» Location : 336-km From Jodhpur, Rajasthan
» Built In : 1727 AD
» Significance : Capital City of Rajasthan State
» Best Season : October To March
Jaipur - The City Of Victory in India:
Jaipur The Rose Pink City in India founded by Maharaja Jai Singh II(1693-1743), is the capital of Rajasthan India. It is a major attraction for the first-time visitor. Jaipur is surrounded on all sides by rugged hills,crowned with forts & enclosed by embattled walls. Houses with latticed windows line the streets with their rose pink colour, lending enchantment to the scene, which is almost magical at sunset.
The Old City (Known as the Pink City) is a great place to wander around.The whole city was painted in Pink colour by Maharaja Man Singh II when Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, visited Jaipur in 1876 AD. Today, every home within the city is obliged by law to maintain its facade. It is a very well planned city laid out in a grid pattern and was designed by a young Bengali engineer and scholar by the name "Vidyadhar Bhattacharya".
Jaipur was and remains the only city in the world, symbolising the nine divisions of the universe, through nine rectangular sectors sub-dividing it.Jaipur is a royal city & this is its most noticeable aspect, small buildings & festivals testify it.
Jaipur & its surroundings are rather like an endless museum. The city also offers an endless variety of crafts. Jewellers here still fashion the beautiful enamel-on-gold pendants, studded on the reverse with precious stones or pearls & turquoise that one sees in miniature paintings.Jaipur's lacquer bangles are famous all over the world. This is a city to be visited.
Prime Attractions of Jaipur India:
» Amer Palace in Jaipur - The magnificent fort with its huge ramparts & watch towers, overlooking the Delhi-Jaipur Highway.It is believed to have been the capital of the "Minas", the original inhabitants of Rajasthan.
»City Palacein Jaipur - Nakkarkhana-ka-Darwaza, the imposing gateway of theCity Palace guarded by stone elephants, is monumental.
»Hawa Mahal in Jaipur - A Pandora's box of wonders, the enchanting Hawa Mahal isa multi-layered palace, with a profusion of windows and stone screens
» Jai Garh in Jaipur - Built on a peak, Jai Garh overlooks the palace & city of Amber below. Jal Mahal is Jaipur's lake palace. It is surrounded with water.
» Nahargarh Fort in Jaipur - Originally called Sudarshan Garh, it affords a splendid view of Jaipur.
» Jantar Mantar in Jaipur - The amazing astronomical three-storey-high observatory, of an 18th century Rajasthani king, named Jai Singh. more...
» Gardens in Jaipur - Sisodia Rani Ka Bagh: Has beautiful gardens, fountains, pools & some magnificent pieces ofsculpture.
» Government Central Museum in Jaipur -
This is the oldest museum in the state. The buiding, designed by Colonel Sir Swinton Jacob is located in the centre of the sprawling Ram Niwas Bagh,built in 1876 AD. When King Edward VII visited India as the Prince of Wales,it was opened to public in 1886.
Renowned for some marvellously carved Jain temples in amber stone, Ranakpur is one of the five holy places of the Jain community. 96 km from Udaipur, these temples were created in the 15th century A.D. during the reign of Rana Kwnbha and are enclosed within a wall. The central 'Chaurnukha' or four faced temple is dedicated to the venerated Tirthankara Rishabhji. Open on all four sides, it enshrines the four faced image of Adinath. Sprawling over 48,000 sq. feet, this temple is an astounding creation with 29 halls and1,444 pillars - all distinctly carved.
Images of 24 tirthankaras are carved on the 'mandaps' or porticoes in acorridor around the shrine with each mandap having a 'shikhar' or spireadorned with little bells on the top. The gentle breeze wafting through the corridors move the bells creating celestial music all around the complex.Rising in three storeys, the temple has four small shrines with 80 spires supported by 420 columns.
Khimsaris situated in district Nagaur of Rajasthan. A thikana of Jodhpur, Khimsaris beautifully located in the middle of a small village, just off theJodhpur-Bikaner highway. In the far distance are sand dunes that shelter fields where black buck can be spotted grazing. Established in the 15th century by a scion of the house of Jodhpur, it's history is a mixed one,reflected in the acthitecture of it's fortified castle
On the highway from Jodhpur to Bikaner, an hour out of the Rathorestrong hold, past the medieval temples of Osian with their stunning stone carvings, is the small township of Khimsar. Established by a scion of the house of Jodhpur, Khimsar was once a small kingdom. And though Jodhpur royalty claim it was never independent, the Thakurs of Khimsar claim that not only was it an individual entity, but that one of the visitors to their ancestral fort was Emperor Aurangzeb himself. The construction of the fortinitially began in 1523 but the family moved in to the fort only during the18th century after a new zenana or ladies wing was constructed. Thakur Onkar Singh, the present occupant of the fort, built a regal wing for himself in1940s. The pride of Khimsar today is still that fort, 450 years old and currently home to the 18th, 19th, and 20th generations of the Khimsarthakurs.
» Khimsar Fort - Perched on the edge of the great Thar Desert, 90 kms north-east of Jodhpur, this is amongst the premier heritage hotels of India. Unspoilt and well preserved, like a royal manor,this fort is spread over 11 acres of sprawling lawns, orchards and open courtyards.
