J – Joyous Jaipur, The Pink City #A2ZChallenge

So The BlogChatter A to Z Challenge has reached the letter – J ….
Shall I do J fo Jordan or Japan?
Since I had covered my Jordan Journey and Cherry Blossom Festival of Japan in my earlier blog posts, I decided to do Jaipur Pink City.

Why is Jaipur Pink City?

Jaipur is popularly known as The Pink City because of the color of the stone exclusively used for the construction of all the structures. However, the history of Jaipur Pink City dates back to 1876.  That year Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria visited India and announced their visit to Jaipur. At that time, Maharaja Ram Singh of Jaipur painted the whole city pink in color to welcome the guests. Since pink denotes the color of hospitality and happiness the city wore a vibrant look. Ever since, this tradition has been sincerely followed by the residents, to maintain the pink color.

How to get to Jaipur?

We took the direct flight from Mumbai Airport,  the best mode of transport you can opt for is, by air! Major cities such as Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Ahmedabad, etc. are also well-connected with Jaipur and offer frequent flights to this destination. This is the major reason why many take short Getaways to Jaipur with action-packed itineraries.

Jaipur Traffic Woes

Getting around Jaipur can be tricky, the city areas get very congested and are prepared to get stuck in traffic. However a few sightseeing places are in the same vicinity, hence it’s best you walk around with proper sun gear and footwear. Be careful not to tread into Cow Dung. You must negotiate before taking Rickshaws or private taxis in and around Jaipur.

A Weekend Trip to Jaipur and Explore The Pink City In 2 Days.

Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan, a crowded city bursting with historical places to check out.  I suggest you study the places it has to offer and visit the ones that are important to you.

 

Amer Fort

Amer Fort is truly the best tourist attraction of Jaipur dating back to the 16th Century. Some parts of the fort are well maintained and offer a stunning backdrop for classic photographs. The Amber Fort is huge with 16 km of surrounding walls and a stunningly beautiful palace within.

The marble and glass Sheesh Mahal was a marvelous piece of Art. Felt so cool inside. The mirrors all around made multiple images of people, truly fascinating. Visit during the evening as they have a light and sound show at approx 7 PM.

Jantar Mantar

The Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observatory constructed by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in the early 17th Century. It was so fascinating to check out the world’s largest stone sundial in Jaipur and to see how to read the time at several of these architectural astronomical instruments. It was a very proud moment for me, just standing there observing this structure that could tell the time accurate to the second on your Smartwatch. Joyous Jaipur Indeed!!

 

Hawa Mahal

Sad but true, I don’t have a single picture in my photo album of Hawa Mahal. That is because I was not very impressed as we not allowed to enter.  Situated on a very busy street this grand structure is like a pink Windowed Palace.  You had to take some time to admire this grand architecture, dodging cars and aminals in the street.

City Palace

A trip to the Jaipur City Palace is a must, it’s one of the most beautiful tourist places in Jaipur.

You can get enchanted by the palace complex. Huge entrance gates, pretty arched doorways,  and the museums of the Jaipur City Palace are worth a visit.

Nahargarh Fort

Nahargarh means ‘abode of tigers’, this fort offers a breathtakingly beautiful view of Jaipur pink City from the top. The sunset cannot be missed, another place to admire is the Baoli Step well where the famous Rang De Basanti movie was shot.

Shopping 

The city is famous for its gemstones, textile, jhuttis locally made handicrafts and sweetmeats. Anyone we asked told us to visit Johari Bazaar. The street was packed with jewellery shops on both sides. Don’t forget to bargain to strike a good deal and be careful, all you see is not silver.

Our Trip to Ajmer

We had planned a day trip to Ajmer the next day and had booked a private taxi to take us there. Ajmer was a 2 1/2 hour drive from our hotel. However, unfortunately, due to a bad accident on the highway, we ended up returning back to Jaipur. Hopefully in the near future, mera bulava aayega. It is said that you may visit the ‘Dargah’ of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer Sharief only when his call comes. 

And yet another successful completion of the BlogChatterA2Z @019 Challenge for Letter J. This was my post for I – Ingruiging Iran.