My India travels continues as we head to the magnificent
state of Rajasthan and the city of Jaipur often known as the pink city. Jaipur was
established in 1727 by Jai Singh II, and it is one of the largest city of
Rajasthan. Jaipur is magnificent with beautiful architecture, it has the most
eye catching and majestic fortresses, palaces, temples and beautiful havelis. The
best time to visit this place is between October and March. The weather
although is hot is still bearable.
On our recent visit to Jaipur we visited a few of the
key sightseeing places:
Amber Fort
Amber Fort is situated next to the Maota lake on the
rocky hill of Cheel ka Teela (Hill of Eagles) that overlooks the Jaipur. It was
built by Raja Shri Maan Singh JI Saheb’ (Maan Singh I) and It dates back from
the 16th century. The fort can be reached by car, on foot or by elephant rides
which take you to the grand entrance of the fort.
Inside the palace there are many state rooms, lots of beautifully carved architecture, courtyards and chambers. The most intricate and beautiful room in the fort is the Sheesh Mahal the Mirror Palace. The walls and ceilings are carved with floral patterns that are inlayed with glass mirrors. It is thought that if a candle is lit in the Mahal, it will replicate a starry night. The Maharaja built this room for his queen who wanted to sleep under the stars but since Royal women were not allowed to do this this was to replicate the experience of sleeping under the stars.
To make the most of the fort I would highly recommend getting an English speaking guide who will be able to give a detailed history and tour of the fort.
Hawa Mahal- Palace of Winds
Hawa Mahal was built in 1799 and it was an extension of the city palace. The palace spans out over five floors and the inside boasts beautiful and intricate Rajput and Islamic architecture. It has a very iconic honeycomb structure created by pink sandstone. These structures are actually the palace windows made from detailed lattice work made in a typical Marwari design. It was thought that the queens and the royal women in palace used to
sit behind the windows, out of sight so they could watch royal processions or
religious ceremonies. The windows also provided air to travel through the
lattice to keep the palace cool hence it was given the name Hawa Mahal meaning
palace of winds.
Jal Mahal- Water Palace
The Jal Mahal the water
palace set in the middle of Lake Sagar. It appears to have only one story which
is visible from the banks of the lake, however the palace has an extra 4 floors
submerged under water. It is not possible to visit the palace but you can view
it from the banks. Along the banks of the lake there are a few stalls selling
tourist souvenirs, photographers offering to take photos in Rajasthani attire
and also camel rides. A typical visit to the Jal Mahal will be less than 30
minutes, just enough time to take some photos
Whilst in Jaipur we
also visited Nahargarh Fort, Nahargarh which means 'abode of tigers'. It is
located in one of the oldest mountain ranges of the world, the Aravalli Hills.
The fort can be reached by car along a long winding mountain road, there are
many places to stop to admire the beautiful and spectacular views of Jaipur.
It is known that Nahargarh Fort, Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort are all connected and were used as defence for each other. The fort is a two storey building with many rooms and beautiful Indian and European style of architecture.
It is known that Nahargarh Fort, Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort are all connected and were used as defence for each other. The fort is a two storey building with many rooms and beautiful Indian and European style of architecture.
Apart from sightseeing, shopping in Jaipur is plentiful,
there are many shops on MG Road and lots of bazaars leading off the main road too.
You can buy clothing and ethnic attire, hand-dyed and embroidered textiles,
pretty jewellery and delicious food. The city is a rainbow of bright colours and
it is very visually appealing.
Since we only spent two nights in Jaipur we wanted to make the most of the city, together with sightseeing and shopping we were looking for a Rajasthani cultural experience whilst dining. This we found when we visited Choki Dhani, which captures this perfectly in a rural village setting decorated with traditional artefacts and furnishings and serving Rajasthani cuisine in a very authentic and homely way. Our experience of Choki Dhani was very enjoyable and it is worthy of a separate blog post which is next on the agenda.
Time permitting there
are many other places to visit in Jaipur such as the Jaigarth Fort, Jantar
Mantar stone observatory and Birla Temple. Since we only had two nights to
spend in this beautiful city. I think we managed to pack in all the key things
we wanted to experience.
Jaipur- Choki Dhani
Jodhpur