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THE PINK CITY (OLD CITY):
In 1876, Maharaja Ram Singh had the entire old city painted pink, traditionally a colour associated with hospitality, to welcome the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), a tradition which has been maintained. The old city is partially encircled by a crenellated wall with a number of gates - the major gates are
Chandpol, Ajmeri and Sanganeri. Broad avenues, over 30m wide, divide the pink city into neat rectangles. In the evening light, the pink and orange buildings have a magical glow which is complemented by the brightly-clothed Rajasthanis.
The major landmark in this part of town is the Iswari Minar Swarga Sal (Heaven Piercing Minerat), near the
Tripola Gate, which was built to overlook the city. The main bazaars in the old city include
Johari Bazaar, Tripola Bazaar, Bapu Bazaar and Chandpol Bazaar.
Hawa Mahal:
Constructed in 1799, the "Hawa Mahal", or "Palace of the Winds", is one of Jaipur's major landmarks, although it is actually little more than a façade. This five-storey building, which overlooks the main street of the bustling old city, is a stunning example of Rajput artistry with its pink, delicately honeycombed sandstone windows. It was originally built to enable ladies of the royal household to watch the everyday life and processions of the city. You can climb to the top of the "Hawa Mahal" for a fine view of the city. The palace was built by Maharaja Sawaj Pratap Singh and is part of the City Palace complex. There's a small Archaeological museum (closed on Saturday) on the same site. Entrance to the "Hawa Mahal" is from the rear of the building. It's open daily between 9 am to 4.30 pm and entry costs Rs 2.
City Palace Complex:
In the heart of the old city, the City Palace occupies a large area divided
into a series courtyards, gardens and buildings. The outer wall was built by Jai Singh. The palace is a blend of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. The son of the last maharaja and his family still reside in part of the palace
The "Mubarak Mahal", or "Welcome Palace", was built in the late 19th century by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II as a reception centre for visiting dignitaries. It now forms part of the "Maharaja Sawai Mansingh II Museum", containing a collection of royal costumes and superb shawls including Kashmiri "pashmina"(goats' wool) shawls. One remarkable exhibit is a set of the voluminous clothing of Sawai Madho Singh I who was a stately 2m tall, 1.2 wide and weighed 250kg!
Other points of interest in the palace include the "Diwan-I-Am", or the "Hall of Public Audience", with its intricate decorations and manuscripts in Persian and Sanskrit, the "Diwan-I-Khas", or the "Hall of Private Audience", with a marble-paved gallery, and the exquisite "Peacock Gate" in the "Chandra Mahal" courtyard.
Outside the buildings, you can see enormous silver vessels in which a former maharaja used to take holy Ganges water to England. Being a devout Hindu, he preferred not to risk the English water!
The palace and museum are open daily between 9.30 am and 4.45 pm. Entry is Rs 35/110 for Indians/foreigners (this includes entry to Jaigarh - see the Around Jaipur section - and the ticket is valid for two days). Photography opportunities are severely limited because it is prohibited inside the museums. If you're still interested, a video camera costs Rs 100 for everyone, but a Rs 50 camera fee is only levied on Indians! There are guides for hire inside the palace complex for Rs 150.
Jantar Mantar
Next to the entrance to the City Palace is the Jantar Mantar, or Observatory, begun by Jai Singh in 1728. Jai Singh's passion for astronomy was even more notable than his prowess as a warrior and, before commencing construction, he sent scholars abroad to study foreign observatories. The Jaipur observatory is the largest and the best preserved of the five he built, and was restored in 1901. Others are in Delhi (the oldest, dating from 1724), Varanasi and Ujjain. The fifth, the Muttra observatory, is gone.
At first glance, Jantar Mantar appears to be just a curious collection of sculptures but in fact ach construction has a specific purpose, such as measuring the positions of stars, altitudes and azimuths, and calculating eclipses. The most striking instrument is the sundial with its 27m-high gnomon. The shadow this casts moves up to 4m an hour.
The observatory is open between 9am to 4.30 pm daily and admission is Rs 4 (free on Monday). Photography is Rs 20/50 for Indians/foreigners; Rs 50/100 for videos.
Central Museum:
The Central Museum is housed in the architecturally impressive Albert Hall in the Ram Niwas Public Gardens, south of the old city. Exhibits include a natural history collection, models of yogis adopting various positions, tribal ware, dioramas depicting Rajasthani dances and sections on decorative arts, costumes, drawings and musical instruments. The museum is open daily except on Fridays, 10 am to 4.30 pm. Entry is Rs 5/30 for Indians/foreigners (free on Monday). Photography is prohibited.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS:
The Ram Niwas Public Gardens also has a Zoo (open daily except on Tuesday between 8 pm to 5 pm; entry is Rs 2). Nearby an old theatre houses Jaipur's "Modern Art Gallery", on the 1st floor of the "Ravindra Rangmanch Building" (free entry, closed Sunday). For excellent contemporary paintings, go to the "Juneja Art Gallery" (for more details, see the Shopping section).
The Museum of Indology is an extraordinary private collection of folk art objects and other bits and pieces of interest - there's everything from a map of India painted on a rice grain, to manuscripts, tribal ornaments, fossils, old currency notes, clocks and much more. It's open 8 am to 6 pm daily. Entry is Rs 40 (including a guide). Cameras are not allowed. For stamp enthusiasts, there's a small
Philatelic Museum at the main post office (Entry is free; closed on Sunday).
Farther south down J Nehru Marg, looming above the road to the left, is the small fort of
Moti Dungri (closed to the public). At the foot of this fort is the large modern
Birla Lakshmi Narayan Temple. There is a small museum next to the temple, which is open daily between 8 am to noon and 4 pm to 8 pm (free). Nearby is a
Ganesh Temple, which is also worth a look.
About 3 km south-west of the old city is the Rambagh Palace, now one of India's most renowned hotels. Gayatri Devi, the glamorous third wife of the last maharaja of Jaipur, resides in a part of this gracious palace.
MEDITATION & YOGA:
The Dhammathali Vipassana Meditation centre (Tel No. 641520) at Galta (see the around Jaipur section) runs meditation courses for a donation.
Yoga courses are available at the Prakritic Chikitsalaya (Tel No. 510590), Bapu Nagar (near the Rajasthan University campus), and also at the
Mahavanand Ashram (Tel No. 200317), C-19 Behari Marg, Bani Park.
ASTROLOGY:
Dr Vinod Shastri (Tel No. 663338, 551117, email: vshastri@jp1.dot.net.in) is the general Secretary of the Rajasthan Astrological Council & Research Institute and works from his shop near the City Palace on Chandini Chowk, Tripolia Gate. It costs Rs 300 for a 20-minute consultation and you will need to have your exact time of birth in order to get a computerised horoscope drawn up. A five-year prediction costs Rs 900 and a 30-year Prediction costs Rs 3000. It's advisable to make an advance appointment.
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