Jaipur is the capital and largest city in Rajasthan in Northern India which is India’s largest state by area. It is popularly known as the Pink City and for its broad avenues and lovely gardens. The city was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jaisingh II in 1727. Jaipur was not always pink. In 1876, the Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria visited India. Since pink denotes the color of hospitality, Maharaja Ram Singh of Jaipur painted the whole city pink in color to welcome the guests. The tradition has been sincerely followed by the residents who are now, by law, compelled to maintain the pink color.

We arrived in Jaipur  at the height of Diwali. There is no better place in India to enjoy this celebration than in Jaipur. The city has over 5 million inhabitants and still growing, but does not feel as crowded as either Mumbai or Delhi. In fact, there seems to be a generally more relaxed atmosphere and feel to the city, as compared to either of those two cities.

Diwali: This is the most important and happiest festival in Hinduism. It is victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, hope over despair. People clean their homes, give gifts and shopping is big, that is why all of the markets and shops we had visited on our trip so far were jam-packed. As Jaipur is the most special place to be during this holiday, thousands of foreign tourists visit the city every year. This is in addition to all the people coming home to be with family.

The spectacular display of diyas, traditional oil lamps made of clay, and the addition of electric lights that adorn homes, shops, office buildings and palaces, as well as, local markets, gave the city a spectacular luminescence. Every year, a competition is held to determine the best decorated and most impressively lit market. What a fantastic experience to see Jaipur’s streets, buildings and markets magnificently illuminated and the people in such joyous spirits! 

Our driver had been with us for the entire trip starting in Delhi and he was finally coming home to Jaipur after the long journey. We arrived in Jaipur close to 2 in the afternoon and, as previously arranged with the hotel owner in Agra, the driver was to take us sightseeing for the afternoon after we checked into the incredible Umaid Bhawan – a heritage-style hotel. It may look like an ancient palace, but it was recently built to resemble one. 

Umaid Bhawan Hotel: Our time spent in Jaipur was delightfully punctuated by our stay at the Umaid Bhawan. The hotel is a marvel, displaying the luxury and charm of late 19^th early 20^th century India. It is definitely one of the most interesting and unique places we’ve ever stayed. Every room has a different layout as does each floor. Every nook and cranny of the hotel is elaborately ornamented with exquisitely tiled floors and walls, colorfully painted, mirrored ceilings, sculptures, wood carvings, tapestries, paintings, plants, historic photos, small fountains, beautiful lighting fixtures, antique furniture, and more. On one of the floors, there’s even a small Hindu shrine. Our suite was very large and breathtakingly decorated, complete with a very large, beautifully tiled sit-in bath; it felt as if we had been transported into the palace of a maharajah. Over the few days we were there, we explored every part of the hotel. At every turn, there were small tables and chair, a chaise lounge, a bench, a roof-top restaurant and a pool. The walls surrounding the swimming pool are adorned with beautiful paintings which you can see in the video. At times, we just wanted to hang-around and enjoy the premises, but we had to explore the city. We did, however, spend a few hours Thursday afternoon enjoying the pool, having lunch on the rooftop and relaxing on the balconies on the various floors.

Jaipur City Wall: Our driver then drove us to the Jaipur city wall which encircles the old Jaipur city. It’s commonly referred to as the walled city. It has seven gates and divided into sectors with main market streets. Once inside, you will find specialized markets for specific goods. We had fun bargaining with the merchants, trying to haggle and get the best price possible. It was wonderful to stroll through the streets, listen to the music playing from the stores and mingle with the crowd.

Jaipur is also famous for being the gem and jewelry center of India. If you want to shop for precious and semi-precious stone jewelry, visit the Johari Bazaar or Jewelry Market. This is the place to go if you wish to find excellent deals on semi-precious and precious stones. We stopped in and did some serious haggling and got what we wanted. 

After our excursion, the driver drove us back to the hotel. We knew he was anxious to get home to his family to enjoy the festivities. He offered to be our tour guide the next day, but the hotel package included a chauffeur for one day. We bade him farewell and in addition to the handsome tip, we presented him with a beautiful scarf since it was appropriate to give gifts at this time of year.

