Jaipur, Rajasthan, North India
July, 2014
Jaipur is the capital and largest city in the state of Rajasthan. It's chaotic and congested but its stunning hilltop forts and palaces from its rich royal past somehow allow you to look past the craziness and fall back in time. Jaipur is India’s first planned city and the entire city is fortified and accessed through 7 gates. The walls and the gates are still intact though the city has grown many times over making it essential for the residents to move out and away from the walls. Jaipur's massive bazaar fills a maze of streets and the pace is intense and hectic with choking pollution from cars and tuk tuks, people, cows and vendors all vying for your attention. In 1876 the Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria visited India on a tour and since pink denotes the color of hospitality the King painted the whole city pink and has become a tradition by law ever since and is the reason why Jaipur is known as the "pink city".
Our Accommodation - Hotel Pearl Palace
The most convenient place to stay in Jaipur is close to the main old city centre and bazaar. We found a decent place about a 10 minute tuk tuk ride from the centre located down a quiet lane called Hotel Pearl Palace. They had a good roof top restaurant very popular in the evenings with tourists making it a nice spot to meet other travelers and exchange stories.
Hawa Mahal
The renowned "Palace of the Winds" or Hawa Mahal is one of the most popular tourist attractions located in the centre of Jaipur city. This beautiful five-storey palace was constructed in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh and built of red and pink sandstone. The main intention of the construction was to facilitate the royal women and provide them a view of everyday life through the windows because they never appeared in public and helped provide a feeling of freedom. Its pyramid shape and 953 windows or "jharokhas" are decorated with intricate designs.
Chaotic Streets of Jaipur Bazaar
It's almost impossible to describe the frenzy, pollution, noise and garbage we encountered navigating the streets of the bazaar within the old city walls. There was a maze of streets extending in all directions filled with shops and vendors of every description. In a word: "overwhelming". In another word: "memorable".
A small taste of Jaipur
The Amber Fort
The Amber Fort (also known as Amer Fort) was constructed by Raja Man Singh in 1592. It's located about 11km from Jaipur and stands perched atop a cliff with a lake that lends the majestic structure a splendid view. The architecture is a blend of the Mughal and Rajput schools of architecture combining white marble and redstone. The Amber Fort contains large sprawling gardens, rooms and chambers with rich decoration and was mainly built for the warring enemies as a safe place where the heavily structured walls could defend the residents within the ramparts of the fort.