Jaipur travel guide
The City of Jaipur was founded in 1727 AD by King Sawai Jai Singh. Jaipur City is popularly known as the Pink City.
The pink color was used at that time of making to create an
impression of the red sandstone buildings built by Mughal rulers. Jaipur has lots to offer visitors, some of the popular attractions are listed on this website.
Also listed on this page is a shopping guide for Jaipur. What items are popular and exclusively a specialty of Jaipur that most tourists buy.
Popular attractions in Jaipur are:
| 1. Sanganer | 2. Hawa Mahal |
| 3. Jantar Mantar | 4. City Palace |
| 5. Amber Fort | 6. Jaigarh Fort |
| 7. Zoological Garden | 8. Devji Temple |
| 9. Jaigarh Fort |
Sanganer: Tourists visiting Rajasthan should make it
a point to visit Sanganer, a beautiful little town in Rajasthan.
Known for its Jain temples and hand-printed textiles, Sanganer is a
old-fashioned town with a charm of its own. Sanganer travel can involve
journey by rail, road or air. The Sanganer Airport is actually the
airport where passengers flying to Jaipur land. The airport is about 15
Kms from the main city.
On your Sanganer tour, you will get to see the grand Shri Digamber
Jain Temple where intricate carvings representing an old school of
architecture adorn the walls of the temple.
In Sanganer you will also get a close look at their popular
hand-printing textile industry. Handmade paper is the biggest industry
here. In fact, Sanganer is known all over the world for its expertise in
this field. Block printing and screen-printed fabrics of Sanganer are
also very famous.
Hawa Mahal is also known as The Palace of Winds. It was built by Maharaja Sawai Partap Singh in 1799.
The Palace of winds
is five stories high with small windows and screens with decorated arches.
The Place of Winds screens are said to be built so the women who traditionally stayed behind a veil in public could look out in privacy from behind the screens.
Hawa Mahal is very close to the City Palace.
While the front of the Palace of winds is decorated in detail the back is not and is quite plain compared to the front.
The Palace of winds is best viewed in the early morning when the sun shines directly on the Palace making it glow.
Take a camera along as you have an excellent view from the top stories.
Admission charged from foreign tourists is Rupees 30 where as Indian citizens are charged Rupees 10 only.
AMBER FORT
Amber Fort is located on a hillside and overlooks Lake Maota.
Within the Fort lies the famous Jai Mandir with its renowned Sheesh Mahal. The walls and the ceiling of the Sheesh Mahal are covered with a beautiful display of mirrors which reflect streaks of light around so as to illuminate the entire room.
The Fort can be accessed by road or by an elephant ride also which can be slow but a memorable experience.
CITY PALACE
The City Palace in Jaipur is also known as the Chandra Mahal or Moon Palace. It is here that the Son of the last Maharaja and his family still live in a part of the palace.
Some of the buildings around the Chandra Mahal that are open to the public.
The Sawai Man Singh Museum occupies the lower floor and is open to the public. The Krishna Temple a well known temple in Jaipur is located in the Jai Niwas Garden to the north of the City Palace.
The City Palace is open to visitors from 9 am to 4:30 pm.
JANTAR MANTAR
The Jaipur Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observatory as the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
It is a collection of solid geometric shapes that were used in the past for measuring time using the position of the shadows on the geometric shapes.
The observatory was also used for predicting eclipses and tracking stars.
ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN
The Zoological Garden in Jaipur is a century old and is the oldest in India. There are a good number of birds and animals as well as a crocodile breeding ground here.
The famous Zoological Garden is also known as the Jaipur Zoo. It provides visitors with a unique opportunity to watch fascinating wildlife from close quarters. Those interested in bird watching will love this place. Over 70 species of different birds and animals from all over the world can be seen at this garden.
The Zoological Gardens are open to visitors 6 days of the week and are closed on Tuesdays.
Timings in summer are 8:30 am to 5:30 pm and in winter from 9 am to 5 pm.
SHOPPING IN JAIPUR
Jaipur is well-known for its lacquer jewelry, painted with enamel, coated with ‘Kundan’ work. The term Kundan work is a method of gem setting, consisting of inserting gold foil between the stones and its mount. You can find precious and semi-precious stones of many varieties. Garnets, emeralds, rubies, topaz and amethyst are very popular with tourists.
Another specialty of Jaipur is called ‘Tie-and-dye work on silk and crepe’ and the ‘Sanganer block prints’. Large and small units of block and screen printers at Sanganer village (on Tonk road which is near the airport) produce some of the finest hand-printed textiles.
While in Sanganer, don't forget to check out Jaipur blue pottery. You can purchase Sanganer bed linen, table linen and dress material on a variety of fabrics in the village or at any outlet in the Jaipur City. Shops on MI Road sell many varieties of Ethnic block prints and traditional crafts of Rajasthan. While in Sanganer, don't forget to check out Jaipur blue pottery.
The Jaipur razai (used in place of a blanket, like a comforter) is also very popular and many Indian tourists also from other parts of India make it a point to buy Jaipur razais as they are well known for their light weight and warmth
Bargaining at roadside stalls is common and shop owners when coating prices usually add a margin for bargaining to the price. They expect people to bargain so don't feel uncomfortable about bargaining. Some stores display signs saying 'Fixed Price' but they do bargain so don't let the signs intimidate you.
TRAVELLING FROM NEW DELHI TO JAIPUR BY TRAIN
Jaipur is only 262 Kilometers from Delhi and well connected by road, rail and air. The best option we found to visit Jaipur from Delhi is to travel by train. If you decide to use the railways then take the fast Shatabdi train from Delhi to Jaipur and back.
Shatabdi (train number 2015) leaves New Delhi station at 6:10 am and arrives in Jaipur at 10:45 am. The train is Air Conditioned and the cost of a first class ticket is Rupees 905 (US$ 20) and includes a free breakfast. For the return trip to Delhi Shatabdi (train number 2016) leaves Jaipur Station at 5:45 pm reaching New Delhi at 10:45 pm. These trains run daily except on Wednesdays.
JAIPUR BY AIR
The name of the Jaipur airport is Sanganer Airport. It is about 10 kilometers from the main city. Taxis are available at the airport.
For additional details on these and other places in Jaipur use the link below.
