Jaipur-Amer
 Jaipur:
Jaipur is famous as the Pink City all the world over. This
city was founded in 1727 AD by one of the greatest rulers
of the Kachhawaha clan, the astronomer-king Sawai Jai Singh,
and designed by the brilliant architect Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya.
Sawai Jai Singh became the ruler of Amer in 1699, at the age
of 11 years and showed his brilliant ruling power at such
an early age. In 1725, he decided to build a bigger city and
move his capital there, that city was named as Jaipur.
Jaipur is known for its remarkable town planning. Traditional
crafts like jewellery, metalwork, enamelling, tie and dye,
stone carving, pottery, leather work and miniature painting
patronised by the rulers in the 18th century still continues
to be a glorious arts of Jaipur.
The city was planned according to the Hindu Vaastushastra
based upon the principles of Shilpa Shastra. The city is encircled
by a fortified wall. The palace lies in the heart of the city.
The framework was cut across neatly by wide lanes which divided
the area into tidy, well laid out rectangles of commercial
and residential use. The fortified wall has seven gates and
was built for protect the city. A walk through the lanes of
Jaipur takes you to the entirely different world.
Places of interest are located mainly inside the walled structure
surrounding the city. The City Palace complex is the most
important landmark with its numerous outstanding courtyards,
impressive gateways and temples. The seven-storied palace
houses like Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal ,the Diwan-I- Am
and Diwan-I-Khas occupy half of the city area. The museum
houses a rare collection of arms, carpets, costumes, paintings
and royal paraphernalia. A notable exhibit is a pair of pure
silver containers that are the largest single pieces of silver
in the world.
Popularly known as the City Palace, it is the home of the
erstwhile royal family. Across the road from the palace is
the Jantar Mantar, one of the five observatories built by
Sawai Jai Singh. A collection of complex astronomical instruments
chiselled out of stone- most of which continue to provide
fairly accurate information to this day-is the highlight of
the observatory.
Hawa Mahal adjoins the outside of the palace wall. Built in
1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, the Palace of Winds is
a remarkable structure which overlooks one of the main streets
and also provides some excellent views of the city.
Dedicated to Lord Krishna, it is shaped like a crown. It has
over 900 nitches and is quite an unusual structure the likes
of which are not to be found anywhere else. Within the palace
complex are several temples, the most prominent being the
Govind Devji temple, dedicated to Lord Krishna. Close by are
the newly restored Talkatora and Jai Niwas garden. Outside
the palace walls are the famous mohallas,rectangular blocks,each
designed in conformity with a particular trade or craft. Key
areas include the Chandpole Bazar, Chotti Chaupar, Badi Chaupar,
Tripolia Bazar, Kishanpole Bazar, Johari Bazar, Bapu Bazar,
Nehru Bazar and their lanes viz. Khazanewalon-ka-Rasta, Maniharon-ka-Rasta,
Haldiyon-ka-Rasta, Gopalji-ka-Rasta and Rangwalon-ki-Gali.
Each of these lanes is like an open museum, a treasure house
of traditional crafts and arts. Markets outside the walled
city include the M.I. Road,Jayanti Market plus a number of
colony markets.
Outside the walls
Just outside the walled structure around the city is the Ram
Niwas Garden. The Albert Hall Museum is in the middle of the
garden. Opened in 1887 AD, it is a very well-maintained and
impressive building displaying a rich collection of paintings,
carpets, ivory, stone and metal sculpture and other objects.
Ram Niwas Bagh also houses one of the oldest zoos in
the country harbouring different species of birds and animals.
Other places to attract your attention are the Ravindra Rang
Manch with a modern art gallery and an open air theatre. Another
corner of the garden is dotted with street food stalls where
one can taste the delicacy of Indian fast food.
Maharani Ki Chhatri: The
site where the last rites of royal ladies were performed.
It has a number of cenotaphs, some of which are still in very
good condition.
Gaitor: Located in the foothills of the Nahargarh
hills, this is the funeral ground of the rulers of Jaipur.
A quiet and peaceful area, there are some fine cenotaphs with
intricately carved marble columns and lattices.
Jal Mahal: A picturesque
palace built for royal duck shooting parties. The palace is
situated amidst the Man Sagar lake.
Kanak Vrindavan : A newly
restored temple. The landscaped gardens have made this a popular
picnic spot.
Galta: A pilgrimage centre with several pavilions,
natural springs and the only sun temple in this part of India.
Sisodia Palace Garden and Vidhyadhar Garden: The well maintained
gardens situated on the way to Galta. These gardens consist
of several galleries, pavilions and beautiful murals depicting
scenes from the life of Lord Krishna.
Amer, Jaigarh and Nahargarh: All the three forts were built
during different periods but they are located in such a manner
that they seem to be stringed together.
Nahargarh: Nahargarh is also known as Tiger Fort,
which was built in 1734 before the two others. It lies at
north-west of City Palace. Durg, a cafeteria managed by the
RTDC, is located in one of the many courtyards of this fort.
Jaigarh: Jaigarh fort
that was built in 1726, is also known as Fort of Victory.
The fort was by Sawai Jai Singh. It was the royal treasury
for several years. The world’s largest cannon on wheels is
to be found here. The fort has its own museum and provides
some excellent views of Amer palace.
 Amer
: Other than the fort Amer has witnessed a splendid
history of the Kachhawaha dynasty. Won from the ruling Meena
tribe, the Kachhawahas set up their capital here in mid-12th
century and continued to dominate the surrounding area for
the next six centuries. The alliance between the rulers of
Amer and the Mughals was mutually beneficial and the Kachhawahas
were able to build and embellish the fort palace with their
share of the booty from the battlefield.
Set in a picturesque location, Amer is a fascinating blend
of Hindu and Muslim architecture. Built in the 16th century
by Raja Man Singh with red sandstone and white marble, the
palace complex has some very interesting apartments, which
are not to be found anywhere else in the country. Jag Mandir,
Sheesh Mahal, Sukh Niwas, Ganesh Pol are some of the prominent
areas of interest.
The old township of Amer lies at the foothills of the palace
and has an old world charm, a character of its own. Jagat
Shiromani Temple, Narsingh Temple, Panna Menna Ki BaodiI are
some of the places of interest. Others areas of interest around
Jaipur are Samod, Rambagh, Bagtu, Sanganer and Chaksu.
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