Jaipur: This city is the capital of Rajasthan an and has earned universal renown as the ‘Pink City’, and pink it is, with beautiful constructed palaces, havelis and forts, Tall, rugged men with handle-bar whiskers sport bright pink turbans, Jaipur which means the city of victory was built exactly 269 year back and is 262 km by road from Delhi. A strong wall encircles the old city and even today has a suggestion of formidable strength, its function of protecting all within is obvious.

The plains of Rajasthan of which Jaipur is the capital once thundered and echoed with the clash of swords and the drums of war.

Built in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh-II, Jaipur was the first planned city of its time ( the earlier planned city in Northern India having been built near taxila sometime in the 2^nd century BC).

Jaipur was planned by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya a Bengali architect in a grid system with wide straight qvenues,roads,streets and uniform rows of shops on either side of the mani bazaars, all arranged in nine rectangular city sectors (chokris). The city itself is an attractive creation worth of universal admiration.

Major Attractions

City Palace : The city palace is a historic landmark. The carved arches are supported by grey-white marble columns studded with floral motifs in gold and coloured stones. Two elephants carved in marble guard the entrance, where retainers whose families have served generations of rulers are at hand to serve as guides. The palaces interior houses a Museum containing select collection of various types of Rajasthani dresses, a fascinating armoury of Mughal and Rajput weapons; swords of all shapes and sizes, with chased handles, some of them inlaid, enameled, encrusted with jewels and encased in bold and magnificent scabbards. It also has an Art Gallery with a fine collection of paintings, carpets, royal paraphernalia and rare astronomical works in Arabic, Persian, Latin and Sanskrit, acquired by Sawai Jai Singh –II for his study of planets and their movements.

Jantar Mantar : Jantar Mantar is one of Jai Singh’s five remarkable observatories. Constructed with stone and marble its complex instruments whose setting and shapes are precisely and scientifically designed represent the high-points of Medieval Indian astronomy. The two Ram Yantras used for gauging altitudes are unique in their isolation. This is the largest of five observatories founded by Sawai Jai Singh-II in various parts of the country.

Hawa Mahal : Built by the poet-king Sawai Pratap Singh, the Hawa Mahal is the most strikingly designed monument in Jaipur. What is seen from the Sireh Deorhi Bazaar is the multiniched five storey high backside of the complex. It was conceived to provide adequate vantage position behind delicate stone-carved jail screens to the palace women for watching the royal processions passing through the bazaar below.

Old City : The City of Amer, once a prosperous settlement of nobles, craftsmen and ordinary citizens, is now mostly in ruins. The beautifully carved and painted Jagat Shriomani temple containing the idol of Lord Krishna, popularly associated with the celebrated saint poetess, Meera Bai, the old temple of Narsinghji and the well-made step-well Panna Mian-ki-Baoli still bear witness to its past glory.

Ram Niwas Bagh : To provide open space and greenery to the citizens, this large garden with a zoo, an aviary, a greenhouse, a herbarium, a museum and several sports grounds was built during the reign of Sawai Ram Singh II in 1868 as a famine relief project. The beautiful Indo-Saracenic structure of the Albert Hall designed by Sir Swinton Jacob was opened later with sculptures, paintings, decorative art objects, natural history specimens, on Egyptain mummy and the celebrated Persian Garden Carpet.