Jaipur is the capital city of Indian state of Rajasthan, it is also known as Pinkcity; because of the symmetrical buildings of pink colour in the city. The shade of pink colour here is slightly different from traditional pink, in local language this colour is referred as “hirmachh”. Jaipur is the most celebrated tourist destination in Rajasthan; its close vicinity to New Delhi (capital of India) makes its perfect weekend getaway destination. There are many tourist destinations in Jaipur; some of them are listed below: So here we provide all details about the Jaipur Tourism, Jaipur Sightseeing, Tourist Places Visit Jaipur.
Places To Visit In Jaipur
Amber Fort: Amber fort, a UNESCO world heritage site is standing on a hilltop in Aravali mountain range nearly 11 km from Jaipur city center, this hilltop is known as “Cheel Teela”. Amber Fort was built by Meena Kings later it was won by Raja Dulhe Rao (Founder of Kachwah Rajput dynasty of Amber); the fort built by Meena Kings was very small the actual construction of this magnificent fort was done by King Kankil Dev. Amber fort which is witnessed today was built by Raja Man Singh I which was further expanded by Raja Jai Singh I. Amber fort is considered as the center of the tourist attractions in Jaipur, it has 4 courtyards namely:
- Jaleb Chowk– Main palace ground basically used by the army for ceremonial parades before and/or after the war. This courtyard has an ancient & important temple dedicated to Goddess Sila (Incarnation of Goddess Kali- Goddess of death & power) having a beautiful complex of marble with silver carving gates, windows & skylights.
- Deewan-e-aam- It was used as public audience hall where King used to hear & respond to petition from the public. It was placed where King used to interact with people of his kingdom directly. With the beautiful architectural intelligence, roaming around this place is worthy.
- Mahal- It was the private residential area of the king; a garden of Mughal style is laid between the 2 main residential buildings of King namely Sheesh Mahal & Sukh Mahal. Sheeshmahal( palace of mirror) is a beautiful palace made up of thousands of mirrors carved in beautiful marble structure. Another building is known as Sukh Mahal literally means Leisure Palace; it was built using finest marble with furniture built using sandal wood. Magic flower carving is a point of amazement here.
- Zenana Dyodhi- “Zenana” means ladies in Urdu; hence Zenana Dyodhi was palace for residence of royal ladies where they used to live with other mistresses & concubines of King.
- Maotha Lake on the foothills of this grand fort just adds some more awesomeness to the beauty of this fort; a perfect shadow of Amber Fort can be seen in the Maotha Lake which is really picturesque moment. From banks of Maotha Lake, one can take elephant ride to reach Amber fort on the hilltop; this elephant ride is one of its types; exclusively available here only in all Rajasthan & main USP of Amber Fort.
City Palace: City Palace became the residential house of Royal family of Amber after establishment of Jaipur city. It was built between 1729 to 1732 by Sawai Jai Singh II (King of Amber). This palace was built in center of walled city of Jaipur- new capital city of Kachwah Dynasty of Amber located nearly 10 Km from Amber Fort. There are many gates & complexes in premises of City Palace. Some of the popular & important complexes are as follows:
- Entry Gates: There are mainly 3 entry gates of City Palace known as Udaipol, Virendra Pol & Tripolia Gate. Udaipol & Virendra Pol are gates used by everyone to enter the city palace but Tripolia gate can be used by exclusively Royal Family & their close allies. These gates are nice example of mix architectural design of Rajasthani & Mughal architecture.
- Chandra Mahal: Chandra Mahal or Moon Palace was considered as the main commanding building during the rule of Kachwah dynasty rulers; it was also used as the private residence of King, it is a 7-storey building which has proven to be the best example of Rajasthani, Mughal & European architecture. The seven storeys are as namelySukh Niwas, Rang Mandir, Chhavi Niwas, Shobha Niwas, Mukut Mahal, Pritam Niwas & Shree Niwas. Most of the area of this palace is used by Royal Family till date; tourists have the access to only ground floor of this palace.
- Mubarak Mahal: Mubarak Mahal is a perfect example of ultimate craftsmanship of fusion of Mughal, Rajasthani & European architecture. It was built by King Sawai Madho Singh for his guests. Today a museum has been established in this complex which showcases the royal collection of dresses which includes the awestruck dress of King Sawai Madho Singh who is believed to be having a large frame of 250 kg & 1.5 meters wide.
- Deewan-e-aam: Deewan-e-aam; the public hall is world famous for 2 giant silver vessels weighing 350 kg each with the whopping capacity of 4000 liters. These vessels of 1.6 meters height hold a Guinness book of world record as it was built by melting 14000 silver coins without soldering. Besides these vessels, the beautiful architecture of this hall is also admired across globe.
- Deewan-e-Khas: Deewan-e-Khas; the private meeting hall of King. Here Kings of Kachwah dynasty used to sit with the nobility to discuss personal & important issues. Today this beautiful hall is converted into an art gallery where ancient Hindu texts, miniature paintings & celebrated golden throne of King are kept for display.
