Jaipur, India:General Information
Jaipur , once the capital of princely state of Jaipur is now the capital state of Rajasthan in India. Also known as the 'pink city' , Jaipur is a place where history still lives. Jaipur is one of the most famous historical places in India and a number of tourists both domestic and international reach here in great numbers to see the grandeur of Rajput kings who ruled this place in the past.Jaipur was founded by the king of Amber Sawai Man Singh who shifted to this place due to shortage of water in his capital Amber. The construction of the earliest planned city in India, Jaipur started in 1797 and was built following the principles of Shilpa Shastra, the Indian Architecture.It took around 4 years to complete the major palaces, roads and square. The city was divided into nine blocks, out of which two consist the state buildings and palaces, whereas the remaining seven blocks were allotted to the public. In order to ensure the security, huge fortification walls were made along with seven strong gates.It has been claimed to be the first planned city in India.It was at that time one of the best planned cities in Asia. Jaipur(Amber)'s Kings are not considered to be good rajputs but were certainly good rulers. In an era when most of the rajputs were busy fighting with each other, Jaipur's kings diplomatically broadened their control sphere maintaining good relations with Mughals. But certainly they lacked the well known rajput pride.The city was planned according to Indian Vastu Shastra (Vedic or Pouranic Planning for the comfort and prosperity of the citizens).
source
How to reach Jaipur-
Jaipur is well connected to all major cities of India by Air, Railways as well as Road. By far the best way and cheapest way to reach his historical place by train.
Reaching Jaipur by Air-
Jaipur airport situated in the satellite town of Sanganer. Many flights from many parts of the world operate from here. It recieves direct flights from Dubai, Sharjah, Muscat, London and Dublin. Flights from Singapore and Bangkok reach here via Delhi.
Jaipur airport receives flight from all major cities in India, namely, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and some major cities in the state of Rajasthan like, Jodhpur and Udaipur.
Reaching Jaipur by Train-
This is the most convenient way and the cheapest way to reach this city.Most of the major cities are well connected to Jaipur by train.A number of daily trains connect Jaipur to Delhi, Ahmedabad, Agra,Mumbai, Jodhpur, Kota, Alwar and Ajmer. Daily connections are also available for Udaipur, Chittaurgarh, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Kolkata, Jammu, Pathankot, Ludhiana, Kanpur, Roorkee, Haridwar, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur and Bhopal.
There are three railway stations in Jaipur namely, Jaipur Junction (main station),Durgapura and Gandhinagar (Jaipur) but most of the trains arrive and depart from Jaipur Junction and other two stations recive only a few trains.
Apart from regular trains that operate from every corner of country there are some special trains that are meant only for tourists.These include-
Palace on wheels- One of the most talked about trains in India, Palace on wheels tour you across seven tourist destinations for 8 days starting on Wednesday.
Heritage on wheels- This train takes you to 3 destinations, Jaipur, Talchhapur and Bikaner which is a 4 days trip.
Royal Orient train- The train take you to & destinations including Jaipur in seven days.
The above mentioned trains are special trains meant only for tourists and tourists don't use these trains essentially to reach Jaipur but the experience is undoubtedly everlasting.
Reaching Jaipur by road-
Jaipur is well connected to all adjoining cities by road. Regular buses operate from neighbouring state of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. A?c, Deluxe, Semi Deluxe and Volvo buses operate from almost all places. Other cities in the state of Rajasthan are also connected to Jaipur by road.There is an excellent bus service between Jaipur to Delhi by Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation with buses approximately every half an hour both sides. From Delhi you can board the bus from Bikaner House on Pandara Road next to India Gate.
Where to stay in Jaipur-
Jaipur has a wide range of hotels available through out the city.Jaipur has plenty of hotels well equipped with all modern amenities. The city comprises variety of luxury, deluxe, heritage and budget hotels, one can choose the place of accommodation according to one's requirement and budget. Most of the budget and mid range hotels are located around railway station, and bus stand (Sindhi camp bus stand). Other places where you can get sme budget and mid range hotels are - Civil lines area, Ajmer road and Behari Marg.Apart from low cost hotels Jaipur has countless number of high range hotels where the facilities are superb and you are treated like Maharaja (The King). Many of these hotels treat you with traditional rajput style showing the grandeur of Rajput Kings who ruled this place for centuries.
A list of some of these hotels is present on wikitravel website here.
Eating out in Jaipur-
Jaipur has many restaurants which range from cheap eating places mainly on the sides of the road to some expensive restaurants with good facilities. There are numerous places in Jaipur which serve a variety of dishes such as, italian, chinese, western ,north indian and south -india. But it would be very nice to try out some rajasthani cuisines like, Daal-Baati-Churma and Pyaaz ki kachori and some sweet dishes like, Ghevar and Rasmalai.You can find a list of nice restaurants here.
Weather and best time to visit Jaipur-
Jaipur has semi arid climate due to its proximity to the Thar desert. The summer months are extremely dry, hot and desiccating. Jaipur receives more than 50 cms of rainfall annually mostly during the months of July ,August and September. Winters are cold and you would require some woolen clothes when you are visiting it in the months of December and January.
Best time to visit Jaipur is duringwinter seasons as the temperature touches maximum to 22°C and gets down to the extent of 5°C.
In winters, one can enjoy the regal city of Jaipur to its full. The spectacular views offered by the ancient monuments of the city fascinate the visitors. The city looks awesome in the winter evenings when it gets covered with fog. Jaipur offers rich food with lots of butter and ghee, which is best enjoyable in the winter season. To put succinctly, the best time to visit the incredible Jaipur is between the months of October to March.
Source