« INDIA • Discover India • North India • Jaipur

Discover Magical Jaipur

The Palace quarter of Jaipur encloses the sprawling Hawa Mahal palace complex, formal gardens, and a small lake. Nahargarh Fort crowns the hill in the northwest corner of the old city. The observatory, Jantar Mantar, is a World Heritage Site. Included on the Golden Triangle tourist circuit, along with Delhi and Agra, Jaipur is an extremely popular tourist destination in Rajasthan and India.

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» Amber Fort

The Amber Fort, built in 1592, once served as the palace and capital of the Kachchawahs during their reign until 1727, when the capital was moved to Jaipur. While the fort was abandoned in the eighteenth century, the remaining palaces, temples and courtyards are surprisingly well preserved and have retained much of their original beauty and craftsmanship. The Hill Forts of Rajasthan, including Amber Fort, were awarded UNESCO World Heritage status …

» Bapu Bazaar

Beyond the extravagant palaces, lakes, elephants, camels, and bustling street activity that is Jaipur, visitors should not miss the shopping in the Pink City. Jaipur is known for its production of precious jewelry and brightly colored textiles. Bapu Bazaar is the best place in the city to browse the latter. Some of the more famous fabrics include the block print materials and the embroidered clothing. Visitors should be prepared to bargain - but that's half the fun of shopping in India. Ready-made textiles and all types of bangles and scarves are on display throughout the bazaar …

» Birla Lakshmi Narayan Temple & Museum

Built in 1988 entirely of white marble, Birla Lakshmi Narayan Temple & Museum is one of the newest and most recognizable landmarks in Jaipur. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu, the Preserver, and his consort Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and prosperity. Besides the central Vishnu and Lakshmi idols carved from a single piece of white marble, the entire temple, both inside and out, is covered with intricate marble carvings …

» Central Museum (Albert Hall)

The Central Museum (Albert Hall), modeled after the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, opened its doors in 1887, making it the oldest museum in the state of Rajasthan. The Indo-Saracenic sandstone and marble structure was designed by English architect Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob and was originally meant to function as a town hall. The architecture alone makes this museum worth a visit …

» Chandra Mahal

This portion of Jaipur's City Palace is the residence of the royal family and former Maharaja of the Pink City. Located in the west end of the palace complex, it stands seven stories tall and is also known as 'Palace of the Moon.' As members of the royal family still reside here, visitors are only allowed on the first floor - which holds a museum of royal artifacts and decorated halls. The Chandra Mahal is part of the City Palace that was built between 1727 and 1734, and is one of the oldest buildings in the site. There are paintings, historical murals, mirror work and floral decorations to gaze upon …

» City Palace

The first palaces, courtyards, gardens and pavilions that make up Jaipur's City Palace were built in 1727 by Maharaja Jai Singh II, ruler of the kingdom of Amber, in what is now Jaipur. The complex was added on to through the centuries, with some of the newer structures dating from the twentieth century. The royal family, one of the richest families in India, still lives in the Moon Palace (Chandra Mahal) on the site. As you enter the first courtyard you'll see the Guest Pavilion …

» Hawa Mahal

Jaipur is known for its spectacular architectural sites and the Hawa Mahal, or Palace of Winds, is perhaps the city's most recognizable and photogenic building. The five floors of delicately-worked pink sandstone is only one room wide with rows of perforated screens and more than 900 windows to allow the breeze to pass through and cool the interior. The honeycombed Hawa Mahal was constructed in 1799 by poet-king Sawai Pratap Singh …

» Jaigarh Fort

While Jaipur's Amber Fort more closely resembles a palace, Jaigarh Fort is a military fortress in the true sense of the word. The fort and its walls winding along the cliffs was built in 1726 to protect the Amber Fort below. Since the fort was never captured, it remains one of the best-preserved fortresses from medieval India. Climb to the top of the Diwa Burj watchtower for sweeping views of the Amber Fort and the surrounding city. If time permits, explore some of the many temples built within the fort grounds, some of them dating back to before the fort's construction …

» Jal Mahal (Water Palace)

It used to be that the Jal Mahal (Water Palace) was merely another fortress worthy of a quick photo op on the way to or from Amber Fort. After undergoing a dramatic restoration, however, the palace perched in the middle of Man Sagar Lake is worthy of a visit in its own right. Sawai Pratap Singh built the five-story red sandstone palace in 1799 using Rajput and Mughal stylistic elements. The rooftop gardens, Jal Mahal's most stunning features …

» Jantar Mantar in Jaipur

Walking through the grounds of Jantar Mantar may feel more like visiting a sculpture garden than an astronomical observatory. The eighteen devices, built by Jai Singh II, each serve a different function, such as predicting eclipses, telling time and tracking astrological bodies. Jai Singh II built Jatar Mantar in 1726 and it remains the best preserved of the five observatories he built within his lifetime. Armed with knowledge of European astronomical advances …

» Maota Lake

This small lake sits under the massive Amer (Amber) fort just outside of Jaipur and includes a small island in its center, lush with gardens. The Kesar Kyari Bagh, or saffron garden, contains plants that are said to have been planted by a Maharaja in the 15th century, and all of the plants sit on a raised square platform base with intricate stonework laid between the colorful patterned plants. The lake provides a serene setting from which to look up at Amer Fort on the hillside. The fort and palace are reflected on the water's surface, and Maota Lake once served as the main source of water for the Amer Palace …

» Mubarak Mahal

The Mubarak Mahal was built as a part of Jaipur's City Palace to welcome foreign dignitaries of the Maharaja. Built on a raised platform, the white palace is an example of Mughal, Rajput, and European style architecture. Its colonnaded and carved exterior now leads to the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, which houses mostly historic textiles. The Textile and Costume Museum on the first floor exhibits many of the clothing worn by royalty: formal costumes, traditional block prints, and a variety of embroidered textiles in precious fabrics, including silk and Kashmiri pashmina …

» Nahargarh Fort

Visitors to Jaipur aren't lacking for forts to visit, but Nahargarh Fort offers some of the best scenic views of the Pink City, particularly at sunset. The Nahargarh Fort was built high in the Aravali Hills in 1734 to help bolster the defenses of the Amber Fort and it was expanded again in 1885. Within the fort you'll find a palace where the nine queens of Maharaja Ram Singh lived in nine individual apartments with the King's suite in the center. Many of the intricate paintings framing the doors and windows of the palace have maintained their rich color and detail well over the years …

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