Jaipur

Overview

Jaipur is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of the Kachwaha Rajput dynasty, it is widely known as the "Pink City" on account of the distinctive terracotta-pink wash applied to buildings in its old walled quarter. Jaipur forms one corner of the popular tourist circuit known as the Golden Triangle, along with Delhi and Agra, and its historic core was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.

Key Facts

Geography

Jaipur lies in the eastern part of Rajasthan on the semi-arid plain bordering the Aravalli Range. The city is flanked by hills on three sides, on which stand the historic forts of Amber, Nahargarh and Jaigarh. The terrain transitions to the Thar Desert towards the west and to the agricultural plains of the Banas basin to the south. Jaipur experiences a hot semi-arid climate, with very hot summers, a monsoon between July and September, and mild winters.

History

Foundation

Before the founding of Jaipur, the seat of the Kachwaha rulers was Amber (Amer), about 11 km to the north. Sawai Jai Singh II, a noted astronomer and statesman in the late Mughal period, shifted his capital to a new planned city at the foot of the surrounding hills. The city was laid out by the architect and scholar Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, drawing upon principles from the Shilpa Shastra and Vastu traditions. The plan divided the walled city into nine rectangular sectors (chowkris), separated by wide colonnaded streets meeting at right angles, an unusually rigorous grid for an 18th-century Indian city.

Pink City

In 1876, during the reign of Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II, the buildings of the old city were painted pink to welcome the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) and Queen Victoria. The colour was subsequently retained, and a municipal regulation requires owners within the walled city to maintain the pink facade.

Modern era

Jaipur State acceded to the Indian Union after independence in 1947 and was merged with other princely states to form the new state of Rajasthan in 1949, with Jaipur designated as the capital. In the decades that followed the city expanded rapidly beyond its walls, with new commercial and residential districts including C-Scheme, Malviya Nagar, Mansarovar, Vaishali Nagar and Jagatpura.

Architecture and landmarks

• City Palace – the royal residential complex at the heart of the walled city, combining Rajput, Mughal and European styles.
• Hawa Mahal – the five-storey "Palace of Winds" built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, with a honeycomb facade of 953 small windows (jharokhas).
• Jantar Mantar – an astronomical observatory built by Jai Singh II between 1728 and 1734, housing the world's largest stone sundial. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.
• Amber Fort – the hilltop fort-palace of the Kachwahas, part of the "Hill Forts of Rajasthan" UNESCO World Heritage Site (2013).
• Nahargarh Fort and Jaigarh Fort – defensive forts overlooking Jaipur and Amber respectively; Jaigarh houses the Jaivana, historically described as one of the largest wheeled cannons.
• Albert Hall Museum – the oldest museum in Rajasthan, designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob in the Indo-Saracenic style and opened in 1887.
• Jal Mahal – a palace situated in the middle of Man Sagar Lake.
• Birla Mandir