Jaipur is a city that is recognized across the globe for its royal culture and rich tradition. Loaded with heritage attractions, this city has countless tales to attract tourists from far and wide. Also known as the Pink City, Jaipur is a must visit attraction for heritage lovers. Founded in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh II, the city has a charm that still carries the richness in everything. With broad avenues and spacious gardens, the city looks amazingly beautiful.
Celebrating royalty from a long back, the city has many reasons that make it a lively city. This is the city that has been a preferred land of kingly heads of the golden era. Marvelous architectures are the evidences that the city has witnessed many important incidents from the history.
Jaipur's bazaars are a not to miss attraction during your visit to Jaipur. Studded with embroidered leather shoes, colourful pottery and silver articles are the highlights of these markets. A visit to these markets is surely a treasure-trove for shopaholics.
Jaipur tourism is all about experiencing the richness of Indian history that can be still felt in the essence of the soil. Plan a visit to Jaipur and take some royal memories along with you to cherish it for the lifetime.
Amer Fort
Also pronounced as Amber Fort, Amer Fort is a gem in the crown of attractions in Jaipur. Located few kilometers away from Jaipur, it is a major attraction amongst tourists visiting Jaipur. Built by Raja Man Singh I, the fort is set atop a hill. Noted across the globe for its artistic style, it depicts Hindu and Rajput elements. This massive structure of 1592 was built using red sandstone and marble. The fort has many pavilions and halls of great interest which steals the heart of Jaipur visitors. It is one of the must visit attraction during Jaipur visit.
History
Amer was known as Dhundar in the medieval period which means attributed to a sacrificial mount in the western frontiers. Ruled by the Kachwahas between 1037 and 1727 AD, it was a small place in the beginning which was dedicated to Goddess Amba. This glorious fort in this present structure was built during the reign of Raja Man Singh on the remains of the previous structure. Later, Jai Singh I took the charge and get it completed. Even later, this magnifying fort went under many improvements and additions.
Architectures and Developments
Both, Hindu and Muslim architecture influence can be seen in the architecture of Amer Fort. Taste of art of that era can be seen with fine layout and courtyards. Built using red sandstone and marble, the fort looks amazingly beautiful. This four level layout plan speaks a lot about the architecture with amazing views.
Sites and Structures
The Amer Fort overlooks Maotha Lake which adds a different charm to the looks of the Fort. It has the three major sites named as 'Diwan-i-Aam', 'Sheesh Mahal' and 'Sukh Mahal'. All these are the worth visiting places in the fort. Amber fort also has 'Shila Devi' Temple and 'Ganesh Pol'. Ganesh Pol is actually a gate that opens the way to the private palaces of the kings.
How to Reach
Located at a hill named ‘Cheel ka Teela’ (Hill of Eagles) in the Aravalli range of hills, the fort is around 10 Km away from Jaipur. Easily accessible by road, the fort is a not to miss attraction during Jaipur visit.
City Palace
City Palace, Jaipur is one of the major attractions in the city. Visiting Jaipur and not exploring City Palace is like overlooking a precious gem. City palace is actually a palace complex that boasts of being the seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur during its young age. This is one of those palaces that are still used by royal family as their residence. Contribution of this finely designed architecture goes to different rulers. Apart from Sawai Jai Singh II, his successors also contributed to give it the look that spell-bound every visitor till date.
History
This royal palace has quite rich history. The palace is still used by the royal family as residence. Built in 1729-1732, the palace was the imagination of Sawai Jai Singh II. He shifted his capital in 1727 from Amber to Jaipur as a solution to increasing population and the rising water shortage. This palace complex played a wide role in giving Jaipur another name which is Pink City.
Architectures and Developments
The basic building is a contribution of Sawai Jai Singh II the founder of Jaipur. The city is as old as the City palace. Sawai Jai Singh II built a palace in Jaipur to get over the problems of increase in population which was giving birth to other basic need crises, shortage of water. The ruler moved in the city and announced Jaipur as the capital city. Later additions were made by his successors in 20th century. The palace complex is appreciated by the visitors for its impressive courtyards, manicured gardens and structures. The palace is a fine blend of the Shilpa Shastra of Indian architecture which includes Rajput, Mughal and European styles of architecture.
