India is a wonderful place to travel and its beauty and splendour has been the subject of interest of many poets and scholars. “…in vasanta, spring, trees are with flowers and waters are with lotuses, hence the breezes are agreeably fragrant with the fragrance of those flowers,” says Kalidasa – a classical Indian poet and scholar on the outset of spring in India. Jaipur – the Pink City is also one of the wonderful cities in India famous for its heritage and beauty.
Jaipur City
Jaipur city – founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, is counted amongst one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Jaipur is also famous for its shopping malls, multiplexes, clubs, discos and night life. A survey, conducted by travel magazine Conde Nast Traveller, has named Jaipur as the seventh best tourist city in Asia.
Jaipur Travel – Places to Travel
Jaipur city is famous for its historic and splendid palaces, forts and handicrafts.
City Palace is situated in the heart of the Pink City (Jaipur). The beautiful City Palace is decorated with paintings, mirror works and floral decorations. The palace houses museum, art gallery, royal halls and a multi-cuisine restaurant.
Built in 1799, Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) is situated right next to City Palace. It offers a beautiful sight of old Jaipur – the Pinkcity. Called as the “specimen of fanciful architecture”, the Hawa Mahal was made for the royal ladies to observe the bazaars and other monuments situated nearby.
Jal Mahal Palace is situated in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake of Jaipur. Its reflection in the lake looks wonderful. It presents an amazing view at the time of sunset and sunrise. It was made in the 18th century.
Amber Fort (Amer Fort) was built in 1592 using marble and red stone, Amber Fort presents a wonderful example of the fusion of Rajput and Islamic Mughal architecture. With its amazing interior of exquisite paintings and marvellous decoration, it presents a wonderful image of the history of Jaipur. At Amber Fort, elephant rides are also available for tourists. Using a public transport from Amber Fort to Pinkcity can give an opportunity to know the local residents.
Jaipur Heritage and Culture
Jaipur represents the culture of Rajasthan as a whole in terms of the tradition, festivals and heritage. Jaipur handicrafts are world famous for their art, technique and utility. Some of the handicrafts include miniature paintings, marble paintings, jewellery, textiles, metal works and stone works.
Gangaur festival is celebrated by womenfolk of Rajasthan in the month of July/August. This festival famous for procession of the image of Gauri (the consort of Lord Shiva) attracts tourists from all over the world to Jaipur. Other famous festivals are Teej festival, Kite festival and Elephant festival.
Jaipur is also a pilgrimage destination for Hindus from all over the world. With its splendidly decorated and grand temples like Galtaji, Birla Temple, Govind Dev Ji Temple and Moti Dungri, it attracts many Hindu pilgrims throughout the year.
Jaipur and Nearby Places to Visit
In the vicinity of Jaipur there are other famous tourist destinations like Ranthambore National Park – famous for tigers and Sariska National Park – famous for bird watching. Other tourist destinations of Rajasthan like Jodhpur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Pushkar and Udaipur are easily approachable from Jaipur by road, rail and air route.
Hotels Jaipur
Jaipur is a world class destination. Some of its hotels are world famous. Rambagh Palace Hotel has been ranked number one in the world by Conde Nast Traveller magazine. Other famous luxury hotels in Jaipur are Rajvilas Hotel, Jai Mahal Palace and Rajputana Palace Sheraton. Heritage hotels in Jaipur are special attractions because of their comfortable accommodation, traditional cuisine, architecture and decoration. Accommodation is also available for bag-packers and frequent flyers at affordable prices.
How to Reach Jaipur
Jaipur city is easily accessible from all the major cities of India. Jaipur has well-connected airport, railway station and bus stand.
Travel Jaipur by Air
Jaipur airport at Sanganer is an international airport and offers daily flights to and from all the major cities in India like Mumbai and Delhi. Domestic flights are also available to Udaipur and Jodhpur.
Travel Jaipur by Train
Jaipur railway station is a part of the world’s largest railway system – Indian Railways. Jaipur railway station is connected to all the major and minor cities of India by train.
Travel Jaipur by Bus
All the major cities of Rajasthan are connected to Jaipur by National Highways. To reach Jaipur from Delhi, buses are available from Delhi to Jaipur every hour.
Travel Jaipur
Recently, Jaipur celebrated Holi – the festival of colors to welcome the spring season. The colorful flowers and their sweet smell are contributing to the evergreen beauty of Jaipur. The best months to visit Jaipur are from September to April. Located in the desert state of Rajasthan, the capital city of Jaipur has lot to offer to its tourists – age old heritage, palaces, forts and splendid handicrafts.
