Jaipur

Jaipur is the first planned city of India, though located in the desert lands of Rajasthan and serves as the capital city of Rajasthan. Popularly known as the Pink City, Jaipur was the capital of the princely state of Jaipur during the British rule in India. Founded in November, 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 6 million.

This Metropolitan City sprawls over a magnificent area of 1766 km2 in its Metro Region and 725 km2 in its Walled City. 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 34 m wide. The urban quarters are further divided by networks of gridded streets.

What to See
Amber Fort; Jaigarh Fort, never conquered in battle and Nahargarh Fort, smallest of the three forts; the City Palace, an superb blend of traditional Rajput & Mughal architecture. It covers nearly 15% of Jaipur and houses palatial structures like the Chandra Mahal, (home to the present Maharajah of Jaipur), Mubarak Mahal (a textile museum), Diwan-e-Khas, the Diwan-e-Aam ( or Hall of Public Audience), the gateway Ridhi Sidhi Pol, the Hawa Mahal, formal gardens, and a small lake.

Jaipur has many temples, like the Moti Doongari temple, the main centre of religion for Jaipur; Akshardham Temple and Galtaji, an ancient Hindu pilgrimage site.

Monuments include Jantar Mantar, an astronomical observatory and the Hawa Mahal (or Palace of breeze),a five storey high red sandstone structure complete with over 950 windows.

How to Get there
By Air:
Jaipur has an airport at Sanganer, close by. It has domestic connections to Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Goa, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Mumbai and Indore. Direct flights to Sharjah, Muscat and Dubai are also available but flights to Singapore and Bangkok route via Delhi. London and Dublin are its other destinations.

By Rail:
Jaipur is a busy railhead. A number of daily trains connect Jaipur to Delhi, Ahmedabad, Agra, Mumbai, Jodhpur, Kota, Alwar, Ajmer Udaipur, Chittaurgarh, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Kolkata, Jammu, Pathankot, Ludhiana, Kanpur, Roorkee, Haridwar, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur and Bhopal.

By Road:
Jaipur-Delhi is served by an excellent bus service, with buses every half an hour both sides. There are several types of buses including Deluxe, AC and the superior AC Volvo buses. From Delhi, board the bus from Bikaner House on Pandara Road next to India Gate. From Jaipur, board the bus from Narayan Singh Circle or the main Sindhi Camp bus stand. Advance booking is possible up to 6 days. These trips typically take 6 hours (by Volvo) or 6-7 hours by other deluxe buses. A car is the most popular way of reaching from Delhi. The journey takes less than 4hrs using National Highway no. 8 from Delhi to Jaipur via Gurgaon. The road is excellent.

 

 

Getting Around
The best and cheapest way to visit the Jaipur Local Sights is by RTDC (Rajasthan Tourism Dept. Corp.) buses. There are three type of tours: full day, half day and Pink city by night tour. Autos are also available.

Where to Eat
Chokhi Dhani & Apno Gaon - Two excellent places to enjoy Rajasthani food served in the traditional mode; Natraj - an excellent Vegetarian place; Loharu House; Chitra Cafeteria for a great buffet lunch; Niros and LMB for north Indian food.

Where to Stay
Jai Mahal Palace, Rambagh Palace and Rajputana Sheraton are 5-star+ hotels.
Holiday Inn, Trident Hilton, Chokhi Dhani, Mansingh Towers, Le Meridien and Clarks Amer are standard 5-star hotels. Jaipur Ashok and Meru Palace are 4-star hotels. Kanchandeep, Jaipur Palace, Maurya Palace and Comfort Inn Hawa Mahal are 3-star hotels. Krishna Palace, Bhim Vilas, Youth Hostel, The Pearl Palace and Pink Petals Inn are some of the many budget hotels.