Jaipur: The first planned city of India was conceived as a basic plan by Maharaja Swai Jai Singh in 1713 A D. It was implemented by the chief architect Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya of Bengal. Started in 1727 AD, construction work was completed by 1731 AD. The city is based on the principles of ancient Indian treatise on architecture, Shilpa Shastra  and ancient Indian Science of architecture Vastu Shastra. Jaipur is popularly known as the Pink city. Raja Ram Singh got the façade of all the buildings of Jaipur painted in pink in the honour of Prince of Wales, Prince Edward who visited Jaipur in 1853 AD. The city has hordes of palaces and forts. The most magnificent of all is the Amber fort. Raja Man Singh built the Amber fort and palace in 16th century using the architectural elements of both Rajpath and Mughal architecture. Within the strong walls of the fort is the beautiful palace in the midst of the well-laid gardens. The Amber palace is made of marble and exquisitely embellished with precious stone, stonemason works and paintings. Amber Fort is surrounded by a lake, which presents the mirror, image of the fort. The important buildings within the fort are the Jai Mandir, Sheesh Mahal, Sukh Niwas and Ganesh Pol.

City palace

Maharaja Jai Singh designed and patronized the construction of the City palace occupying one-seventh of the total area of the walled city, the palace served as imperial residence of the present Maharaja who reside at Chandra Mahal.  The city palace now houses as museum with rich collection of the royalty for exhibition. Here you can see on display the royal dresses with exquisite folk Zardosi embroidery, Banarasi Silk Sarees. Pashmina shawls and Sanganeri prints. The Rajput weapons are at a display in Rani Mahal and the original hand written manuscript of Hindu scriptures the miniature paintings of Rajasthan. Mughal and Persian school pf paintings ay Diwan-I-Aam, which has been converted into the Art Gallery.

Nahargarh Fort

Embraced in the Nahargrh Hills, the Nahagarh fort of Jaipur was erected by Sawai Raja Jai Singh in 1734 AD. Jaipur was the capital city of Raja Jai Singh and Nahargarh. It was an appropriate stand guard, rightly called the Tiger Fort. The fort is almost dilapidated but pretty buildings that the fort holds have been well preserved. Catch some breathtaking sights of the Man Sagar Lake and the city below from Nahagarh Fort. The Fort was also used as a private treasury for number of years and a royal getaway for the Queens of Jaipur.

Jal Mahal

Jal Mahal or the water palace was built as the pleasure palace for the imperial family. Jal Mahal looks magnificent in red sand stone with its manifestation on the Man Sagar Lake. It is submerged in water up to the first floors with only the top floor at a level above the waters of the lake.

Rambagh Palace

Rambagh was initially a simple building but it was renovated and altered by the rulers of Jaipur according to their needs. It was transformed into a hunting lodge by Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II and gave it its name. It was altered into a luxurious 26rooms to host his royal quests by Maharaja Madho Singh. Further in 1931 extensive addition were done by Maharaja Madho Singh and more so again in 1940when he married Princess Gayatri Devi. Finally the Rambagh Palace was renewed as a heritage hotel and its inauguration was on 8th December 1957. The hotel was further expanded from 26 rooms to 80 rooms in 1968. In 1972, The Taj group of hotels took over the management and is a flourishing hotel with 106 rooms and 4 special suites.

Shopping in Jaipur

When the city was planned appropriate measures were taken to provide ample space to set up the market. Sawai Jai Singh invited various artisans and skilled craftsmen from all over the world to settle here. One complete block out of the nine blocks of the city was appropriated or traders and artisans. Shopping is a very easy affair as there are specific lanes for the shopping of particular items.

Shopping for Jewellery

Jaipur is famous for the cutting, polishing and semi-precious stone particularly Diamonds, Topaz and Emeralds. Jaipur Enamel or Meenakari is very popular as is its Kundan work which is fused with silver or gold. Jaipur is known for its lacquered and carved brass work. Cotton textile prints particularly Bandhej or the Tie-N-Dye prints. Jaipur Quilts are famous world over made of cotton stuffing made in velvet cloth, which is sold according to their weights ranging from a few hundred grams to almost a kilogram. They are sold opposite Hawa Mahal. Special kind of Jaipur footwear is famous amongst Indian as well as foreigners. The shoes are decorated by mirror, thread, and ghunghroos and are known popularly as Jaipur Jutis.

Markets

The famous markets for jewellery and Tie-N-Dye are Jauhari bazaar. You can shop for fabrics, perfumes and footwear made of camel skin at Bapu bazaar and Nehru bazaar.
At Mirza Islam Road; You will find a number of emporiums selling popular products of Jaipur. For textiles, iron products and utensils, Tripolia Bazaar, The Chaura Bazaar are the right place. Other important markets are Ramganj Bazaar, Kishanpol Bazaar, Maniharon Ka Rasta, Achrol house Subhash Chowk, Khajawalon Ka Rasta and Sanganer village.