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Jaipur
:
Jaipur
is 260 km from Delhi and 240 km from Agra and forms the most
chosen tourism golden triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. It a
bustling capital city and a business centre with all the
trapping of modern metropolis but yet flavoured strongly with
an age-old charm that never fails to surprise a traveller. The
old Jaipur painted in Pink can grip any visitor with
admiration.
Places to Visit :
City palace :
Located in the heart of the
walled city, The City Palace Complex gives you an idea about
the farsightedness of the founder of Jaipur Sawai Jai Singh.
He left behind a legacy of some of the most imposing and
magnificent architecture, art and craft structure in the city.
Sawai Jai Singh built its many buildings but some of some of
the structures were also built by later rulers and some of
them are even dated in the in the twentieth century too. The
palace is a blend of Mughal and Rajasthani architecture and
the royal family still lives in a part of the palace.
The Chandra Mahal Palace is still occupied by the royal family
but visitors can visit the ground floor where some exhibits
are on display. However the visit here is worthwhile for the
exquisite Peacock in the courtyard outside.
The present day royal family that takes charge of the museum
has done exceptionally well in preserving this legacy in fine
state maintenance and presentation. A visits to the palace is
enlightening one for its extraordinary occurrence.
Jantar Mantar :
Across the road from the
palaces is the famous JANTAR MANTAR one of the five
observatories in India . Built by Sawai Jai Singh, this is one
of the largest and the best preserved. A passionate hobby of
the king in the field of Astronomy, numerology, insighted him
to execute this observatory and with the help of skilled
labourers, they managed to create a collection of complex
astronomical instruments chiselled out of stone and most of
which continues to provide accurate information to this day.
The most striking instrument is the Brihat Samrat yantra
Sundial, an imposing yellow edifice to the far right of
the observatory complex which has a 27m high gnomon arm set at
an angle of 27degree.The shadow this casts moves up to 4m in
an hour, and aids in the calculation of local and meridian
pass time and various attributes of the heavenly bodies,
including declination the angular distance of a heavenly body
from the celestial equator and altitude. This highlight of the
observatory has made it a centre of attraction for the tourist
visiting Jaipur.
Hawa Mahal
Poet king Sawai Pratap Singh built this palace of winds. This
is the most easily recalled landmarks of Jaipur and is also
its icon. Located in the city Palace it is best viewed from
the outside for the palace is really a facade. This five-storey
building overlooking the busy bazaar street is a stunning
example of Rajput architecture and artistry with its pink
delicately honeycombed 953 sandstone windows known as 'jharokhas'.
It was originally built for the ladies of the royal household
to watch everyday life and processions in the city from their
veiled comfort.
Jaigarh Fort :
The Jaigarh fort is the most
spectacular of the three-hilltop forts that overlook Jaipur.
In Mughal times, the Jaipur region was a major
weapon-producing centre for the Mughal and Rajput rulers,
several of which are on display in the fort's museum. It is
one of the few military structures of medieval India preserved
almost intact, containing palaces, a granary, a well-planned
cannon foundry, several temples, a tall tower and a giant
mounted cannon-the Jai Ban (Jaivan) which is the largest
cannon in the world. Jaigarh Fort is also known as the fort of
victory. The display includes a collection of canons, many of
which are exquisitely decorated and were used in the Mughal
campaigns led by the Rajput King, Raja Man Singh.
Nahargarh Fort :
Nahargarh Fort is located on
the sheer rugged ridge of Aravali Hills and it forms an
impressive northern backdrop of Jaipur. It looks most classy
when floodlit at night. The fort overlooks the city and
presents a glittering view of the city lights. It was built in
1734 and extended in 1868. Nahargarh meaning abode of the
tigers was built by Jai Singh to bolster the defence of
Amber. The legend also have it that it was named Nahargarh
after Nahar Singh a prince whose spirit would destroy the
construction and not allow its progress further. So after a
tantrik prayer to the spirit it agreed to leave on condition
that the fort is named after him. The Madhavendra Bhawan,
built by Sawai Ram Singh II has uniquely a cluster of 12
identical suits for queens and at the head is a suit for the
king himself. The rooms are linked by corridors and retain
some delicate frescos as well as toilets and kitchen hearths.
It was used by members of the royal family for excursion in
summers and is now even a favoured picnic spot. Durg Cafeteria
just above the entrance sells meals and refreshments, while
Padao Restaurant on the west sells drinks around sunset.
Amber
:
Amber (pronounced Amer) is situated about 11 kilometres from
Jaipur and was the ancient citadel of the ruling Kachhawa clan
of Amber, before the capital was shifted in the plains to
present day Jaipur.
The Amber
Fort set in picturesque and rugged hills is a fascinating
blend of Hindu and Mughal architecture. Constructed by Raja
Man Singh I in 1952 and completed by Sawai Jai Singh I the
fort is made in red sand stone and white marble. The rugged
forbidding exterior belies an inner paradise with a beautiful
fusion of art and architecture. Amber is the classic and
romantic fort- palace with a magnificent aura. The interior
wall of the palace depicts expressive painting scenes with
carvings, precious stones and mirror settings. In the
foreground is the Maota Lake providing a breathtaking look.
Built mainly for the warring enemies as a safe place, the
heavily structured walls could defend the residents within the
ramparts of the fort.
courtesy - rtdc
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