Jaipur: The Pink City of India

Jaipur, the capital of the state of Rajasthan in India, was founded in 1727 by Maharaj Jai Singh II, who ruled the state of Jaipur between 1699 and 1744. Jaipur is also known as the Pink City due to the predominant color scheme of the building. 268 km (167 miles) from the state capital New Delhi. During the British colonial era, the city was the capital of the state of Jaipur.

Raja Jai ​​Singh was concerned about the security aspect of the city due to foreign threats of invasion in northern India, for this reason, he focused on his scientific and cultural interests to make a brilliant city. With a strategic plan, the construction of the city began in 1727, it took about 4 years to complete the main palaces, streets, and squares. At the time, the city's architecture was very advanced and undoubtedly the best in the Indian subcontinent. When the Prince of Wales visited Jaipur in 1876, the entire city was painted pink to welcome him, after which Jaipur was named the Pink City. Jaipur is rich in culture and architectural beauty that can be seen in various historical and aesthetic locations around the city.

History

Raja Jai ​​Singh was concerned about the security aspect of the city due to foreign threats of invasion in northern India, for this reason, he focused on his scientific and cultural interests to make a brilliant city. With a strategic plan, the construction of the city began in 1727, it took about 4 years to complete the main palaces, streets and squares. At the time, the city's architecture was very advanced and undoubtedly the best in the Indian subcontinent. When the Prince of Wales visited Jaipur in 1876, the entire city was painted pink to welcome him, after which Jaipur was named the Pink City. Jaipur is rich in culture and architectural beauty, which can be seen in the city's various historical and aesthetic locations.

Some places in Jaipur you must visit :

Amer Fort

Amer Fort is a fortress in Amer, Rajasthan, India. Amer is a city covering 4 square kilometers from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. It is located on a hill and is one of the main tourist attractions in Jaipur. The city of Amer was originally built by Meenas and was later ruled by Raja Man Singh I. The Amer Fort is known for its beautiful art style components. With its large walls and a series of gates and paved walkways, the fort overlooks Lake Maota, the main source of water for the Amer Palace. The attractive and opulent palace made of red sandstone and marble extends over four levels, each with an inner courtyard. It has the Diwan-e-Khas or“ Hall of Private Audience ”, the Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace) or Jai Mandir, and the Sukh Niwas, where a cool climate is artificially created by winds blowing over a waterfall inside the palace was the residence of the Rajput Maharajas and their families. In the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2013, Amer Fort was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan Group.

Hawa Mahal

Hawa Mahal is a palace in Jaipur, India. The red and pink sandstone palace stands on the edge of the Jaipur City Palace. The structure was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, the grandson of Sawai Jai Singh., Who was the founder of Jaipur. He was so inspired by the unique structure of Khetri Mahal that he built this magnificent and historic palace. It was designed by Lal Chand Ustad. The palace is an extended part of a huge complex. Carved screens, vaulted ceilings, small frames, and tiny frames are some of the features of this popular tourist spot. Many people see Hawa Mahal from the street thinking it is the front of the palace, but it is actually the back of this building. Its unique five-story exterior resembles the honeycomb of a beehive, it's 953 small windows called jharokhas are decorated with intricate grilles. The original intent of the lattice design was to allow royal ladies to enjoy everyday life and festivities on the street. . yes, without being seen, since they had to adhere to the strict rules of the "purdah", which forbade them to appear in public without covering their face. This architectural feature also let in fresh air from the venturi effect, which made the entire area more comfortable during the midsummer temperatures.

City Palace Jaipur

The City Palace of Jaipur was founded at the same time as the city of Jaipur by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. Jaipur is the current capital of the state of Rajasthan, and until 1949 the City Palace was the administrative and ceremonial seat of The palace was also the site of religious and cultural events, as well as a patron of the arts, commerce, and industry. It now houses the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum and is still the home of the kings of Jaipur. The palace complex has several buildings, several courtyards, galleries, restaurants, and offices of the Museum Trust. The Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum Trust takes care of the museum and the royal cenotaphs/tombs (known as Chhatris).

