Rajasthan

RAJASTHAN

India’s largest state, Rajasthan, is an experience evocative of colors and cultures, history and heritage. A part of India’s Golden Triangle (the tourist circuit of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur), ornate palaces, ancient havelis and shimmering lakes, shrouded in mystery and magic are scattered across the state. Rajasthan is decked with the major tourist attractions in cities like Jaipur, Ranthambore National Park, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Mount Abu, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Chittorgarh, Ajmer and Pushkar many of which have colourful monikers. Jaipur is one of the most popular places to visit in Rajasthan. The pink city is home to many architectural masterworks such as the Hawa Mahal, City Palace, Amer Fort and Jantar Mantar. Tourists flock to Jodhpur, the blue city to witness the sound and light show at the Mehrangarh Fort or for a romantic boat ride on the Balsamand and Gulab Sagar lakes. Head to Jaisalmer to capture a cinematic sunset across golden dunes at Khuri village and Udaipur for the glistening Lake Pichola with spectacular views of the Jag Mandir and the Lake Palace. If you want to escape to cooler climes, drive up to Mount Abu, just hours away from Udaipur. One of the relatively lesser known places in Rajasthan is Pushkar, dotted with boho cafes overlooking serene lakeside ghats. Taking a dip in the holy waters of the lake is one of the most-sought after things to do in Rajasthan. While you are in Pushkar, make sure you stop by the Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah in Ajmer.

JAIPUR

Jaipur the capital of Rajasthan state in India was founded in 1727 by Maharaj Jai Singh II, who ruled Jaipur State from 1699–1744. Initially his capital was Amber, which lies at a distance of 11 km from Jaipur. He felt the need of shifting his capital city with the increase in population and growing scarcity of water. Jaipur is the first planned city of India and the King took great interest while designing this city of victory. He consulted several books on architecture and architects before making the layout of Jaipur.  After many battles with (Maratha Empire), Jai Singh was keen on the security aspect of the city. Due to this reason, he focused on his scientific and cultural interests to make a brilliant city. Being a lover of mathematics and science, Jai Singh sought advice from Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, a Brahmin scholar of Bengal, to aid him to design the city architecture. Vidyadhar referred the ancient Indian literature on astronomy, books of Ptolemy and Euclid, and discussed the plan with the King.With a strategic plan, the construction of the city started in 1727. It took around 4 years to complete the major palaces, roads and square. The city was built following the principles of Vastu Shastra. The city was divided into nine blocks, out of which two consist the state buildings and palaces, whereas the remaining seven blocks were allotted to the public. In order to ensure the security, huge fortification walls were made along with seven strong gates.According to that time, architecture of the town was very advanced and certainly the best in Indian subcontinent. In 1876, when Prince of Wales visited Jaipur, the whole city was painted pink to welcome him and after that Jaipur was titled ‘Pink City’. Still, the neat and broadly laid-out avenues, painted in pink provide a magical charm to the city. Jaipur is rich in its cultural and architectural beauty, which can be traced in the various historical and aesthetic places that reside in the city.In the 19th century the city grew rapidly and became prosperous; by 1900 it had a population of 160,000. The city's wide boulevards were paved and lit with gas. The city had several hospitals. Its chief industries were in metals and marble, fostered by a school of art founded in 1868. The city also had three colleges, including a Sanskrit college (1865) and a girls' school (1867) initiated under the reign of the enigmatic Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II.