"Jaipur: The Capital of Rajputana !" Top 5 Page for this destination Jaipur by goutammitra

We visited Jaipur from 30th April to 4th May'12 but I was not at all satisfied as I missed many places and what I could see was all in a hurry. This happened as this was my official visit and despite having enough time some of my colleagues chose to remain in the hotel room and gossiping/ pleasing with boss, who just returned from abroad in the morning itself after an incentive tour! They are not travelers but the trip was only for travel. So, I was trapped between Sycophants and travel, I also did not want to be branded a non-team man! So despite spending so much of money on travel and staying is one of the best hotel , the trip was pure waste for me. But, nevertheless, I tried to capture Jaipur as much as possible white traveling by car or next day city tour with our dealers for whom we organised the tour to Jaipur! But the only solace that this is not the end or it was also not my first trip to Jaipur.

Jaipur the 'Pink City', is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber.

Jaipur is one of the first planned cities of India, located in the semi-desert lands of Rajasthan. The city which once had been the capital of the royalty now is the capital city of Rajasthan. The very structure of Jaipur resembles the taste of the Rajputs and the Royal families. At present, Jaipur is a major business centre with all requisites of a metropolitan city.

Jal Mahal Palace

In ancient time Jaipur region comes under Matsya Kingdom. Modern Jaipur was founded in 1727 by [[Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of Amber|] who ruled from 1699–1744 and initially his capital was Amber, which lies at a distance of 11 km from Jaipur. He felt the need of shifting his capital city with the increase in population and growing scarcity of water. The King consulted several books on architecture and architects before making the layout of Jaipur. Finally under the architectural guidance of Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, (initially an accounts-clerk in the Amber treasury and later promoted to the office of Chief Architect by the King) Jaipur came into existence on the classical basis of principles of Vastu Shastra and similar classical treatise.

After waging several battles with the Marathas, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II was keen on the security aspect of the city. Being a lover of astronomy, mathematics and astrophysics, Jai Singh sought advice from Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, a Brahmin scholar of Bengal, to aid him to design many other buildings including the Royal Palace in the center of the city.

The construction of the city started in 1727. It took around 4 years to complete the major palaces, roads and square. The city was built following the principles of Shilpa Shastra, the science of Indian Architecture. The city was divided into nine blocks, of which two consist the state buildings and palaces, with the remaining seven allotted to the public. Huge fortification walls were built along with seven strong gates.

For the time, architecture of the town was very advanced and certainly the best in Indian subcontinent. In 1876, when the Prince of Wales visited Jaipur, the whole city was painted pink to welcome him during the regime of Sawai Ram Singh. Today, avenues remain painted in pink, provide a distinctive appearance to the city. In the 19th century the city grew rapidly; by 1900 it had a population of 160,000. The city's wide boulevards were paved and lit.

The city had several hospitals. Its chief industries were of metals and marble, fostered by a school of art (named as 'Madarsa Hunree') founded in 1868. The city also had three colleges, including a Sanskrit college (1865) and a girls' school (1867) initiated under the reign of the enigmatic Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II. There was also a wealthy and enterprising community of native bankers, particularly the Jain, Marwaris and the administrators Rawana rajput. Maharaja Rishabh Bhawani Singh, the member of the erstwhile maharaja family of Jaipur, died on 17 April 2011 at a private hospital in Gurgaon following multi-organ failure.

• Pros:The very beautiful city emerging as IT Centre
• In a nutshell:One of the most beautiful cities in India!