Places to see in Jaipur, Jaipur Palace, Jaipur fort, Places to visit in Jaipur

Places to see in Jaipur, India

Jaipur , the royal city is one of the most important and famous historical places in India. The fforts and monuments situated here clearly depict the taste and grandeur of Rajput kings who ruled this place for centuries.Jaipur is famed for its rich cultural heritage, glimpses of which can still be witnessed in and around the place, drawing tourists from all over the world.

Forts and monuments in Jaipur-

Amber Fort-

Situated about 11 kms from Jaipur this massive fort was built by Sawai Man Singh -1 and modifications were made by Sawai Jai Singh.The fort was the royal palace of achwahas from 1600 AD to 1727 AD. The fort is named after the town of Amber which in turn is named after 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.

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 (in order to get an elephant it is better to to arrive there in the morning, otherwise at midday the elephants are over.Its forbidding exterior belies an inner paradise where a beautiful fusion of Mughal and Hindu styles finds it's ultimate expression.

Jaigarh Fort-

It is said that this fort was never conquered in the battle.It is one of the few military structures of medieval India preserved almost intact, containing palaces, gardens open and covered reservoirs, a granary, an armoury, and several temples.But the main attraction of this fort is the largest canon of the world called as Jaivana.According to local stories this canon was only fired once and the cannonball flew for 35 kms.

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.

Nahargarh fort-

Perched on a hill top this is the smallest of all the forts located in Jaipur and is famous for the view of the adjoining hills and Jaipur city it offers.The fort houses the Madhavendra bhawan.
The fort was initially built by Sawai Jai Singh in 1734 and then modified by Sawai Madho Singh.

Hawa Mahal-

Hawa Mahal meaning "Palace of wind" is one of the most important landmarks of Jaipur. The palace was built by Pratap Singh in 1799. The palace served as the stands for the royal women who used to see the processions and happenings in the city through this palace.The palace is a five storeyed structure having 953 niches and windows.
The Hawa Mahal is built with redstone and is the most striing monuments in Jaipur.From outside it may look like a bee hive but infact if you look closely it is made in the form of the crown of lord krishna.

Jal Mahal

Jal Mahal which is hindi word for "water Palace" is one of the famous palaces in Jaipur and is located on the way to Sisoia Rani Garden. The palace is an excellent example of the rajput style architecture and sits in the middle of the Mansarovar lake. The lake is dry during summer seasons so excellent view of the palace can only be seen during monsoon and post- monsoon season in the months of September to Februaary.

Jantar Mantar-

The name Jantar Mantar is derived from the hindi words- "Yantra" meaning instrument and "Mantra" . Basically it is an astronomical observatory containing instruments for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars in their orbits, ascertaining the declinations of planets, and determining the celestial altitudes etc. Jantar Mantar was built by Sawai Jai Singh and is the largest of all five observatories bult by him.

City Palace-

The city Palace is a huge complex of many palatial buildings and comprises about one seventh of the pink city in area. This palace in Jaipur was built by Sawai Jai Singh II. The premises of city palace contains many hige and imposing structures inside it.Some of the important ones are-
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. The palace is an excellent example of amalgamation of architecture of Rajputs and Mughals.

Moti Dungri-

Moti Dungri means "The Pearl Hill". This small hill lies in the centre of Jaipur.It derived its name as pearl hill because it looks like a pearl drop.A palace is perched on the top of the hill.The palace once belonged to the son of the Sawai Madho Singh. The palace is a replica of the scottish castle.

Gaitore-

Gaitore is the final resting place of Kings of Jaipur. Situated in a narrow valley this place lies just off the Jaipur- Amber road.The cenotaphs of the former Maharajas are chhatris made in typical Rajput architecture.The royal chhatris are engraved with typical Rajasthani carvings. The chhatri of Sawai Jai Singh II is of special mention for its carvings that exaggerate it. The cenotaphs are erected with a perfect blend of architectural essentials of Islamic tomb architecture and Hindu temple architecture.

Temples in Jaipur-

Govind Devji Temple-
The temple lies in the premises of and is one of the integral parts of the city palace lying between the Chandra Mahal and Badal Mahal.. The temple is dedicated to Govind Devji one of the incarnations of the Lord Krishna. Sawai Jai Singh established the image of Govind Devji in this temple which was brought here from Vrindavan. A legend is attached to this place which has been described as follows-

According to a legend, Govind Dev Ji appeared in the dream of Raja Sawai Jai Singh and asked him to bring his idol from Vrindavan to Jaipur. As a consequence, Raja Sawai Jai Singh brought the idol and placed in the City Palace complex of Jaipur. After the sad demise of Jai Singh, many successors acquired the throne, but Raja Man Singh took the initiative to build the temple in 1890.

Birla temple or Lakshmi Narayan Temple-

The temple is a modern style temple built on a top of hill in South Jaipur .This temple is made up of white marble and one of the must visit place of south Jaipur.The temple stands erect on a raised platform, at the footsteps of the Moti Dungri Hill. Birla Mandir is constructed in the finest quality of white marble. The three huge domes of the temple represent three different approaches to the religion. The beautiful white marble temple mesmerizes the onlookers, when it glows at night. The best time to visit this temple is after sunset as the brightly lit temple is breathtakingly beautiful.

Galtaji-

This temple is located about 10 kms away from Jaipur city on the Jaipur Agra road near the garden of Sisodia Rani.he vast complex of Galta Ji has several temples in it. The Temple of Galtaji is famous for its natural water springs. Set amidst the beautiful landscape, Galtaji Temple offers a picturesque view of the city.

Museums in Jaipur-

Albert hall-
Situated in the middle of the Ram Niwas garden, as a centre attraction was the exquisitely built structure of Albert Hall Built in hybrid style of English and north Indian architectecture this imposing structure is a well maintained and contains some great collections of paintaings,carpet, ivory, stone and metal sculptures and colourful crystal works etc. This building was built by british architect, sir Swinton Jacob.

Parks and Gardens in Jaipur-

Kanak Vrindavan --
Not so old but definitely an exquisitely land scaped gardens with beautifully carved temple in beige stone, which is a vast complex with terrace sites all around and intricately carved marble columns and lattices. Located in the foothills of Nahargarh hills on the way towards Amer, this complex is a popular spot for picnic and film shooting.

Sisodia Rani ka Bagh --
Sawai Jai Singh built it in 1728. The garden is laid in Mughal style and it depicts the legends of Radha and Krishna. The garden is located 8 km from Jaipur - Agra road .It consists of tiered multi-level gardens with fountains, watercourses and painted pavilions. Sawai Jai Singh built it for his Sisodia Queen from Udaipur. The palace house has several galleries, pavilions and beautiful murals depicting scenes from the life of lord Krishna.

Vidyadhar Gardens --
Located near the Sisodia Gardens,it is a beautiful vineyard, which unfolds itself in the valley. It is named after Vidyadhar Bhatacharjee the architect of Jaipur. .