Sites and Structures
Virendra Pol and Udai Pol near Jaleb chowk can be described as entry gate to the palace for visitors. The Tripolia Gate (triple gate) is reserved for the royal family only. Virendra Pol leads to the Mubarak Mahal which looks amazingly beautiful.
Mubarak Mahal is actually now converted into a museum that houses royal formal costumes, sanganeri block prints, embroidered shawls, Kashmiri pashminas and silk saris. Voluminous clothes worn by Sawai Madho Singh I are also kept in this museum. He was around 1.2 meters (3.9 ft.) wide and weighed around 250 kilograms. Another interesting fact about Sawai Madhosingh I is he had 108 wives.
Chandra Mahal is a seven-storied building in the City Palace. All these floors have different names which are Sukh-Niwas, Ranga-Mandir, Pitam-Niwas, Chabi-Niwas, Shri-Niwas and Mukut-Mandir or Mukut Mahal. This is the most impressive building in the complex. Tourists can explore only ground floor as rest part of the Chandra Mahal is used by the royal building. Ground floor has a museum that displays different royal artifacts that belong to royal family.it has peacock gate and screened balconies.
Pitam Niwas Chowk is the inner courtyard that leads to Chandra Mahal. One can see four small gates Northeast Peacock Gate, the Southwest Lotus Gate, the Northwest Green Gate and the Rose Gate.
Diwan-I-Khas is the next attraction of City Palace. It was private audience hall. Two huge sterling silver vessels also catch the eyes of the visitors. Each has a capacity of 4000 liters and weight 340 kilograms. All these are well decorated and worth exploring.
Diwan-I-Aam, Sabha Niwas, Maharani Palace, Bhaggi Khana and Govind Dev Ji temple are some other attractions in the palace.
How to Reach
Reaching City Palace is not a difficulty for anyone. Easily accessible by road, the palace is a sparkling feather in the crown of attractions in Jaipur.
Hawa Mahal
Hawa Mahal is also known as Palace of Winds. It is one of the major attractions in the city. Situated in center of the city, it is a five-storied architecture. Designed by Lal Chand Ustad, the palace is a must visit attraction during Jaipur visit. The base design was to give it a look of crown of God Krishna. The main reason behind construction of a palace with so many windows is to facilitate the royal women with a view of everyday life through the window as for them being in public was restricted for the security reasons.
History
This amazing attraction is a contribution of Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh who hired a well-reputed architecture of that era, Lal Chand Ustad. Built in 1799 in the form of the crown of one of the Hindu God Krishna, the Palace of winds is an evidence that the king was a great devotee of lord Krishna. The old tradition of not allowing woman for public appearance but keeping them aware of the lifestyle outside the palace was the basic idea behind architecture.
Architectures and Developments
Built with red and pink sandstone, the palace looks amazingly beautiful. The palace is considered as a fine sample of Rajputana architecture. Designed with 953 windows or 'Jharokhas', the palace is famous for its pyramid shape. Decorated with intricate designs, the palace was serving as a window for royal women to peep in to the life of a common man as according to Rajputana culture, women were not allowed to make public apearences.
Sites and Structures
The palace is a five storied building that rises around 15 m from the base. First and second floor has patios in front of them whereas rest of the three floors has a dimension of one room. Built on the main road, the palace looks like a huge honeycomb. There are several portholes in the front view of the palace that are carved with stone grill. These portholes were used to look outside the palace.
How to Reach
Hawa Mahal is located on the busy road of the town. So, the palace is easily approachable by road which connects it with rest of the city.
Jaigarh Fort
Jaigarh Fort is situated on Cheel ka Teela (Hill of Eagles), the promontory in the Aravalli range. Also known as the Victory Fort, the fort was named after Jai Singh, the former ruler of the region. The fort is a must visit attraction during visit to the royal city Jaipur. It is a fine evidence of the history that please visitors with its glory and architecture. Overlooking the Amber Fort and the Maota Lake, it is another gem in the crown of attractions in Jaipur.
History
This massive architecture is standing gloriously from 1726. Credit of this marvelous fort goes to the former ruler of the region Jai Singh II. The fort was built to protect another fort of the city, Amber fort. Finely designed this fort has many structures and sites that were used by royal family during their stay in the fort. One can see the clear view of the Amber fort from Jaigarh Fort.
