mahal Water Palace in the middle of a lake and reached by a causeway. Or at least it was in the middle of a lake, the water is now all but squeezed out by the einsidious weed, water hyacinth. There is another Royal Gaitor just outside the Jaipur city walls.
Tiger: The Nahargarh Fort over looks the city from a sheer ridge 6 ½ km away and is floodlit at night.
Jaigarh Fort: The imposing Jaigarh Fort, built in 1726 by Jaisingh, was only opened to the punlic in mid 1983. Its within walking distance of Amber and offers a great view over the plains from the Diwa Burj watchtower.
Bharatpur: A must for those with an interesting ornithology, Bharatpur is now best known for its world Heritage p listed bird sanctuary, the Keoladeo Ghana National Park. In the 17th and 18th centuries, however, the town was a Jat strong hold. Before the arrival of the Rajputs, the Jats inhabited this area and were able to retain a high degree of autonomy both because of their prowess in battle and because of their powers in battle and because of their chiefs marriage alliances with Rajput nobility. They successfully opposed the moghuls on more than one occasion and their fort at Bharatpur, constructed in the 18th century, withstood and attack by the British in 1805 and along siege in 1825.
Bird Sanctuary: No less than 328 kinds of birds have been sighted at the Keoladeo sanctuary, 117 of which migrate from as far away as Siberia and China.
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