Walking around its pink palaces and medieval fortresses, its not hard to see why Jaipur is included in the popular “Golden Triangle” itinerary of North India alongwith Delhi and Agra.

Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan (“Land of the Rajas”), which before independence was a cluster of princely states ruled by Rajput clans. Jaipur is known for the romantic sandstone palaces and hill forts built by its former rulers, but it also boasts of a rich artistic tradition carefully nurtured by the Maharajas over the centuries and is a shoppers’ paradise today. Whether its exquisite kundan jewellery (which has gemstones and glass embedded in gold), embroidered juttis (leather shoes), lac bangles or hand block printed and tie-and-dye fabrics that tickle your fancy, you will be spoilt for choice in the narrow bustling alleyways of Jaipur’s bazaars. If you notice a preponderance of the colour pink in the city’s buildings, its because back in 1876 the then Maharajah quite literally painted the town pink to welcome Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who were on a royal tour of India!

Jaipur Travel Diary Part 1: Amber Fort

Rajasthan, being on the northwest frontier of present-day India, was frequently beset with invasions from Arab, Turkish and Afghan armies starting as far back as the 8th century. Hence its much-mythicised martial tradition and why many of its cities started off as fortified citadels. Jaipur is a walled city as well and has three major hillforts – Jaigarh, Nahargarh and Amber Fort. Of these the most popular tourist attraction is Amber (also sometimes referred to as Amer Fort). Amer, a town about 9 km from the centre of present-day Jaipur, used to be the capital of the Kachhwaha clan of Rajputs for about 700 years. Amber Fort was a complex of palaces, courtyards, gardens and temples built within fortified walls high up on a citadel to give the king’s forces a strategic advantage over invading armies. By 1727 the Mughal empire, arch-nemesis of the Rajputs, was on the wane and Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II decided it was safe to come down from the hills and establish a proper royal city, which was eventually named after him – Jaipur. Amber Fort has been converted into a museum now and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ochre-coloured fortress blends seamlessly into the sandy hillside and offers panoramic views over the city of Jaipur nestled in the valley just below. The surrounding hills are laced with stone ramparts and watchtowers.

The first major courtyard upon entering the complex has the Diwan-e-Aam, an open pillared hall where the king used to grant an audience to his subjects.

To the right of this courtyard is a lovely pink-and-gold gate which marks the entrance to the private royal chambers beyond. Its called Ganesh Pol after the image of the elephant god, Ganesha, painted over the main doorway. The floral frescoes painted on this gate used vegetable dyes which have weathered the centuries very well. The upper half of the gate has a gallery with lattice-work screens behind which female members of the royal family could sit and watch over the proceedings in the outer courtyard.

Amongst the private chambers, the one that impressed me the most was the Diwan-i-Khas – the hall where special guests of the royal family were received. This part of the complex seems to be heavily influenced by Persian design and architecture (or is it the other way around I wonder?). Flower vases are a recurring motif, the walls are covered with flower vases – carved out of marble, made out of coloured glass or tiny mirrors. The outer hall is also known as Sheesh Mahal or Glass Palace because the walls and ceiling here are decorated with mirror mosaics cut delicately into geometric and floral patterns. When candles are lit here at night, the reflections of the flickering flames splinter ad infinitum on the ceiling. Apparently the king wanted to recreate the starry night sky for his queen.

Jaipur Travel Diary Part 2: The Palaces of Wind and Water

Hawa Mahal

Hawa Mahal or Palace of Winds is named so because it has nearly a thousand windows of varying sizes which makes the building, you guessed it, very windy. Its a very narrow building, essentially not much more than an external facade which looks like a giant pink honeycomb. Some of the windows are really tiny and set amidst stone lattice screens. The palace was built for the women of the royal family who could sit in the galleries and peep through the windows onto the main street below, especially when parades and festivals were being held. These women couldn’t show their faces in public…In fact even today many Rajasthani women, especially in the villages, pull their saris low over their forehead to hide their faces as much as possible, a practice known as ghoonghat. There is no consensus on the origin of this practice. Some believe it dates to the 14th century when women started veiling their faces as a form of protection against the covetous eyes of invading Muslim soldiers. Others think the Arabs and Turks brought the custom of purdah (veiling) to India and it became an upper class status symbol during the Delhi Sultanate period which the Rajput royalty later started to imitate.

Jal Mahal

Jal Mahal or Water Palace, set in the middle of a lake, can only be gazed at from afar as entry is no longer permitted. Built in 1750, it was meant to be used as a resting place for royal hunting parties who went duck-hunting in the lake. Apparently restoration is now underway to convert it into a high-end restaurant…

Jaipur Travel Diary Part 3: City Palace

When Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II moved his capital from Amer to the newly planned and built city of Jaipur, the City Palace became the new royal residence. The palace is made of pink sandstone and is a fusion of Rajput and Mughal architecture.

The prettiest part is an inner courtyard called Pritam Niwas Chowk with four gates leading into it (Pritam Niwas Chowk translates to “Courtyard of the Beloved”). Each gate is intricately painted and symbolises the four seasons. The Peacock Gate symbolises autumn, the Lotus Gate symbolises summer, the Leheriya Gate spring and the Rose Gate winter. Dance performances for the royal family used to be held in this courtyard with singers and musicians seated in the balconies above these delightful gates.

The other highlights of the palace are the museum of royal textiles and art gallery. The art gallery especially has a wonderful collection of miniature paintings from the Jaipur, Mughal and Persian schools of art. There is also an artisan’s workshop in the palace complex where there are miniature paintings on display for sale. I spent most of the afternoon salivating over these, meticulously detailed portraits of Rajput kings and queens, Hindu gods and goddesses painted onto to camel’s bone and embellished with gold leaf.

Jaipur Travel Diary Part 4: Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar is a very interesting open-air astronomical observatory right next to City Palace. Between 1724 and 1730 Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II built five such observatories with massive stone instruments across North India – in Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura. For e.g. this hemispherical sundial is called Jai Prakash.

If you look closely, there is a small metal plate with a circular opening suspended on a cross-wire across the dial. The markings on the dial represent equatorial coordinate systems. As the sun moves across the sky, the shadow cast by the metal plate moves across these minute mathematical markings and helps pinpoint the position of celestial objects in the sky. Of course as per Hindu tradition, these instruments were used as much for astrology as for astronomy and the positions of stars and planets were used to make major life decisions like who to marry!

Jaipur Travel Diary Part 5: Royal Gaitor

Also known as Gaitor ki Chattriyan (or the Umbrellas of Gaitor), Royal Gaitor is one of the better kept secrets in Jaipur. It is a complex of marble cenotaphs built for the kings of Jaipur – a calm oasis bereft of the hordes of tourists that are inescapable at the other main attractions. The cenotaphs are domed pavilions built on raised platforms with beautiful marble sculptures and reliefs decorating the pillars and platform walls.

Jaipur Travel Diary Part 6: Galtaji Temple

Galtaji Temple is also known as Monkey Temple because it is overrun by cheeky monkeys who will think nothing of making off with any food items you might be carrying on your person – consider yourself warned! The main stone temple is wedged into a narrow crevice between two rocky hills. The moss-green lake in front of it is considered to hold sacred waters and the temple is a popular pilgrimage site.