Monday, April 6, 2009

A Sojourn to the Royal Land - Jaipur



The ‘Pink City’ is dotted with magnificent forts and palaces, equally majestic fountains, artistically created gardens with gigantic havelis, historic museums, bustling bazaars and smiling folks in vibrant attires. Journey to Jaipur is always and enthralling experience.

Bus ride from New Delhi to Jaipur takes around 5 hours and as it approaches the historic city, the occasional old forts on one side and glitzy hotel chains on the other gave away the feel of the intermingling of history and modernity.

What to see in Jaipur

Albert Museum, the oldest museum in Rajasthan was our first stop. This beautiful building was built in 1876 to welcome King Edward VII who was then on a visit to India as Prince of Wales. Rare textiles, carpets, paintings, metal and wood crafts, pottery, toys, dolls and even Egyptian mummy were on display. It central gallery is completely devoted to Rajasthani music and dance forms.

Birla Mandir or Lakshmi Narayan Temple, which sits near Moti Doogri – the private property of the last Maharani of Jaipur, Gayatri Devi. Nearby another beautiful historic place Jal Mahal also known as Lake Palace that literally sits on the serene waters of the lake.

Old Jaipur city clearly describes why this city is so loved. Everything is pink and the streets are alive with bright reds, fuchsias, blue and greens hanging from the ceilings of the stores. The streets are lined with busy shoppers getting the famous crafted mirror works woven into cloth to make exquisitely designed skirts, bags, umbrellas etc. The signature monument of Jaipur city is undoubtedly Hawa Mahal with its 953 small windows decorated with tiny lattice work. The museum and designs within the gates of the City Palace demands a full hour. This palace is home to the largest inventory of weaponry dating back to the 18th century. The Diwan-I-Khas exhibits two huge silver vessels of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II who carried water from River Ganga on his trip to England.

Jaigarh Fort that is 15 km from Jaipur city is situated on top of the hill. This fort was made to tighten the security of Jaipur and Amber. Here travellers can watch the world’s largest cannon and underground tanks that store 60, 00,000 gallons of water. At night one must watch the cultural fiesta in Choki Dhani where musicians and dancers entertained those already seated. The mirror-studded walls, Ikat durries and antique metallic swings are all truly Rajasthani.

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