That evening, we dined on the rooftop of our hotel. It was a magical night. We were treated to another sumptuous dining experience and were entertained by two incredibly talented female dancers and their accompanying musicians – view the video below. We also participated in the dancing which was fun. The fireworks displays were exploding around the city in the moonlit night and we languished in all that is magical about India.

Jaipur is also known as the “city of forts” with its most famous being the Amber Fort. It is also known as the Amer Fort since it is located in the town of Amer.  The fort is just a short 15–20 minute ride from central Jaipur and is truly magnificent, rising up the mountainside. Since the fort is situated on a mountain, be prepared by wearing good walking shoes, which is something we suggest for anyone visiting India. The walk up to the fort takes about 15-20 minutes, but you can make a grand entrance on a colorfully painted elephant. The ride is only one-way, going up. To take the elephant ride, be prepared for long lines and it is wise to arrive early at the fort before 11 AM which is the cut-off time to get a ticket. The size of the fort is tremendous, so again keep in mind that you may wish to start early if you want to see it all. Transportation to the fort is plentiful and frequent from central Jaipur.

Other Sites: Though not as well-known, and on a mountain directly across from the Amber Fort, is the Jaigarh Fort. Interestingly, this fort was built to protect the Amber Fort and is almost two miles in length

Unlike Delhi and Mumbai, Jaipur does not have much in the way of mass-transit (rail and bus systems); however, there is currently a rail-system construction in progress. With this in mind, you may wish to consider hiring a car or taxi for your daily sightseeing or signing up for a tour package of which there are many providers, from private cars with driver/guide, to guided big bus tours. Once again, we were fortunate to have a car and driver included as part of our hotel package with the Umaid Bhawan, which allowed us to travel about pretty much unscripted and on our own timetable.

City Palace: The City Palace which includes the Chandra Mahal and Mubarak Mahal palaces and other buildings is a large complex. The Chandra Mahal palace now houses a museum but the greatest part of it is still a royal residence. It has lovely gardens and courtyards along with buildings that once housed the royalty of Rajasthan. The palace was built between 1729 and 1732,

Hawa Mahal: Possibly the most famous landmark in Jaipur is the Hawa Mahal, Palace of the Winds, commonly referred to as the Wind Palace. This building is famous for its intricately carved façade and many windows from which the women of the royal families to look out onto the street without being observed. The Hawa Mahal sits at the edge of the City Palace complex.

Jal Mahal: Also known as the Water Palace, the Jal Mahal is situated half-way to the Amber Fort from Jaipur, in the middle of Man Sagar Lake. This building is especially stunning, as it seems at times to be floating just above or on the water of the lake.

Jantar Mantar: One of the many fascinating places to visit within the city is Jantar Mantar, the observatory built by Maharaja Jai Singh in the 1700’s, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were amazed to see the scientific instruments and achievements from that period are still applicable today.

Restaurants: The hotel had a very good restaurant and we had breakfast, lunch and dinner there. While out and about, we had some light meals at a couple of restaurants and we were quite lucky to have had excellent food everywhere!

We had a lovely time in Jaipur! We enjoyed our last breakfast on the rooftop at this exquisite hotel and it was time to move on to Mumbai (Bombay). 

But before we depart for Mumbai, check out some of our videos and photos of Jaipur:

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In the Taste of Jaipur video below, you will see scenes of the Hawa Mahal (Wind Palace); Jal Mahal (Water Palace); Jantar Mantar Observatory; and other scenes of Jaipur – mostly women on the way to the temple (some are without shoes and shoes are also placed outside the door of the temple).

Click on this link to view – A Taste of Jaipur

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Click on this link to view the Amber Fort – Amber Fort Video

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View the Umaid Bhawan Hotel which we highly recommend.

 Click on the link to view the hotel – Umaid Bhawan Hotel

 

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Take a look at the Rasjasthani dancers and musicians  video while we dined on the roof-top restaurant at the Umaid Bhawan Hotel during Diwali.