"Driving through the past..." Jaipur by Preetibandooni

Rich with an effervescent past, narrating the dazzling accounts of valour and bravery, Jaipur is one of the most important heritage cities in India. The city remarkable for its innovative design and strategically planned network of streets and urban quarters, Jaipur is ever more charming for its pink stucco buildings. Sprawling with palace complexes and stunning pre modern architecture the city attracts thousands of travellers each year.

It was my sheer love for palaces and medieval architecture that got me hooked to the city ever since I visited it for the first time in 1999. It was a school trip and I still remember I stood awe struck at the first glance of the huge City Palace. The idea of a family living in such gorgeous and humungous houses always fascinated me. As a kid I would want to know what could be necessity for having such a big mansion for a house, don’t they get scared of living in a palace, how wonderful it must feel to be owning such a gorgeous place with so much space and splendour.
The palaces of Jaipur still make me think about the fine artisans and craftsmen of that era whose refined skills resulted into such fine artistry. In the past I have made many visits to the city and it feels like coming back home now. This is another interesting aspect about Jaipur, its warmth and bonhomie is derived from the friendly lot of Rajasthani folks.

A famous landmark of the city, Hawa Mahal is where the royal ladies of the erstwhile Rajput era used to watch royal processions from. This is a very interesting place; its front façade has about 593 tiny beautifully carved windows called “jharokha”. These windows are covered with pretty coloured glasses all to charm the pampered ladies of the royal families. The literal meaning of Hawa Mahal is Wind Palace and true to its name the palace is comfortably cold in the humid city of Jaipur, a swift breeze moves around which was great.

The street scene outside Hawa Mahal was pretty chaotic almost like most markets of the region. Touts here can be a bit annoying not only for international, but also for domestic travellers a firm “no” however is enough.

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