This city is one of the three which makes up the famous Golden Triangle of India and therefore has good road, rail and domestic air links. It is affectionately known as the “Pink City” since the original yellow buildings were painted pink to celebrate the visit of Prince Albert in 1883. It is the capital of Rajasthan and can be a little chaotic with cars, auto rickshaws and camel driven carts vying with meandering cows and the odd lumbering elephant for a scrap of road space. However it is a photographer’s dream, with flower sellers displaying bright garlands of marigolds and roses on one side and merchants selling embroidered textiles on the other. In Johari Bazaar vegetable sellers set out their produce alongside some of the finest silver jewellers in India. This is one of our favourite cities in India and no visit is complete without a pit stop at Lassiwalla for a refreshing lassi, drunk from a terracotta mug, followed by the latest Bollywood blockbuster at Raj Mandir cinema. Festival time is a great time to visit, particularly in January for the Kite Flying festival and the Elephant Festival in March.
Places of Interest:
CITY PALACE
Begun by Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727 it is a complex full of pavilions and courtyards in the heart of the city. It now houses a museum exhibiting royal outfits and silks, musical instruments, armoury and art. Photography is prohibited in the gallery area and video cameras must have a special ticket, issued on entry.
JANTAR MANTAR
This is an intriguing collection of huge astronomical instruments, mostly designed to calculate time more precisely. It was built by Sawai Jai Singh II in 1726 and is the largest and best preserved example of the five he built. A fascinating place to visit, but take a guide to explain the intricacies.
HAWA MAHAL
An unusual building which offers the visitor a different view of the city from above. The Palace of the Winds is actually a facade, built in 1799 to allow the ladies of the court to view the city below without being seen themselves. There are more than 1000 windows and although it stands five storeys high it is just one room deep.
ISWARI MINAR SWARG SULI
The “Heaven piercing Minaret” offers a fantastic view of old Jaipur from the top.
AMBER FORT
This impressive fortress perched on a hill is situated 7 miles outside Jaipur. It can be reached on elephant back, if the elephants are available, or by jeep. The interior palace and gardens are beautiful, especially the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) with dazzling mirror work on the ceiling. Well worth visiting.
GALTA TEMPLES
A collection of 250 year old temples squeezed into a narrow rocky ravine. There are two tanks in which people can bathe and in the evening the atmosphere is quite magical with bells and chants from the temples. Watch out for the monkeys, and discarded banana skins on the steep steps! Well worth climbing to the top to Surya Mandir, above the tanks which offers great views of the city.
