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Rajasthan
( Jaipur )
PLACES OF
TOURIST INTEREST
CITY PALACE
The City Palace
is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthani
and Mughal art and architecture. The City
Palace complex houses several palatial
structures. The first building in it is Mubarak
Mahal, built by Maharaja Madho Singh. It has a
beautifully carved marble gate with heavy brass
doors on either side of this gate. Beyond this
gate lies the Diwan-e-Khas, or the "Hall
of Private Audience". Across a paved
square lies the Diwan-e-Aam, or the "Hall
of Public Audience".
To the north-west
is the stately and graceful seven storeyed
Chandra Mahal, the residence of the ex-ruler.
Each storey has a distinctive name and is a
place of sheer beauty and luxury. Paintings,
floral decorations, mirror walls and ceilings
in the traditional style adorn the palace. The
uppermost storey is called Mukut Mahal.
Opposite the Chandra Mahal lies the Badal Mahal.
The Govind Devji temple stands in the middle of
the Chandra Mahal. A delightful system of
fountains is placed in the middle of the paved
path between the Chandra Mahal and the Badal
Mahal. The palace has extensive and sprawling
gardens.
GOVIND DEVJI
TEMPLE
To the north of
Chandra Mahal in the midst of the sprawling Jai
Niwas Garden is the spireless temple of Lord
Krishna. The idol was brought from Vrindavan
and installed here by Sawai Jai Singh II as the
tutelary deity. Today, the temple attracts
devotees from all over the country.
MOTI
DOONGARI AND LAKSHMI NARAYAN TEMPLE
The
important landmarks dotting the southern horizon of the city include
the small privately - owned hilltop fort of Moti Doongari, shaped like
a Scottish Castle; the Ganesh Temple at the foot of the hill and the
Lakshmi Narayan Temple built from white marble, a few years back by the
B.M. Birla foundation.
JAGAT
SHIROMANI TEMPLE
The
beautifully carved Jagat Shiromani Temple houses the idol of Lord
Krishna and is popularly associated with the celebrated saint-poetess
Mira Bai. The old temple of Narshinghji and a step well Panna
Mian-Ki-Baodi, which still bears witness to its past glory are also
located in the vicinity.
JANTAR
MANTAR
Jantar
Mantar is the most famous and elaborate observatory of its time. It was
constructed in the year 1724 AD by Sawai Jai Singh II, even before the
city of Jaipur was built, and has been described as the most
surrealistic and ligical landscape in stone. It was built to measure
the local time, the sun's declination, altitude, the declination of
stars, planets and to determine eclipses.
HAWA
MAHAL
The Hawa
Mahal, or the
"Palace of Wind" built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in
1799 AD is characterised by elaborate and fanciful architecture.
The broad pyramidical façade comprises five storeys of semi
octagonal overhanging windows with perforated screens, domes and
spires.
SWARGASULI
(OR ISAR LAT)
The tower
dominating the skyline on the western side of Tripolia Bazar is the
highest structure in Jaipur. It was built by Sawai Ishwari Singh in
1749 AD.
RAM
NIWAS GARDEN
Although
known to the world as desert, Jaipur possesses some of the most
beautiful gardens of the country. Ram Niwas Garden is across the road
from the old city and contains the zoo, a bird park and the museum,
also known as the Albert Hall Museum. It was built in 1868 AD by
Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh, and covers an area of 33 acres. It was laid
out at a cost of more than Rs. 4 lakhs, an astronomical amount in those
days. The garden was designed by Surgeon Major De-Faback. It is said to
have been made as a famine relief work. The playgrounds, exhibition
ground, gymnasium and recently constructed Ravindra Rangmanch etc. are
housed within this garden.
CENTRAL
MUSEUM (OF ALBERT HALL MUSEUM)
Situated in
the spacious ad beautiful Ram Niwas Garden, the Museum has a rare
collection of artifacts and craft items such as metal work, ivory
carvings, cane wood articles and exquisite pieces of jewellery,
textile, pottery and paintings. It is particularly rich in specimen of
embossed, hammered and chiseled brass wares. The building was designed
by Colonel Sir Swinton Jacob in the modern Indo-Saracentic style and
was built in 1886 AD when King Edward VII visited India as the Prince
of Wales.
ZOOLOGICAL
GARDEN
It is
situated in the Ram Niwas Garden. It is a century old and is among the
oldest in the country. Set in a landscaped garden, it has a good number
of birds and animals and also houses a famous crocodile breeding
ground.
SISODIA
RANI PALACE AND GARDEN
8
Kms. east
of Jaipur, the palace was built for the Sisodia queen of Jai Singh II
in 1779 AD. It is a terraced garden with fountains, the top terrace
being occupied by a palace. The palace has painted murals illustrated
by hunting scenes and the Radha Krishna legend.
VIDYADHAR
GARDEN
Situated 7
Kms. east of Jaipur in a narrow valley, the garden, in memory of
Vidyadhar, the architect of the Pink City, is surrounded by high hills.
This newly renovated and enthrallingly beautiful place is a former
vineyard of the royalty. This is a terraced garden with fountains,
pools and other features of a formal royal resort.
AMER
FORT
At a short
distance of 11 Kms. from Jaipur, the Amer Fort complex stands a midst
wooded hills overlooking the Delhi-Jaipur highway, with its forbidding
ramparts reflected in the still waters of the Maota Lake below. One of
the finest examples of Rajput architecture, it was the ancient capital
of the Kachhawah rulers. The original palace was built by Raja Man
Singh and additions were made later by Sawai Jai Singh.
Within the
palace are the Diwan-e-Khas or the "Hall of private Audience"
and the Sukh Niwas where a cool breeze blows across channels of water
for the purpose of air-conditioning. Here are the private channels of
water for the purpose of air-conditioning. Here are the private
chambers of the queens with windows having latticed screens so that the
ladies could watch the proceedings of the royal court in privacy. There
is also the Jai Mandir or the "Temple of Victory", with its
famed Sheesh Mahal, the scintillating "Hall of Mirrors".
JAIGARH
FORT
The western
skyline is dominated by the extensive walls, watch towers and gateways
of the Jaigarh Fort. It is one of the few military structures of
medieval India preserved almost intact, containing places, gardens,
open and covered reservoirs, a granary, an armory, a well-planned
cannon foundry, several temples, a tall tower and a gaint mounted
cannon-the Jai Ban, the largest cannon in the world.
NAHARGARH
FORT
Perched a
top a picturesque hill, the Nahargarh Fort offers a breathtaking view
of the city below. Initially built by Sawai Jai Singh in 1734 AD it was
enlarged and given its present shapes by Sawai Madho Singh in 1885 AD.
Decorative motifs in some of the nine identical suites, one gets a
magnificent view of the city, complete with the geometrical layout.
From Amer there is a road to Nahargarh, which passes through the hills.
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