Information on Accommodation and sightseeing in Jaipur, Rajasthan
More than a century ago, in 1856, the consort of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, came on a state visit to India. Part of his itinerary was the medieval city of Jaipur, and to honour his coming the city’s ruler-Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II-ordered the entire city (then a dull yellow) to be painted a pretty pink, the traditional colour of welcome. Shops, mansions, palaces, entire colonnades-all were given a neat and amazingly uniform coating of rose pink that endures to this day and gives Jaipur its sobriquet: The Pink City.
The imposing and extremely picturesque capital of Rajasthan has been called one of the most beautiful cities in Asia-and with good reason. Jaipur (literally, ‘City of Victory’) does not rank as a very old city-it dates back only to about 1727, when Maharaja Jai Singh II made it his capital, having shifted the court from Amer. Within less than three hundred years, however, Jaipur has managed to build up for itself exquisite palaces, colourful bazaars and interesting sights by the dozen-and a reputation as one of India’s most popular tourist destinations.
Spreading around the original Old City-the pink-hued, wonderfully atmospheric core which contains most of Jaipur’s major sights-the town extends into a more modern, commercial area of hotels, restaurants, emporia and offices. All around, encompassing this interesting combination of medieval and modern, prosaic and pretty, lie the Aravali Hills, brooding and formidable. These, along with the amazing city that lies ensconced within the sheltering shadow of the hills, form the gateway to Rajasthan, the entrance to what is truly a fascinating state-and an equally unforgettable city.
Getting around Jaipur
Jaipur has a local transport network consisting of buses, auto rickshaws, cycle rickshaws and taxis. Of these, the buses are best avoided except by the intrepid-they tend to be overcrowded, ramshackle and none too clean at the best of times! Auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are a better option, as are taxis. The latter, along with hired cars (which can be rented from the many travel agents and tour operators in town or can be arranged through hotels), are invariably the best bet for visiting sights around Jaipur, such as Jaigarh, Nahargarh and Amer. Jaipur city’s main sights-including the Hawa Mahal, the City Palace and the Jantar Mantar-lie within the Old City. These are so close to each other that it is a good idea to explore them on foot, especially as this also offers a chance to get up close and personal with life as it happens on Jaipur’s busy streets!
Accommodation in Jaipur
One of India’s top tourist destinations, Jaipur has no paucity whatsoever of tourist accommodation, irrespective of budget. Dotted in and around the city are a huge number of hotels, hostels and guesthouses ranging all the way from five-star deluxe to shoestring. All of India’s top hotel chains have properties in Jaipur which offer the works-plush rooms, multi-cuisine restaurants, gyms, swimming pools, cultural evenings et al. On a slightly different but equally (if not more!) opulent note are the many stunning heritage hotels, beautifully renovated havelis (mansions) and palaces that allow guests the opportunity to savour a slice of life the way Jaipur’s aristocracy once knew it. Also an integral part of the ‘heritage segment’ of Jaipur’s accommodation is the delightful heritage village of Chokhi Dhani, about 12 km from the city. Chokhi Dhani offers a dinner-and-entertainment package every evening for visitors from the city, besides having its own hotel.
For those on a tighter budget, there are a number of economical lodges, hotels and guesthouses run by the RTDC (the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation) as well as by private owners. Tariffs for the RTDC hotels can range from Rs 50 for a dormitory bed to Rs 300 for an ordinary room. Most of the budget and medium rung hotels in Jaipur are strung out around the City Centre, especially along Mirza Ismail Road. For more information on Hotels in Jaipur contact Swan Tours Delhi India.
Sightseeing in Jaipur
Jaipur has plenty to see, experience and admire-from palaces and bazaars to nearby fortresses and exquisite museums. To see them all takes at least about three days at a leisurely pace, and comprises a great introduction to the rich cultural and historical tapestry of Rajasthan.
