Jaipur is capital of state of
Rajasthan, is one of the well-planned cities of its time. Jaipur was established
by the then Maharaja, Sawai Jai Singh in the year 1927. Jaipur was planned by
Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya, a Bengali architect, in a grid system with wide
straight avenues, roads, streets and lanes and uniform rows of shops on either
side of the main bazaars, all arranged in nine rectangular city sectors. The city itself is an attractive
creation worthy of universal admiration. Attractive monuments where one can breathe the fragrance of history.
Comfortable and luxurious hotels, once the proud of kings, parks, gardens, and
excursions of nearby places of interest, make Jaipur a tourist paradise. The
graceful architecture of the City that runs across in pink colour has earned
Jaipur the title of 'The Pink City'.
Jaipur is predominantly known for its musicians, artisans and craftsmen.
Jaipur Heritage City – Places andMonuments
Hawa Mahal
Also known as ‘Palace of Winds’ was built for the royal ladies to watch the processions through the myriad windows of the palace. This five-storied palace was also used to store arte facts by the royal family. The Hawa Mahal is the most strikingly designed monument in Jaipur built by the poet king Sawai Pratap Singh,. What is seen from the Sireh Deorhi Bazaar is the multi-niche five storey high backside of the complex. It was conceived to provide adequate vantage position behind delicate stone carved jali screens to the palace women for watching the royal processions passing through the bazaar below.
Amber Fort, Jaipur
Amber Fort is the earliest capital of the Jaipur state. The Fort is perched high on the rocky terrain of Amer and was the seat of various Maharajas of Jaipur. The palace is adorned with mirror glass work, doors with parquet ivory work, and painted maps of various Hindu pilgrimages. For seven long centuries before Jaipur was built, Amer served as the capital as Kachhwaha rulers of the old state of Dhundhar. Amer Fort is the complex of palaces, halls, pavilions, gardens and temples, which were built by Raja Man Singh, Mirza Raja Jai Singh and Sawai Jai Singh over a period of about two centuries.
The palace complex rising from the placid waters of the Mootha lake is approached through a steep path, now often traversed by tourists on elephant-back, to Singh palace and Jaleb Chowk. Two flights of stairs rise from one end to the chowk, one leading to the elegant temple of Shila Mata and other to the palace complex. The image of the Mother Goddess worshipped with reverence by thousands of devotees every day was brought from Jessore in East Bengal ( now in Bangladesh ) by raja Man Singh and installed here.
The front courtyard of the palace complex is dominated by the spectacular pillared hall of the Diwan-e-Aam and the double storeyed painted gateway Ganesh Pole. Beyond the corridors and galleries on the either side of a small elegant Charbagh style garden are Sukh Niwas to its right and Jas Mandir to its left. The Jas Mandir in the upper floor combines the finest elements od mughal architecture and interior decoration in a Rajput setting with intricately carved jali screens, delicate mirror and stucco works and painted and carved dadodes. The older and simpler structures at the far end were built by Raja Man Singh in the later year of the 16th century.
City Palace
The City Palace is a historic landmark.
The City Palace was the residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur in the eighteenth
century and part of the magnificent palace is still the residence of royalty.
The palace showcases world’s largest silver containers which were carried by
the Maharaja for water on his foreign voyage. The carved arches are supported
by grey-white marble columns studded with floral motifs in gold and coloured
stones. Two elephants carved in marble guard the entrance, where retainers
whose families have served generations of rulers are at hand to serve as guides.
The palace interior houses a Museum containing select collection of various types of Rajasthani dresses, a fascinating armoury of Mughal and Rajput weapons; swords of all shapes and sizes, with chased handles, some of them inlaid, enamelled, encrusted with jewels and encased in bold and magnificent scabbards.
It also has an art gallery with a fine collection of paintings, carpets, royal paraphernalia and rare astronomical works in Arabic, Persian, Latin and Sanskrit, acquired by Sawai Jai Singh-II for his study of planets and their movements.
