| North India Tours -› Favorite Destinations -› Agra |
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| Jaipur |
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Jaipur, popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital of Rajasthan state, India. Historically rendered as Jeypore, Jaipur is the former capital of the princely state of Jaipur, founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, the ruler of Amber. In a recent international survey Jaipur was ranked the 7th best place to visit in Asia and in another poll it was ranked third among twelve major Indian cities. The city is remarkable among pre-modern Indian cities for the width and regularity of its streets which are laid out into six sectors separated by broad streets 111 ft (34 m) wide. The urban quarters are further divided by networks of gridded streets. Five quarters wrap around the east, south, and west sides of a central palace quarter, with a sixth quarter immediately to the east. The Palace quarter encloses a sprawling palace complex (the Hawa Mahal, or palace of winds), formal gardens, and a small lake. Nahargarh Fort crowns the hill in the northwest corner of the old city. |
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| Main attractions |
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| The Amber fort and Palace |
Amber Fort is located in Amber, 11 km from Jaipur. It was the ancient citadel of the ruling Kachhawa clan of Amber, before the capital was shifted to present day Jaipur. Amber Fort is constructed of white and red sandstone. It is known for its unique artistic style, blending both Hindu and Mughal elements, and its ornate and breathtaking artistic mastery. The fort borders the Maota Lake, and is a major tourist attraction in Rajasthan. Tourists can ride up to the fort from the base of the hill on elephants. On the ride, one can see the skyline of Jaipur, Maotha Lake, and the original city walls. The fort can be toured with a guide or on one's own. You also have audio guides available in various languages. The sound and light show in the evening is worth a view. |
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| Hawa Mahal |
Hawa Mahal was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. It is in the form of the crown of Krishna, the Hindu god. Its original intention was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen.
It has five stories and is constructed of red and pink sandstone, highlighted with white quakeee quick lime. The side facing the street outside the palace complex has 953 small windows, and the breeze (Hawa) which circulates through these windows gives the palace its name, and keeps it cool even in hot months. |
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| Jantar – Mantar |
The Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments, built by Maharaja - meaning King - Jai Singh II at his then new capital of Jaipur between 1727 and 1734. It is modeled after the one that he had built for him at the then Mughal capital of Delhi. He had constructed a total of five such labs at different locations, including the ones at Delhi and Jaipur. The Jaipur observatory is the largest open laboratory of India. The observatory consists of fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars in their orbits, ascertaining the declinations of planets, and determining the celestial altitudes and related ephemerides. |
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| City Palace |
| City Palace forms one of the most famous tourist attractions and a major landmark in Jaipur. The beautiful palace was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh during his reign. Among the various forts and palaces of Jaipur, City Palace stands apart, with its outstanding art and architecture. City Palace complex covers a huge area, which is divided into a series of gardens, courtyards and buildings. A part of the exquisite Palace still makes home for the former Maharaja/ King. The premises consists several buildings like Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Mukut Mahal, Maharani's Palace, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum. One would come across the Mubarak Mahal, as one enters the first square. |
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| Stay/ Accommodation |
Jaipur is world famous for their heritage hotels. All the big hotel chains like Taj, Oberoi, Hilton, etc have their best hotels in Jaipur. |
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| My Favorite Hotel |
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| My Favorite restaurants |
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| Best Time to visit |
| You can visit Jaipur any day. Although the month of May and June are little hot as the maximum temperature can go up to 43°C. |
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| Shopping |
| Jaipur is famous for brass and lacquer work, enamel work, gems and jewellery, granite tiles, handloom, marble statues, printed cloth and textiles, readymade garments, woolen and silk carpets. You can easily find the government shops where you can find the items on very fair rates. |
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| Distance from the major cities: |
- Jaipur – Delhi – 270 Kms
- Jaipur – Agra – 240 kms
- Jaipur – Jodhpur- 350 Kms
- Jaipur – Udaipur – 400 kms
- Jaipur – Ranthambore- 170 kms
- Jaipur – Pushkar – 140 kms
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| Special comment |
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