Location
This
capital city of the northwestern state of Rajasthan is surrounded by Aravali
hills on one side and is on the edge of the Thar Desert. It is just 258 km
from Delhi.
The City Jaipur
The 'City of Victory', Jaipur, also known as the Pink City was founded by
the Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. This well planned city was designed by the
architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya according to the Shilpa Shatra (the ancient
science & art of designing and construction of buildings). Its colourful
culture, fabulous forts, palaces and beautiful lakes attract tourists from
all over the world. The city is also famous for craft items, jewellery, and
textiles. The city has a number of tourist places like Hawa Mahal, City
Palace and Jantar Mantar observatory.
Climate
Jaipur experience an extreme climate with hot summer and cold winter. The
summer temperature rises up to 46 degrees C and during winters the
temperature varies between 25 and 5 degrees C. The winter months from
October to March and during monsoons are the best time to visit the city.
Sightseeing
The city offers a number of tourist places including forts, palaces,
temples and many more architectural genius.
» City Palace - Located in the heart of the city,
the City Palace was built by Maharaja Jaisingh II and display a blend of
Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. It has a large number of courtyards,
gardens and buildings. Some of the main buildings within the palace complex
are the Mubarak Mahal, Maharani's Palace, Diwan-i-Khas, Diwani-i-Am, Chandra
Mahal etc. It also houses a museum named the City Palace Museum. The palace
is open daily between 9.30 am to 4.45 pm. Entry fee is Rs 35/180 for Indian
& foreigners.
» Jantar Mantar - This is one of the five
observatory built by Maharaja Jai Singh II to observe the movement of stars.
The complex has several ancient instruments like the Brihat Samrat Yantra,
Laghu Samrat Yantra, Dhruva Darshak Yantra etc. for measuring the position
of stars and to know the local time. It is open daily from 9 am to 4 pm and
the entry fee is Rs 4 (free on Monday).
»
Hawa Mahal - The Hawa Mahal or the Palace of Winds was built by Maharaja
Sawai Pratap Singh, in 1799. This five storey building is constructed of red
and pink sandstone. It has 953 windows with decorated screens. These are
said to have been used by royal ladies to watch processions in the street.
The palace is open to public everyday except Friday from 9 am to 4.30 pm
with an entry fee of Rs 5.
Other Attractions
Some other major tourist attractions include the Amber Fort, Rambagh
Palace, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Jaigarh Fort, Jalmahal, Nahargarh Fort etc.
Fairs & Festivals
The Pink City celebrates a number of colourful festivals that reflect its
rich culture and heritage. Some of the major ones are :
» The Elephant Festival - Held in the month of March
every month the festival features decorated elephant procession, elephant
polo match, races and Rajasthani folk performances.
» Teej - Held in the month of July or
August, this festival marks the coming of monsoon.
» Gangaur - The festival is dedicated to Goddess
Parvati and is celebrated by married women. During this festival, a
colourful procession is carried out from the City Palace to other parts of
the city.
Shopping
Clothes,
jewellery and a number of handicraft items including Jaipur's blue pottery
are the major buying items in the city. Johari Bazaar, Bapu Bazaar, tourist
shops outside Hawa Mahal and along Hawa Sarak, Jacob Road, Tilak Marg are
some of the major shopping spots.
Popular Food
Jaipur offers some of the best Indian food and traditional Rajasthani food.
The most popular traditional Rajasthani food include Dal Batti Churma,
Ghewar, Rajasthani Subji, Mawa Kachori and Chapati or Roti.
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