Nahargarh Fort
The ‘Tiger Fort’, is believed to be the palace used by the then royalty on their hunting escapades. The Nahargarh Fort was built by Sawai Raja Jai Singh in 1734. According to a legend, the Fort was named after a prince whose spirit used to haunt the site and would cause mischief so as to delay the construction of the fort. Beyond the hills of Jaigarh stand the Fort of Nahargarh like a watchful sentinel guarding Sawai Jai Singh’s beautiful city. Much of the original structures are now in ruins, but the lovely building added by sawai Ram Singh II and Sawai Madho Singh II still survive.
Jaigarh Fort
One of the most spectacular forts of India, Jaigarh is rooted on the rocky terrain of Aravallis in Amer. Jaigarh Fort was a centre of artillery production for the Rajputs. The western skyline is dominated by the extensive parkotas (walls), watch-towers and gateways of jaigarh. It is one of the few military structures of the mediaeval India preserved almost intact containing palaces, gardens, open and covered reservoirs, a granary, an armoury, a well-planned cannon foundry, several temples, a tall tower and a giant mounted cannon-the Jai Ban – the largest in the country.
Sargasuli
Also known as Isar Lat, this tower was erected in the mid-18th century by Maharaja Ishwari Singh to commemorate a battle victory. Ironically, Ishwari Singh was ostracized for his love of a common girl, and he is the only Kachchawaha maharaja who has not been commemorated at Gaitore.The tower dominating the skyline on the western side of Tripolia Bazaar is the highest structure in Jaipur.
Albert Museum
Colonel Sir Swinton Jacob designed it in 1876 to greet King Edward VII as Prince of Wales on his visit to India. It was constructed by Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh in the year 1886 under the drought relief work of Rs 4 Lacs. This museum is the oldest museum of the State. It is situated in the beautiful garden of Jaipur city, Ram Niwas Bagh. This museum has an assortment of rare articles on its display including textiles, carpets, paintings, metal and wood crafts, pottery, arms and weapons, toys, dolls and an Egyptian mummy that belongs to the Ptolemaic Epoch. It is also known for housing the famous carpet, which portrays the scene of a Persian garden carpet with running water streams that was bought at a dear price from Shah Abbas of Persia, by Mirza Raja Jai Singh I.
Ram Niwas Bagh
A garden planned by Maharaja Ram Singh in the 19th century as a famine relief project, this extensive park consists of a zoo, aviary, herbarium museum and sports complex. An added attraction is Albert Hall, designed by Sir Swinton Jacob, a British architect who created palaces for many of the rulers of Rajasthan, and whose experiments with Indo Saracenic architecture combined elements of English and north- Indian architecture. Albert Hall is a museum and houses many curiosities.
Sisodia Rani Ka Bagh
Along the road to Agra through a narrow garge in the southern eastern corner of the walled city, several landscaped gardens were constructed by the Kings and important courtiers in the 18th and 19th centuries. The largest and the most famous is a garden built by sawai jai Singh II for his Sisodia queen-the Sisodai Rani Ka Bagh. It consists of tiered multilevel gardens, fountains, pools, some gorgeous pieces of sculpture and painted pavilions.
Vidyadhar Ka Bagh
Built in the memory of Vidyadhar, the architect of the Pink City, it is situated in a narrow valley surrounded by high hills. The beautiful garden has been renovated recently. This garden was a vineyard of the former royalty. This is a terraced garden with fountains, pool and other features of a formal royal resort. The exquisite, tiered garden laid for the private pleasure of the architect of the city, it has delicated pavilions bordered by water channels, and a larger pavilion overlooking the whole complex. Located at Ghat Ki Guni, it is now let out for private picnics.
Kanak Vrindavan
The Kanak Vrindavan is not very old but definitely an exquisitely land scaped garden with a beautifully carved temple in beige stone. It is a vast complex with terrace sites all around and intricately carved marble columns and lattices. Located in the foothills of Nahargarh hills on the way towards Amber, this complex is a popular spot for picnic and film shoots. It should be definitely visited on the way to the forts of Jaipur – Nahargarh, Jaigarh and Amber. The greenery after the monsoons transforms this whole place virtually into a paradise with Jal Mahal in the back ground.
Jantar Mantar
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