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India Vacations: Jaipur The Pink City

Bordered by the rugged Aravali Hills, Jaipur The Pink City is the capital and largest city in India’s northern state of Rajasthan. This city is well known for being India’s first planned city featuring a lot of pink terracotta buildings within the walled historic center, earning it the nickname, ‘The Pink City’. 

Jaipur is part of what is called “the Golden Triangle”, a popular tourist circuit, which includes Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra. The city serves as a gateway to the neighboring desert cities of Jaisalmer and Jodhpur.

The Story Behind Jaipur the Pink City:

The diverse and Extremely divergent colors of the city are a result of a unique blend of traditional and modern design practices, offering the visitors a variety of sites to see from lavis Palaces to exotic Bazaars. The action you witness in the street is also constant with buses dodging dawdling camels and rickshaws being easy prey in the madness, don't worry however because amid all the madness there are still islands of peace and tranquillity amongst the majestic history of the area, as if both do not belong to the same place. 

At the very center of the Fort continues to be the home is the Previous Royal establishments such as the Jantar Mantar, the royal observatory & the Hawa Mahal amongst others adding to the fairytale reputation of the Red Fort. The origin of the Pink City goes as far back as the Kachchwaha clan of Rajputs and their arrival at the old Fort Palace of Amber in the Aravalli Hills. 

The aforementioned clan was part of what was known at the time as the Kshatriya  " Hindus cast out warriors" but their origins trace back to the sun, more specifically Via Kusa, the Twin son of Rama, the Hindu god, Those who were ousted by the Kachwahas were known as the Susawat Minas, who became the guardians of the largest and most valuable treasure in India's History.  

Based on this, the Kachchwaha Rajputs, with their brilliant soldiering amassed a fortune. It was the special relationship the Amber rulers developed with the Mughals that established real power, influence, and wealth

 

Jaipur the Pink City Top Attractions:

The Amer Fort: The fort is located 11 kilometers from Jaipur & is one of the most famous & unmissable forts in Rajasthan, despite its ancient construction date of 1592 by Raja Man Singh and its Building materials mainly consisting of red sandstone and Marble, the Fort still has its own unique charm to it. Though the fort is quite old and may even look so from the outside, it is beautiful on the inside and is rich with various buildings of prominence like the 'Diwan-i-Aam', the 'Sheesh Mahal', and even the 'Sukh Mahal'. 

The Amer Fort has influences on both Hindu and Muslim architecture. One of the other features of the Fort is the Shila Devi Temple and the Ganesh Pol, which is primarily a gate that leads to the private chambers of the king. The fort is also rich in walkways and halls that are equally interesting. The origin of these structures dates back to when Amer still known as Dhundarand was under the rules of the Kachwahasin from the 11th to the 16th century until the capital was moved to Jaipur. 

The fort constructor, Raja Sigh built it back in 1592 AD expanding it and renovating it at a later time, and amazingly despite many ancient structures being replaced or destroyed by the effect of time the Amer Fort stands proud and strong to this very day.

The Construct is made of more than one structure, each with its own entrance. The main entrance of the Fort is through the Suraj Pol otherwise known as the Sun Gate which also leads to the main courtyard. The sun gate is also the main entrance of the palace and is positioned in the same direction from where the sun rises. 

The Jaleb Chowk is one of the four courtyards of the Palace with the Sila Devi standing in the tight at the entrance of the main entrance to the palace grounds. The second courtyard is known for its public audience hall, the Sheesh Mahal, and finally the Sukh Mahal. Another famous attraction of the Palace is the Fresco of Marble named "The Magic Flower.

The City Palace is a landmark in Jaipur and is also a very popular tourist hotspot. Aside from the Regal architecture, the palace boasts an astonishing view of the Pink City and rich insights into the heritage of the Bygone era, in short, the City Palace is a must-see attraction of Jaipur. Situated at the center of Jaipur the palace once where the Maharaja reigned includes also the Chandra Mahal' and the 'Mubarak Mahal and the other buildings that form the palace complex. 

Some other interesting facts about the place are that it appears to show influence from European architecture with some of its most famous gates such as the Udai Pol', 'Jaleb Chowk, Tripolia Gate & Virendra Pol all acting as entrances to the palace, all richly decorated. The design of the Palace is a Grid style, with the walls and gates designed based on the Mughal Style, adorned by various mirrors and lattices on each side.

Hawa Mahal: Another famous structure of the Palace complex is the Hawa Mahal, the quintessence of Rajput architecture and acting as a prominent attraction. It is a  beautiful five-storey palace that was constructed in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh who belonged to the Kachhwaha Rajput dynasty. The main architect of this palace is built of red and pink sandstone. 

