Jaipur is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Jaipur is also known as the Pink City, due to the dominant colour scheme of its buildings. Jaipur was founded in 1727 by the Kacchawa Rajput ruler Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amer, after whom the city is named. It was one of the earliest planned cities of modern India, designed by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. During the British Colonial period, the city served as the capital of Jaipur State. After independence in 1947, Jaipur was made the capital of the newly formed state of Rajasthan. Jaipur has a monsoon-influenced hot semi-arid climate with long, extremely hot summers and short, mild to warm winters.
History: The city of Jaipur was founded by King of Amer, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II on 18 November 1727, who ruled from 1699 to 1743. He planned to shift his capital from Amer, 11 kilometres to Jaipur to accommodate the growing population and increasing scarcity of water. Jai Singh consulted several books on architecture and architects while planning the layout of Jaipur. Under the architectural guidance of Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, Jaipur was planned based on the principles of Vastu Shastra and Shilpa Shastra. The construction of the city began in 1726 and took four years to complete the major roads, offices, and palaces. The city was divided into nine blocks, two of which contained the state buildings and palaces, with the remaining seven allotted to the public. Huge ramparts were built, pierced by seven fortified gates. During the rule of Sawai Ram Singh I, the city was painted pink to welcome HRH Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (who later became King Edward VII, Emperor of India), in 1876. Many of the avenues still remain painted in pink, giving Jaipur a distinctive appearance and the epithet Pink city.
*(All the information are from Wikipedia.)
Transportation:
Airport: Jaipur International Airport is in Sanganer, 12.2 km from the centre.
Rail: Jaipur Junction railway station is well connected to all major cities of India like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Indore, Lucknow, Visakhapatnam and Ahmedabad. Metro services are also available in some areas.
Road: Jaipur is located on National Highway 8 connecting Delhi and Mumbai. National Highway 12 links Jaipur with Kota and National Highway 11 links Bikaner with Agra passing through Jaipur. RSRTC operates bus service to major cities in Rajasthan, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Gujarat. City buses are operated by Jaipur City Transport Services Limited of RSRTC. The service operates more than 400 regular and low-floor buses. Major bus depots are located at Vaishali Nagar, Vidyadhar Nagar and Sanganer.
Local: Private vehicles for hire, taxis, auto-rickshaws, e-rickshaws are available for local transport within the city.
Tourist Interest:
Hawa Mahal: Hawa Mahal is a palace built from red and pink sandstone, the palace sits on the edge of the City Palace, Jaipur, and extends to the Zenana, or women’s chambers.
City Palace: The City Palace, Jaipur was established at the same time as the city of Jaipur, by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who moved his court to Jaipur from Amber, in 1727. The City Palace was the ceremonial and administrative seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur.
Jantar Mantar: The Jantar Mantar is a collection of 19 astronomical instruments built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II.
Albert Hall Museum: The Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur is the oldest museum of the state and functions as the state museum of Rajasthan.
Jal Mahal: Jal Mahal (meaning “Water Palace”) is a palace in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur city, the capital of the state of Rajasthan, India. The palace and the lake around it were renovated and enlarged in the 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber.
The other places of interest are Isarlat Sargasooli tower, Johri Bazar, Chokhi Dhani, Birla Mandir, Patrika Gate, Jhalana Leopard Sanctuary and others within the city while the famous Nahargarh fort lies on the edge of the city on the Aravali Hills and the other two forts of Amber and Jaigarh lies in the nearby city of Amer.
Tour Planner:
Day 1: The places within the old city, like City Palace, Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal, Alber Hall and others can be covered in a day.
Day 2: The second day can be used for an early morning safari at Jhalana Leopard sanctuary, followed by Patrika gate, Jal Mahal and sunset at Nahargarh Fort.
Day 3: Keep a day separately for Amer.