TAJ
TRUMP ---» Jaipur
Tourism ---» Places to See
Places to See
Amber Fort
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.
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.
On entering the complex and before the palace proper lies the Mubarak Mahal,
the palace of welcome or reception. Sawai Madho Singh built the palace in the
nineteenth century. It was used as a reception centre for the visiting personage.
The building now forms the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum and on display
here are a wide array of royal costumes, some very exquisite and precious Pashmina
(Kashmiri) Shawls, Benaras silk saris, Sanganeri prints and folk embroidery.
An unusual display is that of voluminous clothes worn by Maharaja Sawai Madho
Singh I (ruled 1750-68).
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. Most people come
here to get a view of the facade but they can also climb to the top for a wonderful
view from the latticed windows. There is also a small archaeological museum
there. Entry to foreigners/citizen is Rs 30/10.
