261 kms from Delhi, Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, is surrounded by an ancient 20ft high wall and eight splendid gates. It is known as the Pink City, beautifully laid, outshowcasing houses made of pink sandstone.

Travelling to Jaipur is essential if you seek to experience the royal legacy of Rajasthan. It is an important hubbub too, from which you can venture off to explore Rajasthan's Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Pushkar, and many more such destinations.

The Legacy of the Jaipur's Past
The city of Jaipur was amongst the first planned cities in India. The astronomer-King Sawai Jai Singh II, one of the greatest rulers of the Kachhawaha clan, established his new capital in Jaipur in 1727, when he decided to shift his seat of power from Amer, 11 km northeast of the new city. Designed by a young Bengali architect, Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya, the city was a marvel of town planning, with separate sectors being earmarked for craftsmen and merchants. A formidable protective wall with seven gates girdled the entire city. The city was planned to conform to a geometric grid representing the nine divisions of the universe.

Modern-day Jaipur has not forgotten its past, indeed it is visible at every turn. The history of teh city is infused with stories of royal princes and princesses, with grand Mughal emperors, and with visiting dignitaries from the British Royal family.

Climate of Jaipur
The climate of Jaipur is extreme, with hot and humid summers and chilly winters. Maximum temperatures during the summer (from April to July) can reach around 45ºC. Winters have sunny and pleasant days and bitterly cold nights, when temperatures can touch a low of around 5ºC.

The Myriad Attractions of Jaipur

The City Palace
In the heart of the old city is the former royal residence built in a blend of the Rajasthani and Mughal styles. The Carved arches are supported by grey-white marble columns, ornate with floral motifs in gold and colored stones. Two carved elephants in marble guard the entrance. The Palaces houses a museum with a superb collection of Rajasthani costumes and the armoury of Mughals and Rajputs, including swords of different shapes and sizes with chased handles, some inlaid with enamel, embellished with jewels and encased in magnificent scabbards.

The palace also has an art gallery with an excellent collection of miniature paintings, carpets, royal paraphernalia and rare astronomical works in Arabic, Persian, Latin and Sanskrit, which were acquired by Sawai Jai Singh II in order to study astronomy in detail .

Nahargarh Fort
Nahargarh, the Tiger Fort, is the first of the three forts built by the kings of Jaipur. Built mainly in 1734 by Jai Singh II, it lies 6 km north west of City Palace and provides some stunning views of Jaipur stretching forth to the Man Sagar Lake. The imposing fort harbours many legends and three kings have added their stamp at different times to the structures within the fort. In the midst of the lake is a palatial duck blind, which was used for shooting parties by the erstwhile royal family. A royal retreat for the Maharanis, it was also used as a personal treasury for many years.

Amber Fort
The Amber Fort of Rajasthan was contructed in 1592 by Raja Man Singh, and is one of the finest examples of Rajput architecture. Perched high on a barren ridge, it commands extensive views over a deep narrow valley and the wider plains beyond. The building was finally completed in the early 18th century, when the threat of Mughal domination was actually receding. Amber was once the capital of the Mina tribes who are believed to be the original inhabitants of this region. Located up on the hills that surround Jaipur, the fort sprawls alongside the Maotha Lake, boasting of a massive labyrinth of gateways, courts, stairways, pillared pavilions and palaces that all recall the glory and wealth of Amber's association with the Mughals.

Jantar Mantar
Jantar Mantar is the most famous and elaborate observatory of its time. It was constructed in the year 1724 A.D. by Sawai Jai Singh II, even before the city of Jaipur was built, and has been described as the most surrealistic yet logical landscape ever to made in stone. It was built to measure the local time, the sun's declination, altitude, the declination of stars and planets, and to determine eclipses .

It is also one of the largest and the best preserved

 observatories of its kind. The king was passionate about astronomy and numerology, and with the help of skilled labourers, created a collection worthy of a mathmetician's paradise - complex astronomical instruments chiselled out of stone, most of which continue to provide accurate information to this day.

Excusions from Jaipur

Gaitor Located 15 kms from Jaipur, the Chhatris of Jaipur's rulers stand in reverential silence. The cenotaph of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur, is the finest.

Sanganer : Sanganer, 16km south of Jaipur, is the busiest centre for handmade textiles in the region, and the best place to watch traditional block printers in action. There are a couple of large factories here, but most of the printing is done in family homes as traditional cottage industry. This is also a great place to shop for traditional textiles, and are much lower than in Jaipur.
Sanganeri craftsmen and women also decorate pottery in Rajasthan's distinctive style, with graceful floral designs in white or deep sea-green painted over a traditional inky-blue glaze. Within the town itself, there are ruined palaces and a handful of elegant Jain temples, most notably the Shri Digamber temple near the Tirpolia Gate.

Galta 20km from Jaipur, Galta is a famous for its natural springs, which are believed to have deeply healing properties. There are several temples in the area, a major one among them being the Temple of the Sun God. Galta is particularly lovely after the rains, when the surrounding landscape is clothed in a carpet of lush green. En route to Galta from Jaipur is Sisodia Rani Ka Bagh, a enchanting palace with a fine garden and two temples: one dedicated to Vishnu and one to Hanuman.


Samode Samode is an perfect desert tourist destination. During the day, a camel ride through the Samode village and the surrounding countryside is a good idea. Riding this gentle animal with its rocking gait is the best way to relax on a sunny morning. A real visit to Samode cannot be considered complete without a musical evening of folk dances and songs. Rajasthani bards and musicians with their colorful dresses and unusual musical instruments provide one of the best evenings one can have in India.

Festivals of Jaipur
The Gangaur Festival
Held in honour of the Goddess Parvati, this festival is held a few days after Holi, and is celebrated in Jaipur on a grand scale. The Gangaur Festival is the most important local festival of Rajasthan and is observed throughout the state with great fervour and devotion by womenfolk who worship Gauri, the consort of Lord Shiva. Gan is a synonym for Shiva and Gaur, which stands for Gauri or Parvati, who symbolises 'saubhagya' (marital bliss). Gauri is the embodiment of perfection and conjugal love, which is why the unmarried women worship her for being blessed with good husbands, while married women do so for the welfare, health and long life of their spouses and a happy and long marraige.

The Elephants Festival Also held at the time of Holi in the month of March or April, long and highly decorative trains of elephants take to the city streets in procession at this time.

The Teej Festival A major event in Jaipur during the month of July or August, this festival is celebrated for Parvati at the beginning of the monsoon.