This is a famous Capital of the desert state of Rajasthan and has earned universal renown as the Pink City, it is with beautifully constructed palaces, domes and forts. Jaipur which means the city of victory was built in 1727 and is 262 km by road from Delhi. A strong wall encircles the old city and even today has a suggestion of formidable strength, its function of protecting all with in is obvious.

The plains of Rajasthan of which Jaipur is the capital once thundered and echoed with the clash of swords and the drums of war.

Built in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh, Jaipur was the first planned city of its time (the earlier planned city in Northern India having been near Taxila sometime in the 2nd century BC)

Jaipur was planned by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, a Bengali architect in a grid system with wide straight avenues, roads streets and lanes and uniform rows of shops on either side of the main bazars, all arranged in nine rectangular city sectors (chokris).The city itself is an attractive creation worthy of universal admiration.

There is a feast in store for the tourist . Huge and ancient monuments in which one can breathe the fragrance of history, comfortable hotels once the proud palaces of kings, numerous parks, gardens and excursions of nearby places of interest, make Jaipur a tourist's paradise.

TOURIST PLACES

THE CITY PALACE: (Timings : 09:30 to 16:45 hrs.)

The City Palace is a historical landmark. The carved arches are supported by grey-white marble columns studded with floral motifs in gold and colored stones. The elephants carved in marble guard the entrance, where retainers who have served two generations of rulers are at hand to serve as guides.

The Palace interior houses a select collection of various types of Rajasthan Dresses. The museum contains a fascinating armoury of Rajput weapons; swords of all shapes and sizes, with chased handles, some of them inlaid, enamelled, encrusted with jewels and encased in bold and magnificient scabbards.

The Art Gallery within the museum has a fine collection of astronomical works in Arabic, Persian, Latin and Sanskrit, acquired by Sawai Jai Singh for his study of planets and their movements.

JANTAR MANTAR : (Timing : 0900 to 1700 hrs.)

Jantar Mantar is the largest and best preserved of Sawai Jai Singh's five remarkable Observatories. It is a construction of stone and marble structure whose setting and shapes are precisely and scientifically designed and which are one of the high-points of medieval Indian astronomy. The two Ram Yantras used for gauging altitudes are unique in their isolation.

HAWA MAHAL : (Timing : 1000 to 1700 hrs.)

The Palace of Winds---a remarkable landmark of Rajasthan. Built by the orders of poet-king, Sawai Pratap Singh, the Hawa Mahal is the most strikingly designed monument of Jaipur. What is seen from the Sireh Deorhi Bazar is the multi-niched five-story high backside of the complex. It was conceived to provide adequate vantage position behind delicate stone-carved Jali screens to the palace women for watching the royal processions passing through the bazar below.

GALTAJI:

Beyond the gardens, amidst the low hill guarding the city lies the old pilgrim center of Galtaji. Temples, pavilions and holy kunds (nature springs and reservoirs) dot the serene green landscape. The small temple of the Sun God, built by Diwan Kriparam on top of the highest peak, is visible from all parts of the city.

AMER FORT :

The City of Amer, once a prosperous settlement of nobles, craftsmen and ordinary citizens, is now mostly in ruins. The beautiful carved and painted largat Shiromani temple containing the idol of Lord Krishna, popularly associated with the celebrated saint poetess, Mira Bai, the old temple of Narsinghji and the well-made step-well Panna Mina-Ki-Baoli still bear witness to its past glory.

HOW TO GET THERE

AIR-There are flights connecting to Delhi, Kota, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Bombay and Ahmedabad.

RAIL-An Excelent connection from Delhi is shatabdi and the pink city express which provide a convenient link of vestibuled, chair seating rail service. Other connections to Jaipur are from Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur Ahmedabad, Secunderabad, Agra, Lucknow, Bombay and Calcutta.

ROAD-Jaipur is connected by road with the major cities of India.

DISTANCES