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.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Rajasthan |
| Region | Dhundhar |
| Founded | 18 November 1727 |
| Founder | Sawai Jai Singh II |
| Civic body | Jaipur Municipal Corporation (Greater and Heritage) |
| Languages | Hindi, Rajasthani (Dhundhari), English |
| UNESCO inscription | 2019 (Walled City of Jaipur) |
| Nickname | Pink City |
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.
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.
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.
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.