I grew up on a heavy dose of Charles Dickens literature, thus one can very well relate my fascination for the Royals. So when I got a chance to visit Jaipur, I jumped at the opportunity. Once you are in Jaipur you can feel the world of Royals, the forts, the palaces, the market – they all create a sense of nostalgia. I don’t want to sound boring but before we start a trip to Jaipur, it is worth knowing, how and when this beautiful city was formed.
Jaipur, the largest city of Rajasthan was founded by Jai Singh II in 1727. The landscape of Jaipur takes your breath away, the city is not only well maintained but very clean. After the mad rush of Delhi NCR, Jaipur acted as a soothing balm. The city has a rich cultural heritage and an amazing architecture. Every spot in Jaipur has a story to narrate and one can see a sense of pride in common people when they describe the city past. An ideal Jaipur tour should be of four days, in which 3 days can be spent exploring Jaipur and rest one day can be spent visiting Ajmer and Pushkar.
Quick Tip: Few of the must-see places in Jaipur are Hawa Mahal, City Palace, Jantar Mantar, Jal Mahal etc. In forts, one can see Amer Fort, Jai Garh Fort, Nahargarh Fort – for all these one can easily get a consolidated ticket of Rs 100. It is always advisable to go for a consolidated ticket as it not only provides value for money but also saves a lot of time.
Hawa Mahal:
Hawa Mahal is made of pink sandstone and is five stories tall. The legend behind Hawa Mahal says that the royalty built the Mahal so that the royal women folk can see the whole city from the Mahal without being observed by commoners. It was truly fun peeping through the Jharokha, with a knowledge that you can watch everyone, without being watched. Does this sound something out of Sherlock Homes movie??
City Palace:
The next spot to be covered is City palace, very near to Hawa Mahal, almost walking distance. It is right in the center of old city. This is the palace where the royalty still lives, so half part of the palace is unapproachable. It has got Chandra Mahal and Mubarak Mahal, also it contains a museum. I would suggest spending some time over here, and see the beauty not only of the architecture but also carvings on the door and walls.
Jantar Mantar:
Jantar Mantar is definitely an astronomical marvel. It was built by Sawai Jai Singh II, who himself took a keen interest in the movement of sun, moon, and planets. It is the best-preserved observatory. It contains the equipment’s used by the royalty to study the planetary positions. One can also view Hawa Mahal from here. The Samrat Yantra’s or in other words the giant Sundial, its shadow can easily tell the time of the day.
Amer Fort:
This fort is located 11 kms away from Jaipur and was originally build by Meena Rulers. The fort is located on top of the hills.
Quick Tip: A word of caution is that many travel packages will tell you that you can cover all the three forts in one day, but practically it is very difficult. No doubt that the forts are located very near to each other but covering one fort requires at least 3 hours and a lot of stamina.
Best Time To Visit Jaipur:
The best time to visit Jaipur is from October to March, after that it gets very hot.
Advice: Also would suggest doing good research before visiting any spot so that one knows a bit of History about the place in advance. It would be good if one can hire a guide for Jantar Mantar and Amer Fort.
Market: In the evening one can visit Bapu Bazar, Nehru bazar for shopping. The streets are lively and well-lit bazaars are filled with bright turbans and ethnic attire, hand-dyed and embroidered textiles, pretty jewelry and delicious food.
Food: Amazing street food is present, do enjoy that. The food of Jaipur is yummy but it might be oily and too spicy for some. The food is not very expensive over here, one can eat a good meal in Rs 150/-
If you have already visited Jaipur, do share your experiences in the comments below. For those who are yet to explore this beautiful place, when are you planning your trip to Jaipur?