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ABOUT JAIPUR |
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Amer Palace
Amber Fort (11 km from central Jaipur).
This massive fort-palace complex built in hybrid
Hindu-Muslim style dates back to Raja Man Singh and was
the royal palace of the Kachwahas from c. 1600 to 1727.
The name has nothing to do with the rather pretty pastel
yellow colour; instead, the fort is named after the town
of Amber, in turn named after the goddess Amba. The main
sights within the fort include the Sheesh Mahal, adorned
with thousands on thousands of mirror tiles on the walls
and ceiling. The fort/palace grounds are sprawling and
have no signage whatsoever in any language, so it's
worth getting an audio guide or a real guide. It's a bit
of a hike up from the town, and the touristy thing to do
is to hitch an elephant ride to the top. |
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Hawa Mahal
Hawa Mahal (or
Palace of breeze) was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai
Singh as part of City Palace. It was an extension of the
Zenana (women) chamber. It's purpose was to allow royal
ladies to observe everyday life in the street below
without being seen. It is a five storey high red
sandstone structure complete with over 950 windows. The
breeze (or hawa in Hindi) circulates through these
windows giving the palace its name. Tourists are not
allowed to go inside the palace. |
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City Palace
The City
Palace is an imposing blend of traditional Rajput and
Mughal architecture. It is a vast palace complex
occupying nearly one-seventh of the Pink City. It was
originally built by Maharaja Jai Singh II. The complex
is divided into a series of courtyards, sprawling
gardens and buildings. It is home to several palatial
structures like the Chandra Mahal (home to present
Maharajah of Jaipur), Mubarak Mahal (housing a textile
museum), Diwan-e-Khas (or Hall of Private audience
housing the two largest silver vessels in the world,
which are duly mentioned in the Guinness book), the
Diwan-e-Aam ( or Hall of Public Audience) and the
gateway Ridhi Sidhi Pol (with four small doorways
decorated with motifs depicting the four seasons).
Another integral part of the palace complex is the Hawa
Mahal, standing away from the main complex. |
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Nahargarh Fort
The smallest
of the three forts, notable primarily for excellent
views over Man Sagar lake and the vast sprawl of Jaipur.
The fort also houses the (relatively) compact
Madhavendra Bhawan palace, although its former splendour
is fading fast under a new layer of graffiti and pigeon
droppings. Portions of the movie Rang De Basanti were
shot at this fort. To go the area where the "Pathshala"
song was shot, take a left turn as soon as you enter the
fort. |
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Samode Palace
Samode Palace was awarded for the best Heritage hotel in
the country, for 5 repeated years, the Palace has been
scrupulously restored offering a retreat into an
incredibly beautiful location where one can rejuvenate &
enjoy India's natural beauty and rich heritage. It is
located in the center of Aravali mountains. Samode Palace
is one of India's best palaces & romantic luxury hotels.
It offers a quiet, neat and luxurious atmosphere. |
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Jantar Mantar
Jantar Mantar
is the biggest of five astronomical observatory build by
Maharaja Jai Singh during the period 1727-1734 in north
India. It is located very close to the City Palace. The
observatory consists of fourteen major geometric devices
(or yantra in Hindi) for measuring time, predicting
eclipses, tracking stars in their orbits, ascertaining
the declinations of planets, and determining the
celestial altitudes etc. Unfortunately no text is made
available to tourists regarding the various yantras nor
are there any plaques/boards in front of them. In most
of the cases local guides are not of any help either.
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Laxmi Narayan Temple
The Laxmi Narayan is located in the South of Jaipur, and
was built by the Birla family, which is a major
industrialist family of India. This is why, the temple is
also called the 'Birla Mandir'. It is situated quite close
to the Moti Doongri fort, which was converted to a small
palace by Ram Singh II and Gayatri Devi. |
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Jai Garh Fort
Never conquered in battle, this was considered the
strongest of the three forts in the area. It is best
known as the site of the world's largest cannon, the
Jaivana, which was test-fired only once — according to
legend, despite using only the half the design amount of
gunpowder, the cannonball flew 35 km! A better reason to
visit the fort, though, are the scenic gardens at the
other end and the spectacular views over the Amber Fort
and the hills around. The remains of the foundry where
the Jaivana (and many more) were cast are also in the
fort grounds. |
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Jal Mahal
Jal Mahal (or
the Water Palace) is on the way to Sisodia Rani Garden.
A Rajput style architectured palace sits in the center
of the Maan-sarovar lake. The lake is often dry in the
summer but winter monsoons frequently turn it into a
beautiful lake filled with water hyacinths. |
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Central Museum
One of the oldest and the
most famous Museum is the Government Central Museum or
Albert museum was constructed under the supervision of a
British Army officer, Lt. Swinton Jacob in the year
1876. Maharaja Ram Singh, who was then the king of
Jaipur, wanted this building to be used as the town hall
but his successor Madho Singh decided to convert the
building to an art museum. |
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Sisodia Rani Ka Bagh |
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Rajasthan is
known for its rich traditional and cultural heritage, so
it should not come off as a surprise to anyone that it is
the perfect place to find some of the best Museums in
India. Being the land of maharajas and maharanis, the
state of Rajasthan is such a rich treasure trove that one
cannot help but be awe-struck at the extensive collection
of antiques it holds. Jaipur, in particular, the capital
of Rajasthan, has many of the Museums in the state, that
house the rarities and objects of the past, that are today
seen as a symbol of the rich heritage and cultural
prosperity of India. |
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