The Pink City of Jaipur
It’s easy to see why Jaipur is one of the most popular travel destinations in India, making up part the “golden triangle” alongside Agra and Delhi. It is a magnificent place to experience; the city was designed by the Raja of Amer Jai Singh II in 1727, making it India’s first planned city. The entire place is filled with beautiful plazas and grand buildings, worthy of being a great capital. One of the most famous buildings is the Red and Pink sandstone Hawa Mahal, known as the Palace of the Winds. Many of the buildings in Jaipur are painted in different shades of red, which is how the city got the name “The Pink City”.
It is the largest city in Rajasthan and the 10th largest in India with over 3 million people. The city has several famous attractions, including the Amer Fort, the astrological site of Jantar Mantar, the aforementioned Hawa Mahal and the City Palace complex that is in the heart of the city. Inside this sprawling complex are the two main palaces of Mubarak Mahal and Chandra Mahal, which still houses the descendants of the former royal family. The inner courtyard of the City Palace has four grand archways, including the Peacock gate which is brightly coloured and is dedicated to Vishnu. The whole complex is remarkable!
Jaipur is also where one of my favourite travel stories took place. We had been traveling around India for a few weeks, and at this point, we had become pretty good at dealing with pushy salespeople. When we got off the train in Jaipur, we were attacked by a hoard of taxi and rickshaw drivers offering us rides. There was one who stood out; he came up to us after everyone else and told us to come to see him before we decided to leave and when we were ready to talk, he calmly told us his story.
He told us he was different than other drivers and showed us a book with testimonials from other travelers who raved about our driver. He offered us a deal. He would drive us to the hotel tonight for free, and tomorrow if we decided to, he would drive us around the city for 2 days (he would be our personal driver) and when he dropped us off at the train station we could pay him whatever WE thought was fair.
This allowed us to enjoy Jaipur at our own pace, with a personal tour guide taking us between each beautiful location. Our favourite monuments in Jaipur was the Jantar Mantar, a plaza that contains 19 astronomical instruments designed for viewing the stars, including the world’s largest sundial. You can climb around these massive monuments which made it into an adult playground and allowed us to take some amazing pictures. Completed in 1734, the Jantar Mantar plaza is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Jaipur is spectacular and was such a fun place for us to visit. Traveling in India is hard to get used to, and by the time we arrived in Jaipur, we were becoming experts. India has so much about it that is unique that it feels like you’re trapped in the upside down (or at the very least the sideways nod of the head) world. Every colour, sound or smell that you are introduced to in India is new, exciting and different than anything you’ve experienced in the past. Each city in India is unique, and the kindness of the people is evident everywhere.
Without hesitation, I would say that Jaipur is one of my favourite cities we traveled to in India, and I would jump at the chance to go back.
Jaipur:
The Red and Pink Sandstone Hawa Mahal. 2006.
Jantar Mantar Staircase. 2006.
Hawa Mahal. 2006.
Jantar Mantar from above. 2006.
Jantar Mantar. 2006.
Perspective. 2006.
From the back of our Rickshaw. 2006.
From Above. 2006.
Posing for my picture. 2006.
A beautifully carved marble building at Gatore Ki Chhatriyan. 2006.
Gatore Ki Chhatriyan carvings. 2006.
Hawa Mahal. 2006.
Cows on the Street. 2006.
Intricate carvings. 2006.
Hawa Mahal. 2006.
Jantar Mantar from above. 2006.
Hectic City streets from inside of our rickshaw. 2006.
Perched above the Jantar Mantar looking towards Hawa Mahal. 2006.
Gateway. 2006.
The City of Jaipur from the tower of Hawa Mahal. 2006.
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Its hard to trust people when travelling – especially taxis. Love the story about your personal driver!
Not just a taxi driver, a rickshaw driver! It was fun. We loved the “pay what you feel it is worth at the end” strategy. He definitely earned his money.