Architectures and Developments
Architecture of the fort is quite similar to Amber Fort. Sprawled over an area of around 3 kilometers, the fort has width of around 1 kilometer. Apart from being developed in the same architectural style, the fort is also well connected by subterranean passages to the Amber Fort. Both of these are considered as one single fort. The whole idea about connecting these two forts was to enhance the security of the royal family.
Sites and Structures
Laxmi Vilas, Lalit Mandir, Vilas Mandir and Aram Mandir are the main attractions in the fort. It also has Shubhat Niwas which was an assembly hall of the warriors. The fort also has an armoury and a museum. The fort is also recognized across the globe for housing the world's largest cannon on wheels named “Jaivana”. It is believed that this was fired only once and that too for testing. The impression was so intense that the place where it was shot is not a pond. Manicured garden in the fort also pleases the eyes of the visitors.
How to Reach
The fort is located in close vicinity to the city. Well-connected with road, the fort is easily accessible.
Jal Mahal
Jal Mahal, the name says all. It is a palace located in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake. Credit of this beautiful architecture also goes to Maharaja Jai Singh II. Surrounded with a lake, this palace is the evidence that without advance technology, people of the royal India were able to shape their imaginations. One has to take boat to reach the palace. Charming location and royal treatment is the main attraction which attracts tourists from far and wide. Being listed as heritage collection of the country just adds to the charm.
History
Jal Mahal is a heritage attraction and was built after the construction of the damn which is around 300 metres and 28.5–34.5 metres wide. The idea behind building the damn was to come over one of the very serious issues of that time, shortage of water and food. The idea behind building the dam was to ensure enough water supplies for daily usage as well as for agriculture purpose.
Architectures and Developments
Noted as the architectural beauty, the palace depicts the fine art of Rajput and Mughal styles of architecture with a breath-taking view of the lake. Built in red sandstone, the palace is a five storied building. Four out of these five remains underwater when lake enjoys full water.
From last few years, the palace has undergone vast restoration work which undoubtedly made it look better than earlier. Studded with semi-octagonal towers in all the corners, this palace is truly architecture that must have fascinated rulers of that era. Till now this palace is one of the must visit attractions in the city that has a different charm which draws tourists from all over the world.
Sites and Structures
Surrounded lake view is the prime attraction which is simply complimenting the fine artwork of the palace. Just to add some more charm, the authorities added finely designed traditional boats to ensure that visitors get the kingly feel during their visit to Jal Mahal.
Another attraction of the palace is flora and fauna. Being settled in the lake, it gives base to different plant species which in turn calls different bird species in the region.
How to Reach
One has to take a boat ride from the shore of the lake to reach the palace. Lake is easily approachable by road.
Nahargarh Fort
Standing on the edge of Aravalli Hills, Nahargarh Fort has different tales to attract tourists from far and wide. It overlooks the royal city Jaipur. It is really hard to miss panoramic view during Nahargarh Fort. Originally named as Sudarshangarh, this fort got a new name Nahargarh later. It is believed that Nahar is taken from Nahar Singh Bhomia. Nahargarh actually means abode of tigers. This is one of the forts that were built with a large prospective and amazing security strategy.
History
This imposing fort was built with an idea of giving complete protection to the city. Although the fort never faced any war but idea was to protect the people living in the city. A belief referring name of the fort states that spirit of Nahar Singh Bhomia use to haunt everyone who initiated further development or restoration. This is the reason the fort got popular with the name Nahargarh and people almost forgot its original name Sudarshangarh.
Architectures and Developments
Along with the other two forts Amber Fort and Jaigarh Fort, this impressive fort formed a ring to ensure tight security from the outsiders. Built by, the fort is a construction of 1734. After initial contribution by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the fort was extended in 1868, under the guidance of Sawai Ram Singh.
Rooms of the fort are linked by corridors. Fine architecture and some delicate frescos are the evidences that the fort was built with an idea to build an architecture which is strong as well as beautiful.
Sites and Structures
The fort has a temple which is associated with a tale that it pacifies the spirit of Nahar. Resulting which the fort got popular with the name Nahargarh Fort. Apart from the tourists never forget to capture panoramic view of the city in their cameras. Madhavendra Bhavan is another attraction in Nahargarh Fort. It was the summer retreat of the ruler family. It has 12 completely alike suites which were distributed amongst the 9 wives of the king.
How to Reach
The fort is easily accessible from the main city by road and calls almost every traveller visiting the city.
0 comments:
Post a Comment