Amer Fort: The most beautiful of the three fortresses that surround Jaipur (the other two are Nab argarh and Jaigarh), Amer-or Amber, as it is also known-lies in the Aravali Hills at a distance of about 11 km from Jaipur. Amer’s construction was begun in 1590 by Maharaja Man Singh, and his descendants-right up to Jai Singh, in 1724-added and renovated parts of the fort, which was used as a residence by the royal family of Jaipur. A 12 km boundary wall with eight watchtowers surrounds Amer, which is a dazzling combination of beautifully decorated palaces, pavilions, courtyards and gardens. Among the fort’s most prominent features are the beautifully painted Ganesh Poi (the main doorway to the palaces); the Sheesh Mahal (a palace decorated with mirror, coloured glass, Belgian glass and gold leaf-the largest example of a Sheesh Mahal in India) and the Diwan-e-Aam (a red sandstone pavilion which functioned as the Hall of Public Audience).
Jaigarh Fort: Unlike Amer, Jaigarh (literally, ‘Victory Fort’) was more a bastion meant for defending a city rather than a royal residence. As such, this fort lacks the beauty and charm of Amer. It is, instead, an unornamented citadel, surrounded by a moat and with massive stone ramparts. Jaigarh was built between the 15th and the 18th centuries and lies 15 km from Jaipur, up in the thorn-covered hills of the Aravalis. Within the fort is the famous Jaivan, the world’s largest cannon on wheels (it was cast in Jaigarh’s own foundry in 1720 and its barrel alone weighs 50 tons. Popular belief has it that Jaivan has been fired only once, when the cannonball fell in an unfortunate village 35 km away!) Also of interest in Jaigarh are the fort’s huge underground water tanks-the largest of which could store up to 6,000,000 gallons of water), and the fort’s Armoury and Museum, both of which contain a fine, if somewhat weather-beaten collection of memorabilia related to Jaigarh and the royal family of Jaipur, including paintings, photographs, weaponry and the like.
Nahargarh Fort: The third of Jaipur’s three forts, Nahargarh (`Abode of Tigers’) lies in the Aravalis, at a distance of about 6 km from Jaipur. Nahargarh was
built mainly in 1734 by Jai Singh II, and was used for a long time by the maharanis of Jaipur as a summer retreat-most specifically to go duck shooting! In comparison to both Amer as well as Jaigarh, Nahargarh is in rather a decrepit condition, although traces do remain of the paintings and stained glass windows that once adorned the chambers of the queens. Despite the fact that it is partly in ruins now, Nahargarh offers a panoramic view of the city below, and is worth visiting just for that.
The City Palace and the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum: Set in the heart of Jaipur, forming the core of the Old City, is the stunning pink-and-white City Palace. A complex of palaces and pavilions built way back in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh; the City Palace is today partly occupied by the royal family, while the rest of it is home to the excellent Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum. The museum is split into three galleries: the extensive Textiles and Costumes Gallery housed in the Mubarak Mahal; the Sileh Khana (the Armoury); and the Art Gallery, housed in the outdoor pavilion which was once the Diwan-e-Khas, the Hall of Private Audience. The Sileh Khana, as one would expect, is replete with martial artefacts, from weapons to howdahs to paintings of battles. The Textiles and Costumes Gallery, which is definitely the most stunning of the three galleries, is full of amazing medieval regalia, including magnificently embroidered royal costumes. The Art Gallery has a few palanquins and sedan chairs which are not too exciting, but its piece de resistance is worth a few photographs. This is a pair of 5’3″ urns crafted from solid silver. Known as gangajalis, these 900 It urns were made for Maharaja Madho Singh II, for his tour of England in 1902. A staunch Hindu, the maharaja had Ganges water especially carried all the way from India to England for the trip.
Jantar Mantar: Considered one of the most amazing “examples of secular architecture in India, the Jantar Mantar observatory at Jaipur (like five others of its kind-at Delhi, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi) was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh (1688-1743), the man who designed the city of Jaipur. The largest observatory in India, the Jantar Mantar is a complex of massive astronomical instruments of masonry. It was built over a period of seven years, having been inspired by a similar observatory in Samarkand. Amongst the instruments at the Jantar Mantar are the world’s largest sundial; equinoctial sundials; and instruments used to measure the sun’s declination, azimuth and altitude; the declination of fixed celestial bodies; and the latitude and longitude of the planets corresponding to the twelve signs of the zodiac.
