Jaipur The walled Pink City
When India became independent, 23 princely states were consolidated to form the State of Rajasthan, "abode of rajas." Rajasthan is usually recommended as a must even on a short trip to India. Two days are sufficient to get a feel of Jaipur (which is only 140 miles/230 km from the Taj Mahal), but two weeks in Rajasthan can provide a most memorable holiday.
Jaipur
The "pink city" of Jaipur (the city of jai or victory), the capital of Rajasthan, was built in 1728 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. This royal house had ruled from Amber, seven miles (11 km) away, since the early 10th Century. Jaipur was not always pink. The original city was light gray, edged with white borders and motifs. In honor of the visit in 1883 of Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria, it was ordered to be painted the tradi tional color of welcome, which has been retained since.
The city was designed by Vidyadhar Chakravarty, a young Bengali architect, who succeeded in making a marvelous synthesis of many influences — Hindu, Jain, Mughal (with Persian overtones),besides his own ideas from eastern India . Jaipur's nine rectangular sectors symbolize the nine divisions of the universe.
The City Palace, a part of which remains the residence of the Jaipur family, is definitely worth a visit. Several gateways lead from the crowded streets into the palace, but the Museum entrance is recommended, through the courts of justice to the Jantar Mantar, the observatory of Maharaja Jai Singh II. The construction and precision of the observatory were a unique achievement for the year 1716. Jai Singh's Delhi observatory had preceded this and three others followed: in Mathura, Ujjain and Varanasi, when the maharaja travelled over north India as the Governor of Agra.
The City Palace Museum, named after Raja Man Singh, is a treat, no matter what the interests of the visitor arc -textiles, arms, carpets, paintings, manuscripts. It houses two large urns, possibly the largest silver vessels in India, which were used by Maharaja Madho Singh to carry a six-month supply of holy Ganga water to the coronation of King Edward VII in London.
One of the best known sights in Jaipur is the Hawa Mahal or Palace of Winds. which is, in fact, no palace, but an extraordinary facade of 953 airy windows used by the ladies of the palace to watch the outside world — without being watched.
On the rugged hills that surround
Jaipur stand wondrous forts: Amber, Jai-
garh, Nahargarh, each one imposing in
its own right. Amber was once the capital
of the Mina tribes believed to be the
original inhabitants of this area. Now,
painted elephants take visitors up the hill
to admire the massive gateways, courts,
stairways and pillared pavilions and
palaces, that recall the glory and wealth
of Amber's association with the Mughals.
Raja Man Singh was the Commander-in-
Chief of Akbar's army and Mirza Raja
Jai Singh was a powerful ally of Jahangir.
Of special interest is the Sheesh Mahal,
the palace of mirrors, where the walls are
inlaid with exquisite mirrored motifs that
dance to the flame of even a single
Hawa candle.Mahal, Jaigarh Fort was recently opened toPalace of the public after being sealed for seven the Winds, years, following a rumor that an enor-
Jaipur. mous treasure in gold was buried in vaults under deep reservoirs. The vast purity of its austere spaces is admirable. The highlight of the fort is the Jaya Vana — the largest antique cannon in India.
Nahargarh Fort provides a marvelous view of Jaipur city and, en route, of the Jal Mahal, the lake palace of Jaipur. The cenotaphs of the Jaipur maharajas at Amber and Gaitor as well as the chhatris (memorials) of the maharanis are well-worth a visit.
Five miles (eight km) down the Jaipur-Agra road is the charming garden of the Sisodia queen, and a mile (two km) further are the holy springs of Galta, with temples that have a large daily attendance. The Hanuman Temple, in particular, is worth a visit on Tuesdays.
HOW TO GET THERE
Air: Jaipur has its own airport, and is well connected to all other tourist and business centres.
Rail: An excellent connection to Delhi by Shatabdi Express and the Pink City Express. Other connections to Jaipur are from Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ahemadabad, Secunderabad and Lucknow.
Road: A network of reasonably comfortable tourist buses, run by road corporations of Rajasthan, Haryana and others.
PLACES TO STAY
There are several budget hotels and paying guest accommodations available in Jaipur.
SHOPPING
A major gem and jewellery centre, Jaipur is famous for Kundan work (enamel work on gold). Also there are woollen carpets, cotton rugs, marble statuary, enamelled wares, brass ware, hand-block printed Sanganeri and Bagru Cotton fabrics, exotic blue pottery made from crushed quartz, leather footwear and more .