Many believe that the palace was constructed in the same shape as the Crown of Krishna, a Hindu God. Considered the embodiment of Rajputian Architecture the highlight of the Hawa Mahal is its pyramid shape and over 953 windows of intricate design. The main reason the Mahal was constructed is to allow the women of the royal family the ability to view Parades, processions, and everyday life through the windows without the need to expose themselves to the eyes of the public. 

The Hawa Mahal stands at a towering 50 feet from its base, with its windows allowing for a fluid circulation of air within the Mahal. The entrance of the palace leads to a spacious courtyard that is surrounded by two-story buildings on three sides. The top three floors of the Mahal, out of the total 5 are divided into single rooms with the bottom storeys mainly formed of the courtyard, as far as the interior goes it's plain with passages and pillars reaching the top stories. 

The building does not have stairs to reach the upper floors; the stories are connected by slopes. From Hawa Mahal, you have an excellent view of the city. The monument also has an archeological museum. In Jaipur, you will also enjoy Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh Fort, and Jaigarh Fort

Jaipur The Pink City Location:

Jaipur is located within the eastern border of the Semi-Arid lands of the Thar gesert. Jaipur is also among the important states of India as it shares an international border with Pakistan from the west. Jaipur is one of the well-planned cities in India and, apparently, also the primary. 

it's positioned at an altitude of 1417 feet above the ocean level. On three sides, the town is enclosed by the Aravali hills and this is often why it's safeguarded from the rough desert. within the north, it's surrounded by Sikar and Mahendragarh districts; within the south by Tonk; within the east by Alwar, Dausa, and Sawai Madhopur; and within the west by Nagaur and Ajmer districts. The Jaipur Airport is situated at Sanganer, 7 km (domestic terminal), and 10 km (international terminal) from the main city. 

It acts as a point of intersection between all the major regions of India as well as some of the major neighboring and foreign countries. It can facilitate daily local flights from Delhi, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, and many others, therefore connecting almost every part of India

There are three main Railway Junctions, including three of the main junction points which are Jaipur, the main station, Durgapara & last but not least Gandhinagar, with every train stopping in Jaipur and the few remaining stopping at Gandhinagar and Durgapara. Once you've gotten out of the train at the station, it's either a taxi or an auto-rickshaw from that point to reach any destination within the city. 

If you traveling via road, you have nothing to fear as Jaipur is connected to almost all the major cities via a network of national highways such as the 12, 8 & 11 to name a few. The bus service in Jaipur is no pushover either with buses arriving every half hour from both sides of the street, there are also private buses available from Dhaula Kuna in Delhi.in Delhi. Some express buses connect various cities and towns of Rajasthan and are also well-linked to Agra via bus.

Shopping in Jaipur the Pink City:

Although, most tourists visit Jaipur to view its grand monuments, many who come to shop. The list of available things to do and sites to see is endless, but the most sought items in the city are still textiles, jewelry, saris & goods made of stone, marble, clay, lace, metal, and finally leather. 

The city was and still remains the go-to place for exquisite jewelry oriented with precious and semi-precious stones, adding colors of green, white and red to the golden color, basically, the Mughal colors introduced by Raja Man Singh. The city is also known worldwide for its diamond and emerald cutting.  

The Best Time to visit Jaipur the Pink City

The weather in Jaipur is semi-arid type. Temperatures stay on the higher end all around the year. The summer season kicks off in April and continues onto July, with the temperature rising to an average of 30C. The city also experiences Monsoon showers during August & September with thunderstorms being frequent. The weather during October takes a turn to the pleasant weather during  November & February reports to a cooler state with temperatures ranging from 5 to 15C. The cold waves at times lead to freezing temperatures in this season. 

Jaipur is extremely warm during summers and cold during winters, though the nights are cooler throughout the year. The weather in summer is high in humidity so drinking a lot of water becomes necessary to keep yourself fit.  

The busiest period of inflow of internal and external tourism to the city would be from October to March, making it the ideal time to tour Jaipur. Fall in love with the ancient Indian city and enjoy a vacation filled with enchantment. Winters cast a strange spell on Jaipur which makes it a great place to visit. 

The weather then is pleasant enough to take a trip around the city of Rajputs. But in case you are the one who avoids the rush of people, drop in the city during April. Not many people see this place in April as it gets a bit hot by then. During monsoons, flights usually get delayed, and landslides are common. So it's better to avoid this season too.

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