Hawa Mahal: By far and away Jaipur’s best known landmark, the five-storied Hawa Mahal (the `Palace of Winds’) is in reality little more than a façade. A vivid pink and white pyramid-shaped ‘palace’ studded all along its front by 953 prettily filigreed windows, the Hawa Mahal is just that-a series of windows, with not much more behind that. The Hawa Mahal was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 as an extension of the zenana (the women’s quarters in the City Palace)-most specifically as a place where the royal ladies could sit and watch processions and parades pass by in the street below.
Gaitor: Situated at a distance of 8 km from Jaipur, Gaitor is home to the cenotaphs and memorials of the royal family of Jaipur. Gaitor is a walled complex that was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, and dotted across it, amidst landscaped gardens, are a series of elegantly domed chhatris dedicated to Jaipur’s royalty. Of all the cenotaphs, the most magnificent is that of Jai Singh II himself-the building is an elegant one made of white marble, topped with a dome held aloft twenty beautifully carved pillars. Other commemorative chhatris worth seeing are those of Pratap Singh and Madho Singh II.
Sisodia Palace and Gardens: 8 km from Jaipur, the Sisodia Palace and its adjoining gardens-locally known as the Sisodia Rani ka Bagh date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, when they were created as a summer retreat by Sisodia Rani, the Queen of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. The palace is best known for its pavilions and galleries, some of which contain exquisitely executed murals, which depict the life of Lord Krishna. The area surrounding the palace consists of terraced landscaped gardens with fountains and watercourses.
Government Central Museum (Albert Hall): Lying between the Ram Niwas Garden and the Jai Niwas Bagh, the Government Central Museum (previously known as the Albert Hall) was designed by Sir Swinton Jacob in a typical Indo-Saracen style that makes lavish use of murals, arches, pillars and courtyards. The building was constructed in 1886 with the aim of making it the town hall-a decision overruled by Maharaja Madho Singh, who decided instead to make it a museum. The Government Central Museum today houses a fine collection of Rajasthani art, including carved ivory, metal ware (in particular embossed, hammered and chiseled brass), jewellery, pottery, textiles, and paintings from various schools of Rajasthani art.
The Destination of Jaipur can be combined with Delhi and Agra, popularly known as the golden triangle for more information on this tour visit – Golden Triangle Travel Package and if you looking for fancy hotels then visit Delhi Agra Jaipur Luxury Tour
Excursions and extension visits from Jaipur
The whole of Rajasthan can be covered from Jaipur the most popular extensions are as below:
Jodhpur Udaipur Tour Package , Jodhpur Jaisalmer Tour Package , Udaipur Mount Abu Tour Package
Shopping in Jaipur
Rajasthan is a shopaholic’s dream come true. This state produces vast quantities of handicrafts which make for great souvenirs-whether they are pretty pieces of enameled silver jewellery, lovely blue pottery, patchwork, typical tie-and-dye-fabrics, Jaipuri quilts, carved wood, camel leather shoes, puppets or traditional block-print textiles. Jaipur, being the capital of Rajasthan, is an excellent place to go shopping for all of Rajasthan’s gloriously colourful handicrafts. The city’s markets are crowded with shops selling everything that Rajasthan’s artisans produce, and with some scouting around combined with a bit of bargaining, there is no reason why one shouldn’t be able to come away loaded with some unbeatable buys! Among the top shopping districts in Jaipur are Jauhari Bazaar, which specialises in jewellery but is also well-known today for local textiles; Badi Chaupar, also a great place to buy local block-printed or tie-and-dye textiles, and Mirza Ismail Road, better known as MI Road, home to Rajasthali, the Rajasthan State handicrafts emporium. In addition to this, certain localities deal in specific wares: Maniharon-ka-Rasta in Tripolia Bazaar, is the place for lac bangles, while Ramganj Bazaar is where one should go for camel leather shoes and the shops opposite the Hawa Mahal are well-known for the beautifully light lambswool quilts they sell.
For those visiting the Amer Fort, here’s a suggestion: check out the government-operated handicrafts shops next to the forts main courtyard. The shops sell handicrafts at lower rates than in Jaipur’s markets, and besides the fact that quality is assured, there is also the added attraction of free craft-making demonstrations, which are offered at the shops.
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