Jaipur, India
 

The sovereign of Amber, built Jaipur in the eighteenth century. It was also around that time that the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb had died and the decline of the Mughal Empire had set in. Jai Singh had started distancing himself from the affair of the Mughal Court and he began concentrating on building of Amber. His search for a safe place for the increasing population of Amber resulted in Jaipur, This was India's first planned city and a brilliant architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya from Bengal was commissioned to plan the city. He designed it in accordance with ancient Hindu treatise on architecture, the Shilpa Shastra (Vaastu).

Jaipur was planned in a gird system with wide straight avenues, roads, streets and lanes and uniform rows of shops on either side of the main roads, all arranged in nine rectangular city sectors (chokdis). The city is surrounded by a wall having seven gates and was built for protection from invading armies and wild animals that lurked just outside in the jungles that surrounded the city. But Jai Singh's planned city has withstood all the pressures and the changes. 

ROMANCE OF PINK - Jaipur needed a fresh coat of paint to welcome its distinguished guest the Prince of Wales in 1905-6. The contractor inability to supply any other color in the required quantity compelled the choice of pink shade for its walls. A contractor’s compulsion famed Jaipur to Pinkcity. Since then the PINK color is associated with hospitality in Rajput culture. 

Jaipur has a timeless appeal in its colorful bazaars that delights for its Rajasthani handlooms and trinkets. Beautifully laid out gardens and parks, attractive monuments and marvelous heritage hotels, once the residence of Maharajas, are worth admiration, not to mention the ambling camels and cheerful people in multi hued costumes that make Jaipur a tourist's paradise

Places of Interest in Jaipur
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Amber Fort, Jaipur
Is one of the most magnificent destinations in Jaipur located on the hills just outside Jaipur. It was commenced by Raja Man Singh in 1600 AD and then completed by Sawai Jai Singh in the eighteenth century. The fort is an example of fascinating blend of Hindu and Muslim architecture built in red sandstone and white marble. The highlight of the fort is the Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace), a palace known for its craftsmanship in mirrors. It also locates in itself large ramparts, terraces and pavilions. Gardens like Dilaram Garden & Mohan Bari, which draw a leaf from the gardens that Mughals laid, are also sights to behold. An elegant temple of Shila Mata is situated inside the palace complex. The image of the Mother Goddess worshipped with reverence by thousands of devotees every day was brought from Jessore in Lower Bengal (Now in Bangladesh) by Raja Man Singh and installed here.

City  Palace, Jaipur
Is the citadel of the Kachchawah Rajput rulers of Jaipur. It occupies one seventh of the walled city of Jaipur and is wonderful blend of Rajput and Mughal architecture. Largely Sawai Jai Singh had constructed the walls of the Palace. Constructions and additions to the palace continued till twentieth century.  The museum houses an extensive collection of rare manuscripts, Mughal and Rajasthani miniatures, Mughal carpets, costumes and textiles, arms and weapons, objects of art and royal paraphernalia. The pair of giant silver Gangajalis displayed in the open Sarvatobhadra, building were fabricated in the court workshops for Sawai Madho Singh ji to carry holy water of Ganges to England. These are mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest silver objects in the world.

Jantar Mantar Jaipur
Jantar Mantar, one of the five observatories (the others being in 
Delhi, Ujjain, Varanasi and Mathura ), built in 1718 by Sawai Jai Singh an avid astronomer, to study the movements of stars. This one is the largest and the best preserved observatory. It has a collection of complex astronomical instruments chiseled out of stone, most of which continue to provide fairly accurate information to this day. Constructed with stone and marble, its complex instruments whose settings and shapes are precisely and scientifically designed represent the high -points of Medieval Indian astronomy. The observatory contains a large number of structures called 'yantras' to determine position of stars and the stellar movements. The two Ram yantras used for gauging 
altitudes are unique.

Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum, Bikaner
The museum offers a collection of royal costumes, weapons, ornaments, ancient statues and exquisite paintings, one of which depicts the signing of the Versatile Treaty by Ganga Singh. In addition to this, it also has collection of terracotta from the Gupta period.

