Built by the warrior-astronomer Raja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727, it is full of formidable forts, enchanting palaces and lovely temples. Jaipur is listed in most tourist books as one of the three cities that make India's Golden Triangle - the other two are Delhi and Agra.This famous city is the capital of Rajasthan and has earned universal renown as the " Pink City ", and pink it is, with beautiful constructed palaces, havelis and forts. The picturesque capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur is colour washed pink - the colour associated with hospitality in Rajput culture.

However, the main reason why Jaipur is famous is because of its Hawa Mahal, or ‘Palace of the Winds’. Although you might expect it to be a bit more impressive, it sure makes a strange impression to see this red sand-stone palace amidst all Jaipur’s recent hustle and bustle.

A young Bengali architect, Vidyadhar Bhattacharya formalised the city's plans in a grid system. The wide straight avenues, roads, streets, lanes and uniform rows of shops on either side of main bazaars were arranged in nine rectangular 'city sectors (Chokris), in accordance with the principles of town planning .set down in the 'Shilpa Shastra'- an epochal treatise on the Hindu architecture.

There is a timeless appeal to Jaipur's colourful bazaars where one can shop for Rajasthani handlooms and trinkets. Beautifully laid out gardens and parks, attractive monuments and marvellous heritage hotels, once the residence of Maharajas, are worth admiration. No,t to mention the ambling camels and cheerful people in multi-hued costumes that make your trip to the pink city a memorable one.

Travel Information

How To Get There

Air : There are flight connections to Delhi, Kota, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Rail : An excellent connection from Delhi is Shatabdi Express which provides a fast, air-conditioned rail service. Other connections to Jaipur are from Bikaner, Jodhpur, LJdaipur, Ahmedabad, Secunderabad, Agra, Lucknow, Mumbai and Calcutta.

Some important train connections are : Marudhar Express (Varanasi-Jaipur-Jodhpur); 9770 Express (Jaipur-Purva), .Gujarat Mail (Mumbai-Jaipur-Delhi Sarai Rohilla); Shatabdi Express (New Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer); Superfast Express (Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Jaipur); Mandore Express (Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Jaipur-Jodhpur); Intercity Express (Jaipur-Delhi Sarai Rohilla); Chetak Express (Udaipur-Jaipur-Delhi Sarai Rohilla); Ahmedabad Mail (Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Jaipur-Ahmedabad); Jodhpur Mail (Marwar-Jaipur-Delhi Sarai Rohilla).

Road : A convenient mode of travel to Jaipur is by road, through a network of comfortable tourist buses. Rajasthan Roadways runs excellent regular service of AC and Deluxe Coaches from Delhi (From Bikaner House, Pandara road and ISBT, Kashmeri Gate) Some Road distances are Delhi 259 km, Udaipur 405 km, Jodhpur 336 km, Ahmedabad 657 km.

Local Transport : Unmetered auto-rickshaws, buses, cycle-rickshaws. The Rajasthan State Roadways operates regular bus service to Amer Palace and around the city