Jantar Mantar: Jantar Mantar is an observatory established by great scholar & King Sawai Jai Singh II in 1734. This observatory is a UNESCO world heritage site; there are giant astronomical instruments designed according to ancient Indian texts. This observatory is known for the sundial in it which is the largest sundial of world. The accuracy of instruments is precise to the level of amazement. This was very celebrated & loved project of King Sawai Jai Singh II hence he chose the closest vicinity from his palace for this establishment of this observatory. It is located between City Palace & Hawa Mahal.
Jaigarh Fort: Jaigarh Fort is located on a hilltop above the Amber Fort. This fort is referred as the military fort of Kachwah Rajput dynasty. It was built by King Sawai Jai Singh II in 1726 with the motive to secure Amber & Jaipur city from the rivals. There are a number of secret passages which connect Jaigarh Fort with Amber Fort, Nahargarh Fort & City Palace of Jaipur. This fort is the best example of great military strategy architecture. The museum in the fort has many ancient weapons kept for display, the main attraction of this fort is the mightiest & largest cannon on wheels of its time- Jaivana (arrow of win). It located at a distance of 10 KM from the old city center of Jaipur.
Nahargarh Fort: Nahargarh Fort is situated near to the Jaigarh Fort; Nahargarh literally means “Adobe of tigers”. This fort was built by King Sawai Jai Singh II in order to strengthen the military power of Kachwah dynasty; the main purpose of building this fort was to develop some center to retreat when under attack. The construction of this fort was never completed; it is believed that this happened because of curse from some holy man known as Nahar Singh, inside fort there is a small shrine dedicated to him. Earlier this fort was known as Sudarshangarh but in honor of Nahar Singh the name was changed to Nahargarh Fort.
Jal Mahal: Jal Mahal also known as Water Palace is a hunting lodge in between the Maansagar lake, 5 Km from city center. It was built by King Sawai Madho Singh, this 300 years old palace was Adobe of royals during summer time, giving relief from hot summers of Rajasthan. Taking walk on the banks of Maansagar Lake is among the best things could be done in Jaipur. The beauty of this palace increases many folds at night when it is lit.
Hawa Mahal: Hawa Mahal also known as Wind Palace is the most iconic building of Jaipur. Wind Palace was built by King Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799, the design of this palace was motivated by the crown of Lord Krishna. The main reason for construction of this palace was to it possible for women from royal family to look out for main streets without being seen by anyone as it was compulsory for all royal ladies to practice Parda System, the 953 window with lattice design makes it possible for royal ladies to enjoy views from outside world without being noticed by anyone.
Gaitor ki Chatariya: Gaitor ki chatariya are royal cenotaphs situated on the outer walls of old city of Jaipur. There are many cenotaphs built to honor the deceased kings & important royal family members; these are very beautiful monuments mostly built using marble & sandstone. Cenotaph of King Jai Singh II is most beautiful structure here; it has a magnificent dome standing on 20 carved marble pillars. It is located at a distance of 8 km from City Palace of Jaipur.
Things To Do In Jaipur
The best things to do in Jaipur include visits to City Palace, Amber Fort, Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh Fort, Jalmahal Palace, Hawamahal (Wind Palace), cycling expedition, elephant safari at Amer Fort, enjoy cultural evening and gala dinner, Shopping, eat delicious Rajasthani cuisine, Light and sound show, movie, local market expedition, evening strolls like locals, exploring spiritual exploration at temples like Govind Dev ji Temple, Galta Temple and many more. For Jewellery shopping, Jaipur is very popular in the whole world.
Fairs And Festivals Of Jaipur
Fairs & festivals of any place define the jocundity of people & Jaipurites are believed to be the most celebrated mood people. In Jaipur there are many festival celebrated like Kite Festival , Teej Festival, Gangaur Fair, Dusshera, Elephant Festival, Rajasthan Diwas.
How To Reach Jaipur
By Air: Jaipur has a world-class international airport in the suburb of Jaipur called as Sanganer, it is located at a distance of 15 km from city center. Jaipur is very well connected to all major cities of India & world.
By Rail: Jaipur has 1 railway junction & 3 railway stations in the city. Jaipur is one of the very well connected cities of India. Nearly all of the country is connected through the train.
By Road: Jaipur is the capital city of Indian state of Rajasthan. Jaipur is very well connected to all major parts of the country. There are national highways which connect New Delhi, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Agra, Ajmer, Kota & many more cities.
Best Time To Visit In Jaipur
There is no such best time to visit this live city as most of the year climate is good & pleasant. But still, people believes that best time to visit Jaipur is winter season. This time stretches from the month of October to the month of March.
Jaipur Map – Jaipur city map for visitors, Get an idea about the Jaipur tourist places, the map is given below.
