‘Padharo Mhare Desh’ –Welcome to my land!!
India is a country in South Asia which is 2nd most populated country with population of more than 1.3 Bn people. It is a diverse country which is rich in its culture, heritage and history & was the ancient home of Indus Valley Civilization and now it’s ‘Incredible India’!!
Before you reach Jaipur:
Once you reach the capital city Delhi, you can board a direct flight to Jaipur or you can opt for a road trip from Delhi which might take 5-7hrs depending on the route and traffic. The best time to visit North India we would suggest is during winters(Nov – Feb), as during summers you might feel you are inside a burning oven.
It was our 5th wedding anniversary and we reached Jaipur by mid-morning from our hometown Kolkata. Rajasthan is the land of Kings and Queens and we thought it would feel nothing less to celebrate our anniversary there. The overall cultural vibe is everywhere in the city, you just need to pack your bags soon to know what we exactly mean.
Top 6 Must Visits of Jaipur
Jaipur City Palace
To start with The City Palace of Jaipur was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727. This place is now converted to a beautiful museum and is currently the home for the Royals in Jaipur. The art and architecture of the palace is absolutely stunning, which includes several buildings courtyards and galleries. You could find thousands of war weapons, home decors, artifacts and many more antiques the Royals used during 18th – 19th century. All the artifacts have been preserved so well till date.
Few of its interior attractions are:
- Diwan – e – Aam: This is a hall which is now open to public with a contemporary architectural walls and ceilings and is so gorgeous.
- Diwan – e – Khas: This name refers to the building design which is a single storeyed open hall at the four corners. It is considered to be an important ritual building and is also known as the ‘Living Heritage’. At the entrance you will see two huge silver vessels with water capacity of 4,000 ltrs. Do you want to know the story behind this? The interesting fact is ‘Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II’ used to fill & carry water from Ganges with him to drink during his trip to England as the water there didn’t suit him. Imagine!! Isn’t it OMG thing!! Yes Incredible India and it’s people!!
Jal Mahal
Jal Mahal, which means ‘Palace in water’. This palace is an interesting thing to gaze at and is situated right in the middle of ‘Man Sagar Lake’. Tourists are not allowed to visit Jal Mahal but you can photograph the picturesque view.
Interesting Facts: This palace is built with red sand stones which has 5 storeys. Amongst which 4 floors are emerged under water. It is said that the Royals used to stay there when the climate went too humid and the floors soaked under water kept them cool. Imagine the technologies used during those era, pretty fascinating right!!
Amber/Amer Fort
It is located in Amer town which is about 11kms from Jaipur and is one of the most beautiful palace here. You can book a cab or hire any local transportation to reach Amer fort. We took the local auto-rickshaw and reached by late afternoon. You will find a huge stretch of walking zone which leads to an uphill from the starting point, so please swap your training shoes over fancy one. Moreover you can also avail Jeep services if you wish to avoid the trial or can have an Elephant ride till the fort, if you wish for a Royal indulgence entering the cobbled gateways.
Some of its interior attractions are:
Diwan – e – Aam: Hall of public
Diwan – e – Khas: Hall of private .These halls are mostly common in all forts you would visit in Rajasthan.
Sheesh Mahal(Mirror Palace): It seemed very classy and eye catchy to us. The intricacies of art and mirror work all over the walls and ceilings will definitely leave you awestruck. We really found it interesting going in from one chamber and coming out from another one as every corridor is somehow inter-connected.
Nahargarh Fort
This should be on your top list for sure and mark your visit in the evening if you can. Enjoy one of the beautiful sunsets there and see how the city turns orange to pink to grey. It’s beautiful!!
Nahargarh Fort is located in Aravalli hills. Inside the fort you would find many identical adjacent rooms which are all inter-connected through passage ways and roof tops overlooking the entire city. Visitors are not allowed after sunset because its surrounded by dense forest and is home to wild animals.
Hawa Mahal(Palace of Breeze)
This palace is right in the middle of old Jaipur town. From the exterior it occurs like a bee hive which has 953 small windows overlooking the street. The idea behind to build those small intricate windows was to allow the Royal Ladies to observe everyday life and festivals celebrated in the streets below without being seen by public. We didn’t go inside, rather we gazed from the outside which is the back side of the structure.
Jaigarh Fort
Jaigarh is situated in the peak of Aravali range which was built about 400 mtrs above the Amer Fort which is also known as the ‘Victory Fort’, which overlooks the Amer Fort. This fort was built to protect the Amer Fort from any external invaders. It also has a huge cannon displayed inside for public viewing named as ‘Jaivana’, which was the largest cannon on wheels back then. The fort gives a wonderful view of Jal Mahal situated below.
We hope our blog excites you to pack your bags soon!! 🙂