Albert Hall Museum

The Albert Hall Museum is located in Rajasthan, India. It is the State Museum of Rajasthan and the oldest museum in the state. The building was designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob with the help of Mir Tujumool Hoosein and opened as a public museum in 1887. Singh originally wanted this building to be a town hall, but his successor, Madho Singh II, decided that it should become a Jaipur art museum and be included as part of the new Ram Nivas Garden. the city wall in front of the New Gate and is a good example of Indo-Saracen architecture. It is also called the Central Government Museum. The museum has a rich collection of artifacts including ivory, metal sculptures, paintings, jewelry, carpets, and glasswork, with an Egyptian mummy being the main attraction of this museum.

Galtaji Temple (Monkey Temple)

Galtaji is an old Hindu pilgrimage site about 10 km from Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan. The site consists of a series of temples built in a narrow crevice in the ring of the hill that surrounds Jaipur. At the top of the hill, there is a natural spring that flows down and fills a series of holy Kunds (water tanks) where pilgrims bathe. Visitors and pilgrims can ascend through the crevasse, past the basin with higher water, to a temple on a hill with a view of Jaipur and its fortifications that stretch across the valley. It is believed that a Saint named Galav lived here, practiced meditation, and did penance (tapasya). Galta was the first Vaishnava Ramanuja Peeth of Northern India and became one of the most important centers of the Ramanuja sect. by Diwan Rao Kriparam, a courtier of Sawai Jai Singh II, in the 16th century. The main temple is the Galtaji Temple made of pink stone. The temple has several pavilions with rounded painted walls and carved pillars. The complex is structured around a natural spring and waterfalls that form 7 pools; the upper and lower pools are used for bathing pilgrims.

Jaigarh Fort

Jaigarh Fort is located on the promontory called "Cheel ka Teela" (Hill of Eagles) of the Aravalli Range, overlooking Amer Fort and Maota Lake, near Amer in Jaipur. The fort was built by Jai Singh II in 1726 to protect Fort Amer and its palace complex and was named in his honor. It is 3 kilometers long in a north-south direction and 1 kilometer wide. The fort is strongly fortified with thick red sandstone walls and extends over a distribution plan with a length of 3 kilometers and a width of 1 kilometer, it has an impressive square garden inside. 

The Aram Mandir and the garden in its courtyard, on the north side of the fortress complex, have a triple-arched entrance "El Awani Darwaza" which has recently been renovated to have a beautiful view of Lake Sagar (an artificial lake); The water from this lake used to be transported to the fortress in bags on elephant backs and also by people who carried pots of water. The three-arch portal with overlying fortification walls is painted red and yellow. The fort has a cannon called "Jaivana" (Jaivana Cannon), which was made in the fortifications and was then the largest cannon on wheels in the world. There are two temples within the fort, one is the 10th century Ram Harihar Temple and the other is the vintage 12th century Kal Bhairav ​​Temple.

Jal Mahal

Jal Mahal (which means "Water Palace") is a palace in the middle of Man Sagar Lake in the city of Jaipur. The palace and the surrounding lake were renovated and expanded in the 18th century by Maharaja Jai ​​Singh II of Amber. The palace is an architectural showcase of the Rajput architectural style (common in Rajasthan) on a grand scale. The red sandstone palace is a five-story building, four stories of which remain underwater when the lake is full and the top is a rectangular chhatri on the roof in Bengali style. The chhatris in all four corners are octagonal. The building has one picturesque view of the lake itself, but due to its remoteness from the land, it is also the center of a lookout point from Man Sagar Dam on the east side of the lake against the backdrop of the surrounding Nahargarh hills ("residence of the tiger").

Nahargarh Fort

Nahargarh Fort stands on the edge of the Aravalli Hills overlooking the city of Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Together with Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh once formed a strong defensive ring for the city. It came to be known as Nahargarh, which means "home of the tigers". Popular belief is that Nahar represents Nahar Singh Bhomia here, whose spirit haunted the place and hampered the construction of the fortress. The fort was expanded in 1868 during the reign of King Sawai Ram Singh. 

In 1883-92 Dirgh Patel built a series of palaces in Nahargarh for nearly three and a half lakh rupees. The Madhavendra Bhawan, built by Sawai Madho Singh, had suites for the queens of Jaipur and at the top was a suite for the king himself. The rooms are connected by corridors and still have some delicate frescoes. to the hunting residence of the Maharajas. Until April 1944, the Jaipur State government used solar time for its official purposes, as read from the Samrat Yantra at the Jantar Mantar Observatory, using a weapon fired from the Nahargarh Fort as a time signal. Some scenes in the films Rang De Basanti, Shuddh Desi Romance and Sonar Kella were filmed at the Nahargarh Fort.