Jaipur - The Heritage Pink City has been the capital of erstwhile Jaipur state since its inception in 1727 AD, it gets the name from its founder Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. He was not only a great ruler but also a renowned mathematician and astrologer, his various talents are clearly exhibited in the city. Vidhydhar Bhattacharya designed Jaipur as per the Hindu treatise, Shilp Shastra. The city was laid
with great precision, it could also be called as the first planned
city of the country. The roads were quite wide and intersected at
right angles, the entire city being divided into rectangular blocks
and surrounded by a peripheral wall with huge gates guarding it. The
market places were named after the commodity, which was supposed to
be predominantly sold or manufactured there. The
capital city of the state Rajasthan, very nearly exemplifies the
character of the state and its people. Surrounded by rugged hills on
three sides, each crowned by formidable fort and beautiful palaces,
mansions and gardens dotted throughout its precincts. In
1876 A.D. Jaipur dressed itself in pink to welcome Prince Albert,
consort of Queen Victoria and earned the epitaph PINK CITY', it is
also a home of excellent handicrafts especially known for the
exquisite gold jewellery enamelled or inlaid with precious stones,
blue pottery, carving on wood, stone & ivory, block print, tie &
dye textiles, hand made paper, miniature painting etc. Fairs
and Festivals
- Elehant Festival
(March-April) 6 March, 2004, 25
March, 2005, 14 March, 2006, the elephant enthrall the
spectators on the day of the Colourful festival of Holi at
Chaugan stadium. Beautifully decorated elephants assemble for
royal procession, Elephant polo match, races etc. &
Rajasthan Folk music & dance performances are part of the
festival.
- Ganguar
(March-April) 4-5 April, 2003, 23-24
March, 2004, 11-12 April, 2005, 1-2 April, 2006, this festival
is celebrated by the maidens and married women, and is dedicated
to Gauri, the incarnation of Goddess Parvati, the consort of
Lord Shiva. A Colourful procession is taken out from Zanana
Deodhi of the City Palace, passing through Tripolia Bazar,
Gangauri Bazar, Chaugan and converging near Talkatora for two
consecutive days.
- Teej
(July-August) 12 August 2003, 19-20 August,
2004, 8-9 August, 2005, 28-29 July, 2006, festival marking the
advent of monsoon, swings are hung from trees and decorated with
flowers. Young girls sing songs of love and about the rain. The
festival is dedicated to parvati, commemorating the day when she
was united with Lord Shiva, A magnificent procession is taken
out from City Palace, similar to the Gangaur procession, for two
consecutive days.
- Shitla Astami
(March-April) this festival is
locally called as Basoda, is celebrated to ward off the dreaded
disease of small pox. The most famous fair is held at the Shitla
Mata temple in Chaksu (on the Jaipur Kota Road), people gather
here to pray and celebrate.
- Makar Sakranti
Celebrated on the 14th of January,
every year with traditional fervour, the devotees take a holy
dip in the holy tank at Galtaji, it has now also become a kite
flying festival, millions of colourful kites come on the sky of
Jaipur on this day.
Atractions in Jaipur
- Hawa Mahal
Constructed
in 1799, Hawa Mahal is the most sensational monument in the city
of Jaipur. The palace, overlooks one of Jaipur's main streets
and was originally constructed to offer women of the court an
upper hand, so that they can watch the activities taking place
in the bazaar and the surrounding streets behind stone-carved
screens. For this purpose, it was designed with over 900 niches,
and the entire building is shaped like a crown adorning Lord
Krishna's head.
- Jantar
Mantar
It is the largest and best preserved of
five observatories built by Jai Singh throughout northern India.
It contains 13 different instruments for calculating such things
as the time of day, the altitudes of heavenly bodies, and the
positions of constellations. Although the instruments look like
modern sculpture, they are able to make calculations accurate to
one second.
- City Palace
In
the heart of the old city, the City Palace occupies a large area
divided into a series of courtyards, gardens and buildings. The
outer wall was built by Sawai Jai Singh, but other additions are
more recent, some dating to the start of the 20th century. The
palace is a blend of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. The son
of the last Maharaja and his family still live in part of the
palace.
- Amber Fort
Amber
fort and palace are the must-visit monuments on your tour to
Jaipur. Some of the monuments inside the fort that are worth
visiting are Sheesh Mahal, Jai Mandir, Diwan-e-Aam, Kali Temple,
Diwan-e-Khas and Diwan-e-Aam. Tourism in Rajasthan offers
complete information on various tourist destinations and hotels
in Rajasthan.
How to Reach
- Air
There are flight connections to Delhi, Kota,
Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
- Rail
An excellent connection from Delhi is
Shatabdi Express which provides a fast, air-conditioned rail
service.
- Road
A convenient mode of travel to Jaipur is by
road, through a network of comfortable tourist buses. Rajasthan
Roadways runs excellent regular service of AC and Deluxe Coaches
from Delhi (From Bikaner House, Pandara road and ISBT, Kashmeri
Gate) Some Road distances are Delhi 259 km, Udaipur 405 km,
Jodhpur 336 km, Ahmedabad 657 km.
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