Jaipur, the desert capital of India, popularly known as the Pink City is the land of palaces, lakes, maharajas, alluring architecture. The rich Rajput culture and their glorious past is perspicuously reflected in the lifestyle and the infrastructure of the tourist places in Jaipur. This beautiful capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan oozes royalty. From palaces to bazaars, from temples to wildlife zones, Jaipur is an experience you must not miss, here’s a list of all the best places to visit in Jaipur to make your trip to the Pink City a memorable one.

Amer Fort

In 16th century, a fort was built by a trusted general of Akbar, Maan Singh. Later, Maan started to rule the area surrounding the fort which was called as the Amer state. The fort is now called as the Amer Fort and the city is called as Jaipur. Amer fort or Amber fort is located a little away from the main City of Jaipur. It is an important tourist destination in this city.

Timing

The fort is located 11 km from the city of Jaipur. The fort is opened to visitation from 9 in the morning till 6 in the evening. For more details about visitation hours, contact, 0141-2530293. Elephant ride is available from morning 9:30 till afternoon 1:00. The light show in Hindi starts from 8 in the evening and the English light show starts from 7:30 in the evening.

City Palace

The palace was constructed by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh . As most structures in Jaipur this palace also reflects the fusion of Mughal and Rajput architecture.The City Palace complex is spread over a large area occupying one seventh of the old city of Jaipur. It has a sequence of gardens, buildings and courtyards, temple and museum to give it a grand view that reflects its historical importance and magnificent royal grace. Its outer boundary was built by Raja Jai Singh and other structures by his successors to add charm to it. It also served as a residence for former Maharaja of Jaipur.

How to Reach City Palace ?

The City Palace is located in the middle of the old city wall of Jaipur. There is ample transport to the palace. You can either take a cab for local site-seeing or take rickshaws if you want to experience the Indian way of travel.

Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is a fascinating astronomical observatory, located at the heart of the city. This is one of the largest observatories in the World, comprising of interesting stone structures that help to interpret the position of celestial bodies and calculate local time. Enumerated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, attracts architects, mathematicians, geographers and historians.

Jantar Mantar, Jaipur was constructed by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, and he built 5 such observatories in different parts of the country: Jaipur, Mathura, Delhi, Ujjain, and Varanasi. The one in Jaipur is the largest of all, whereas the one in Mathura is almost in ruins, now. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II is the founder of Jaipur city and a potential ruler of Amber region. Along with his political expertise, he was also a scholar in physics, mathematics, and astronomy. During his reign, he was commissioned by Emperor Muhammad Shah to rectify astronomical calculations in Islamic zij tables. To accomplish this task, he gathered astronomical data from European and Persian nations and studied and interpreted the same.

Nahargarh Fort

Nahargarh Fort is located in the Pink City of Jaipur and is one of the many countless palaces and beautiful historic buildings that speak of the magnificent and rich history of this city. Embellished with delicate carvings and stonework, the Nahargarh Fort is an impregnable structure, that together with its two neighbouring forts – Amer and Jaigarh, once stood as the strong defence of Jaipur city. The Fort was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in the year 1734 as a retreat. With some breathtaking views of the city, the Nahargarh Fort is known for its extended wall that connects it to Jaigarh Fort. The fort is located on top of a hill and you can hire a cab or autorickshaw to the foot of the hill and trek the rest of the way.

Nahargarh Fort was primarily used as a retreat for the ladies of the royal household and has a ladies quarters by the name of ‘Zenana’. Also known as the Madhavendra Bhavan, the ‘Zenana‘ was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. Its counterpart, the ‘Mardana Mahal’ was also constructed in the complex for the royal men. Another attraction in the Nahargarh Fort is the Nahargarh Biological Park, which is an asylum for majestic animals such as tigers, leopards and the Asiatic lions. The Padao Restaurant is also a must-visit if you’re near Nahargarh Fort from where you’re sure to enjoy a panoramic view of the city of Jaipur.

After extensive research and studying the gathered data, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II constructed stone made instruments to determine the position of planetary bodies and measure time. Jaipur Jantar Mantar was built between 1728-1734 and its stone instruments are considered to be more accurate than others.

Pink City

Pink City in Jaipur refers to the old walled city that was built in the year 1727 by Maharaja Jai Singh II. This was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as of June 6th 2019. The wall that marks the boundary of the Pink City is about six metres high and three metres thick and encompasses a number of structures within its confines. In keeping with the magnificence of the structure, there are seven different gates that provide access to the Old City, namely Chand Pol, Suraj Pol, Ajmeri Gate, New Gate, Sanganeri Gate, Ghat Gate, Samrat Gate and Zorawar Singh Gate. Built about 275 years ago, today it presents the glorious past of our country through its culture and architecture. The city is known as ‘Pink City’ as it is built out of Sandstone and reflects the colour pink in the daytime.

Steeped with rich past and heritage, the Pink City of Jaipur is a place of royal heritage, culture and architecture. The city is covered in the tint of pink colour oozing charm and attracting tourists from all over the world. The place offers a feast to its visitors in the form of its historical saga with magnificent palaces and forts and stunning Havelis. A number of important structures such as Badi Chaupar, Jantar Mantar and City Palace are situated in this part of the city. The vibrant bazaars of Jaipur like Bapu Bazaar and Johri Bazaar are paradise for shopping lovers offering beautiful Rajasthani jewellery, fabric, shoes and handicrafts. Bustling with colours, a walk around this old city gives you a glance into is the wealth of handicrafts, the royal legacy of the palace, and a shadow of their rich past.