Excursions near Jaipur
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Samode :-
 The beautiful Samode Palace, has been rebuilt and renovated and provides a fine example of the Rajput haveli architecture and is an ideal spot for outings. The highlight of the building is the exquisite Diwan-i-Khas, which is covered with original paintings and mirrorwork.

Bairath :-
An important historical place with the excavated remains of a circular Buddhist temple - unique in Rajasthani and the earliest known temple in India. Bairath also has relics of the Mauryan, Mughal and Rajput periods. A mint constructed by Akbar, a beautiful Mughal garden and a remarkable monument with painted chhatris and wall built by Jahangir are other attractions.

Gaitor :-
The cenotaphs of the royal family are at Gaitor, just outside the city walls. The cenotaph of Maharaja Jai Singh II is particularly impressive. The cenotaphs of the maharanis of Jaipur are on Ambr road, midway between Jaipur and Amber. Nearby is the Jal Mahal (water Palace), in the middle of the lake and reached by a causeway.

Galta  :-                                                   
The temple of the sun god at Galta is 100m above Jaipur to the east, a 2.5km climb from Surajpol. A deep, temple-studded gorge stands behind the temple and there are good views over the surrounding plains.

Ramgarh Lake  :-                  
A huge artificial lake created by constructing a high bund amidst tree covered hills. While the temple of Jamwa Mata and the ruins of the old fort are some of its antiquities, its beautiful landscape, especially during in oils pools, makes it an idyllic picnic spot.
Sanganer  :-   
This small town is entered through the ruins of two ' Tripolias ' or ' Triple-gateways '. The town has a ruined palace and a group of Jain temples with fine carvings. Entry to the temples is restricted. The town is an important centre for craft, industry and produces some of the finest hand printed textiles from units of block and screen printers. This textile is popular all over the country and abroad. It is noted for its hand printed handloom industry using simple techniques.

Vidyadhar's Garden :}
Nestled in a narrow valley, this beautiful garden was built in honour of jai Singh's chief architect and town planner.

How to reach Jaipur 
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Jaipur is connected to all the major Indian cities by train. Buses, taxis and other coaches are available from Delhi, Mumbai, Jodhpur, Udaipur and all the other major cities.

General Information Area:          27,000 sq. kms Altitude:      237 meters Climate:      Max ºC  Min. ºC Summer:      48           28 Winter:        22            4  Rainfall:       26-46 cm. Best season:Oct-March Distance from major cities in kms Agra         232 kms.  Ajmer       131 kms.  Bikaner    321 kms.  Delhi        258 kms.  Jodhpur    331 kms.  Kota        242 kms How to get here By Air  :-  Indian airlines operates flights between Delhi and Jaipur daily, and most flights continue to Mumbai, Udaipur or Aurangabad. There are several weekly flights between Jaipur and Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Calcutta and Jaisalmer. Private airlines sometimes put on extra flights during the tourist season. By Bus :-  Rajasthan State Transport Corporation (RSTC) buses all leave from the main bus station.Some services are deluxe.These buses should be booked in advance. There are deluxe buses to many destinations including Delhi, Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Udaipur, Bikaner, Bharatpur, Bundi, Mt Abu, Jaisalmer, Chittorgarh and Jhunjhunu. By Train  :-  Jaipur is well connected by train to main cities of India. Indian Railway reservation office opens from Monday to Saturday. There are several trains from Jaipur to Agra, Bombay, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kota, Chittorgarh, Alwar, Ajmer and Delhi. There is a Shatabdi Exp. between Jaipur and Delhi and continue to Alwar and Ajmer.                            What to see Architectural wealth of Bikaner lies in its forts, palaces and temples. Areas of interest are Junagarh Fort, Lallgarh Palace, Gajner Palace, Karni Mata temple (Deshnok), Kolayat, Kodamdesar, Bhandasar Jain temple . Festive Fun: Teej, also known as the festival of Swings (a reference to the flower-bedecked swings which are erected at this time), celebrates the onset of the monsoon and is held in honour of the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. It is celebrated with particular fervour in Jaipur Gangaur Festival :       April Kolayat Fair       :        November Holi                  :        March      Where to stay Jaipur provides a wide range of hotels options varying from high end heritage hotels to lower end budget accommodations.  Click for more information:                                                      Click Here For More Hotels Information