Jaipur - The Pink City of India, see it with India Invites

Introduction: Jaipur is a city where royalty still lives in the grandeur of its palaces, where fighting for the honour of the clan has never been a need but a way of life, and where treating guests as gods has been a tradition from time immemorial. The city is located at a distance of around 258 km from Delhi and 232 km from Agra, making it a part of the famed Golden Triangle tourist circuit of North India. Jaipur got its name from its founder Sawai Jai Singh (1693-1743), who had the vision to create a meticulously planned city as his capital. All the houses in the old city are painted pink, including the famous Hawa Mahal, thereby giving the city its alternative name, the Pink City.

Sightseeing: Jaipur offers a plethora of tourist attractions to the traveller. The City Palace in the heart of Jaipur is known for its blend of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. Not far away is the Central Museum with its large collection of woodwork, jewellery, costumes, brassware, and pottery. Another monument near the City Palace, Jantar Mantar, is the largest of the five observatories built by Sawai Jai Singh. The Hawa Mahal or the Palace of Winds was constructed for the royal ladies to watch the royal processions without being seen. Amber Fort, situated just outside the city, is perhaps the most beautiful example of Rajasthani forts and gives a grand view of the city down below. Other attractions include the Jaigarh Fort, Birla Mandir, and Sisodia Rani Ka Bagh.

HAWA MAHAL: Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh built it in 1799. The Hawa Mahal or the Palace of Winds is a 5-storied building along the main street of the Sireh Deori Bazaar is in pink splendour with semi octagonal and delicately honey-combed sandstone windows. It was built originally with the aim of enabling ladies of the household to watch the everyday life and royal processions of the city.

CITY PALACE: Located in the heart of the old city is the former royal residence built in a blend of the Rajasthani and Mughal styles. The palaces house a museum with superb collection of Rajasthani costume and armoury of Mughals and Rajputs. The palace also has an art gallery with an excellent collection of miniature paintings, carpets royal paraphernalia and rare astronomical works in Arabic, Persian, Latin and Sanskrit acquired by Sawai Jai Singh II to study astronomy in detail. Of significance is the "Chandra Mahal" which overlooks the breathtaking Jai Niwas gardens and the highly revered Shri Govind Dev temple.

JANTAR MANTAR: Emperor Sawai Jai Singh built this stone observatory the biggest of the five he had built all over the country. This huge instrument in intricate masonry offers an accurate measurement of time, the declination of the sun the position of the constellations in the sky the eclipse and allied astronomical phenomena.

AMBER FORT: Situated 11 Km from Jaipur on the Delhi-Jaipur road. Amber was the old capital of Dhundhar or the erstwhile Jaipur state. Within the ramparts of the fort is the palace of Amber. Up to the Jai Pol the first gateway one can rise on elephant back. On entering Jaipol one comes into a huge courtyard and entering the Singh Pol to the left is the Diwan-E-Am or the hall of public audience. The gallery over the gate has windows with latticework for the women folk to observe the activities below. The other structures are the Sukh Niwas which has paintings in turquoise and trellis designs, the Diwan-E-Khas, Jas Mahal and Nat Mahal an open-air theatre.

Lovely Arches at the City Palace complex!

Excursions: Jaipur is also the base for exploring some nearby towns and cities of Rajasthan. Ajmer, situated around 130 km south-west of Jaipur, is a pilgrim town renowned for the tomb of Sufi Saint Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti. In its vicinity is Pushkar, another pilgrim town famous for the annual camel / cattle fair. Kishangarh is renowned for its miniature paintings while Roopangarh houses a fort built by Roop Singh.