|
Jaipur: The Pink City
|
 |
|
Jaipur is popularly known as the "Pink city" and is the capital of Rajasthan. The city constructed by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. The pink color was used at the time of making to create an impression of red sandstone buildings of Mughal cities - and repainted in 1876, during the visit of the Prince of Wales.
|
|
Jaipur, a royal city with its fairy - tale palaces, rugged fortresses display remarkable harmony in architectural splendor. Jaipur's craft, especially lacquer bangles are famous all over the world. Some of the palaces, once the residence of Maharajas have been converted to heritage hotels.
|
|
Enjoy camel rides and tour tourist attractions on Jaipur heritage tours with Castle and King tour packages. Drive to Amber Fort located on the outskirts of Jaipur Rajasthan India. Hold you breath at the sight of this majestic monument that rises on top of a sandstone hillock with perfect regal grace. Visit the City Palace Complex in Jaipur Rajasthan India. Stare wonder-eyed at the lovely Hawa Mahal and visit Jaipur museums and other local attractions of this Rajput land.
|
|
| Amber Fort/Palace |
|
Amber palace is situated in Amber, the former capital of the Kachhwaha Rajputs on a hillside overlooking Maotha lake, 11 km from Jaipur on the Delhi - Jaipur road. Its construction was started by Raja Man Singh I, army commander of Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1592 and was completed by Mirza Raja Jai Singh and Sawai Jai Singh, over a period of about two centuries. It is a classic fusion of Mughal and Hindu architecture, built in red sandstone and white marble.
|
|
The fort is entered through the 'Dil-e-Aaram' Garden, laid out in the traditional Mughal style. An imposing flight of stairs leads to the 'Diwan-E-Am' (hall of public audience) which has latticed galleries and double row of columns each having a capital in the shape of elephants on the top. To the right are steps that lead to the small Kali Temple. Maharaja Man Singh was a great devotee of Goddess Kali and prayed to the goddess for victory during battles.
|
|
| City Palace |
|
City Palace, Jaipur, which includes the Chandra Mahal and Mubarak Mahal palaces and other buildings, is a palace complex in Jaipur city, the capital of the Rajasthan state, India. It was the seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur, the head of the Kachwaha Rajput clan. The Chandra Mahal palace now houses a museum but the greatest part of it is still a royal residence. The palace complex, which is located northeast of the centre of the grid patterned Jaipur city, incorporates an impressive and vast array of courtyards, gardens and buildings. The palace was built between 1729 and 1732, initially by Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber. He planned and built the outer walls, and later additions were made by successive rulers right up to the twentieth century. The credit for the urban layout of the city and its structures is attributed to two architects namely, Vidyadar Bhattacharya, the chief architect in the royal court and Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, apart from the Sawai himself who was a keen architectural enthusiast. The architects achieved a fusion of the Shilpa shastra of Indian architecture with Rajput, Mughal and European styles of architecture.
|
|
| Jantar Mantar |
|
Jantar Mantar, one of the five observatories built by Sawai Jai Singh. A collection of complex astronomical instruments, chisseled out of stone- most of which continue to provide fairly accurate information to this day - is the highlight of this observatory.
|
|
The words Jantar Mantar are derived from Sanskrit words Yantram (meaning instrument) and Mantram (meaning calculation). So, this observatory is actually a place where huge stone instruments were used to trace the movements of the celestial bodies so that the king could perform his rituals at the most auspicious moment.
|
|
| Hawa Mahal |
|
Hawa Mahal ("Palace of Winds" or "Palace of the Breeze"), is a palace in Jaipur, India. It was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, and designed by Lal Chand Usta in the form of the crown of Krishna, the Hindu god. Its unique five-storey exterior is also akin to the honeycomb of the beehive with its 953 small windows called jharokhas that are decorated with intricate lattice work.
|
|
| Nahargarh Fort |
|
This comparatively small but sturdy fort at Jaipur was built on a hilltop by Sawai Jai Singh in 1734 to strengthen the defense of Amber. The fort offers a picturesque view of Jaipur. The view of sunset from this place is especially spectacular. Inside the fort are 9 apartments, one for each of the 9 queens of the king. They are arranged in such a manner that the king could visit any of his queens without the knowledge of the other.
|
|
Legends have it that the fort is named after a prince Nahar Singh whose spirit lived at the site of the fort and hindered its construction.
|
|
| Govind Dev Ji Temple |
|
Situated in the City Palace complex, the temple of Govinddev ji enshrines the idol of Lord Krishna (along with Radhaji) who is patron deity of the Jaipur's royal family. The image of the deity was brought here from Vrindavan by Raja Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur.
|
|
The architectural evaluation of the temple brings out nothing much to wonder about but still everyday it attracts a huge crowd whose devotion, with which they collectively chant the hymns, is definitely noteworthy.
|
|
| Birla Temple |
|
A modern catholic approach to religion is carved on the white marbles and architecture of Laksmi Narayan Temple. It is the gift of the Birlas [leading industrialists of India] to the pink city, hence the name Birla Temple. Placed at the foot of the Moti Dongri [the Pearl hill], the impressive view of the replica of Scottish castle called as Moti Doongri Palace topping the hillock and the calm surrounding alongside the busy road, makes it a cool place to hang out, and is visited especially by the locals.
|
|
| Sisodia Rani Ka Bagh |
|
The Garden is laid out in the Mughal style and is a tiered multi-level garden, which has fountains, water channels and many painted pavilions. Fragrant shrubs and a large number of plants offered the perfect sanctum for the lady of the royal household. There are several pavilions at Sisodia Rani ka Bagh that have been frescoed with life like images of Lord Krishna and Radha.
|
