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Jaipur, the city-capital in the tone of an autumnal sunset, literally lush pink
when prince Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria, stepped on its soil in 1883.
Interspersing the play of red and pink were white borders and motifs, painstakingly
outlining the architectural highlights of Jaipur's buildings. Jaipur had been like
that since 1727 when Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II had it built that year.
Interestingly, the royal family's earlier residence at Amber, was only 11 km away
and had been since the 10th century. Seven hundred years later, the Maharaja chose
to raise a 'City of Victory, and aptly baptised it Jaipur. Coincidentally, the name
also incorporated the first name of the Maharaja thus immortalising the builder
: both through his nomenclature of dynasty and concept of ideals.
Jaipur was and remains the only city in the world symbolizing the nine divisions
of the Universe through nine rectangular sectors subdividing it. A young Bengali
architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, formalised the city's plans on the 'Shipa Shastra',
the epochal Hindu treatise on architecture, tempering it with sublimity of Mughal
and Jain influences of the times. The Palaces and forts of the yesteryears that
were witness to royal processions and splendour are now living monuments. There
is a timeless quality to Jaipur's bazaars and of eternity to its people. Could the
woman drying chillies under the sun, in the shadow of the fort, have been there
a hundred years ago? Could not the Jeweller, so carefully crafting the gold and
precious stones of his trade, be equally its vision of the future.
Jaipur is a great city and this is its most noticeable aspect. Buildings testify
to it. Its Palaces, luxury hotels, ancient beautifully carved and painted Havelies
pay homage to the grand capital of princes and kings, a city of the past that belongs
to India's future.
Located at Sierh Deori bazar, Hawa Mahal, literally the Palace of Winds, built in
1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, displays fanciful architecture and is a remarkable
landmark of Jaipur. So named because the palace has specially latticed screens and
arches for an unbridled flow of the air currents but is a set pattern with the passage
of the sun. Till the recent past, ladies of the court from within the palace positioned
themselves by the balconies to watch processions passing through in the streets
below without themselves being observed by the people.
Emperor Sawai Jai Singh II, the builder of the city has to his credit five observatories
in different parts of the country. The one he raised at Jaipur is the largest and
best preserved. Huge instruments in intricate masonry offer an accurate measurement
of the time, the declination of the sun, the altitude and the azimuth, the position
of constellations in the sky for the day, the eclipses and the allied astronomical
phenomena.
This former royal residence is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthani and Mughal
architecture and the craftmanship. Surrounded by crenellated walls this piece-de-resistance
of Jaipur's palaces occupies one seventh of the walled city, comprising a string
of minor palaces and imposing halls, Of special significance is the 'Chandra Mahal'
which overlooks the breathtaking Jai Niwas Gardens and the highly revered Shri Gobind
Dev Temple. The Museum within the palace has an array of galleries of rare paintings,
exquisite miniatures, scholarly manuscripts, artefacts and traditional treatises
on architecture. The fine collection of guns and swords on display dates back to
the 15th century and is one of the best in India.
As its name denotes, this is a palace built amidst a lake and intended as the summer
resort for the royal family. The palace is noted for its intricate architecture.
In earlier times, the entire complex was owned by the Minas and dedicated to 'Amba
Mata', the incarnation of earth and fertility. Amber overlooks the Moata Lake and
is rated as a marvel of bastion excelling in architectural and building skills.
Amber had the distinction of being the capital for six long centuries before Jaipur
came into being. A fascinating blend of Hindu and Muslim influences is distinctly
discernible in its architecture. Amongst the most majestic of apartments is Jai
Mandir or the Hall of Victory. The palace complex also boats of a Hall of Mirrors,
the like of which is not seen in the country elsewhere. Sukh Niwas, the Hall of
Pleasure, is a marvel of 17th century engineering, its best feat being a unique
system of 'air-conditioning'. The model operandi was based on a cool breeze blowing
through a fall of cascading waters. To ascend the fort, jeeps and elephants can
be hired near the entrance gate.
13 km, a picturesque road winds its way up the hills. At one time, the fort was
a retreat for the royal family. Nahargarh Fort commands a panoramic view from the
top of the hill.
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