Jaipur

Jaipur (Hindi: जयपुर Jaypur), also known as the Pink City, is the capital of Indian state of Rajasthan, and its largest city. The city was built in the 18th century by Sawai Jai Singh as India's first planned city, and today it's a major tourist attraction for Indians and for international visitors. It is a very picturesque city with splendid palaces, forts and historical monuments and belongs to the tourist Golden Triangle along with Delhi and Agra. It hosts several attractions including the City Palace, Govind Dev ji Temple, Vidhan Sabha, Birla Temple and several massive Rajput forts. It also serves as a stepping stone for those heading to the desert cities of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.

Jaipur is growing fast and various development projects are being undertaken by the government and private enterprises.

Jaipur's nickname, the Pink City, is due to its distinctly coloured buildings, which were painted this colour to imitate the red sandstone architecture of Mughal cities. The present earthy red colour originates from repainting of the buildings undertaken for a visit by the Prince of Wales in 1876.

History
Jaipur gets its name from its founder Maharaja Jai Singh II (1693-1744), a great warrior and astronomer. He came to power at the age of 11 on the death of his father Maharaja Bishan Singh. Jai Singh's lineage can be traced back to the Kucchwaha Rajput, clan who came to power in the 12th century. They were long-term rivals to the Sisodia Rajputs who ruled from Mewar. This rivalry led them to ally with the Mughals, and this alliance resulted in them eventually gaining a pre-eminent position in Rajasthan.

Ruling from the magnificent Amber Fort which they built, the might of the Kucchwahas encompassed the kingdoms of Mewar (Udaipur) and Marwar (Jodhpur). After Jai Singh came to power, there was moment of disquiet when he supported Aurangzeb's son Azam Shah's bid to the throne. Azam Shah lost the battle of succession to his brother Bahadur Shah, who demanded Jai Singh's removal and the installation of Vijay Singh to the throne of Jaipur. Jai Singh, not one to take setbacks lying down, formed a formidable front against the Mughals by aligning himself with other Rajput states and reinstated himself.

After the dust had settled, peace reigned, the kingdom prospered and its borders expanded. Jai Singh built the city around the Amber Fort to serve as his capital, and the city was named Jaipur, after himself. Much of the credit for Jaipur goes to Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya, the chief architect from Bengal who, with Jai Singh's approval, founded the city on strong scientific principles, laid out according to the Shilpa Shastra, the ancient architectural manual. It remains one of India's best planned cities. However, expansion meant that the limited sources of water proved inadequate for the city.

After Jai Singh's death in 1744, his sons squabbled for power and without a monarch, the kingdom became open to invasion and neighbouring Rajput states and the Marathas usurped large areas of kingdom. The core, however, remained part of the kingdom, which lasted during British times. As with the Mughals, Jaipur maintained good relations with the British and during the war of independence in 1857 remained loyal to the Raj. Yet, the British gradually began to undermine the independence of the state and exercised greater control over the administration.

In 1876, Maharaja Ram Singh painted the entire city pink, traditionally a colour associated with hospitality, to welcome the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) to the city. The tradition has been maintained and today all residents in the old city are compelled by law to preserve the pink colour. Jaipur has thereby earned the sobriquet of pink city.

Maharaja Ram Singh also built the Ramgarh Lake to supply water to the burgeoning city. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the city's population spread beyond its walls. In 1922, Man Singh II ascended to the throne and it was during his reign that civic buildings like the secretariat, schools, hospitals and other public buildings were built. After independence, Jaipur merged with the states of Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner to form the state of Rajasthan. In 1956, Jaipur became the capital of the state of Rajasthan.

Climate
Jaipur's climate is characterised as semiarid, with just a few rainy days per month for most of the year. The exception is the monsoon period from June to September, when heavy rain and thunderstorms are commonplace. Expect daytime highs of above +20°C throughout the year, and prepare for scorching heat in May and June. During the winter temperatures are mild, and while nighttime temperatures seldom drop much below +10°C, Jaipur has experienced temperatures below freezing.

Read

 * Sarkar, Jadunath, (2009). A history of Jaipur. New Delhi: Orient Blackswan. A well written account of the history of Jaipur by prominent historian Sir Jadunath Sarkar.
 * Jaipur – Nagaur - Deshnoke (India Charming Chaos) by Johnny Fincioen. This book concentrates on Jaipur and two small villages and puts them in historic context. The text and the 190 original pictures offer the reader a holistic view of the particular way of life in Rajasthan.

Tourist information

 * Rajasthan Tourism website

By train
Indian Railways connects Jaipur from all over the country and is one of the cheapest options. A number of daily trains arrive from Delhi, Ahmedabad, Agra, Mumbai, Jodhpur, Kota, Alwar and Ajmer. Daily connections are also available for Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Kolkata, Jammu, Pathankot, Ludhiana, Kanpur, Roorkee, Haridwar, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur and Bhopal.

Long-distance trains arrive from many other major cities including Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Vadodara, Surat, Nagpur, Bilaspur, Raipur, Patna, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Chennai, Bangalore, Mysore, Hyderabad, Goa, Mangalore, Kozhikode and Kochi.

The most popular option from Delhi are Vande Bharat and Shatabdi Express trains. The Shatabdi Express train departs New Delhi station at 06:05 and reaches Jaipur at 10:30AM.

There are three major railway stations:, which is the main station, Durgapura and Gandhinagar (Jaipur) — which is not to be confused with the Gandhinagar that is the capital city of the state of Gujarat. All trains stop at Jaipur Junction and a few trains stop at Durgapura and Gandhinagar stations also.

By bus
There is an excellent bus service between Jaipur to Delhi by Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) with buses approximately every half an hour in both directions. Non-A/C and AC Volvo bus services are offered. The air-conditioned bus is taken through a well-maintained highway and has good shock absorbers. From Delhi you can board the bus from Bikaner House on Pandara Road next to India Gate. From Jaipur you can board the bus from Narayan Singh Circle or the main Sindhi Camp bus stand. You can also book tickets up to 6 days in advance from both these places. These buses typically take 6 hours for the Volvo and 6-7 hours for the others. There are also some private bus operators from Dhaula Kuan in Delhi and outside of Sindhi camp in Jaipur. No need to make advance reservations. The buses journey along bumpy backroads to avoid toll roads, and their shock absorbers are not good.

If you plan to leave from Delhi airport, you can get off the bus at Dhaula Kuan and get an autorickshaw (to the bus stand) or perhaps a taxi from there. You do not need to enter congested Delhi.

Express buses to several cities and towns within Rajasthan, such as Kota and Bundi, are also available.

By car
This is the most popular way of reaching from Delhi. The journey by car from Delhi to Jaipur takes less than 4 hr. National Highway no. 8 connects Delhi to Jaipur via the industrial township of Gurgaon. The road is excellent.

There are also many car rental services in Delhi which can provide chauffeur-driven cars to Jaipur.

By RTDC bus
It is the best and cheaper way to visit the Jaipur Local Sights by RTDC (Rajasthan Tourism Dept. Corp.) There will be one guide with each bus to give you brief info about all sights. The full day tour, as of 2019, costs ₹600.

By metro
Jaipur Metro provides a fast, reliable and inexpensive way to get around the city. The Pink Line runs from Mansarovar to Badi Caupar station, which is in the centre of the walled town (a.k.a the Pink City). Fares range between ₹5 and ₹25.

By autorickshaw
Autorickshaws (tuk-tuks) are probably the best way to reach places in the outskirts of Jaipur such as Amber Fort or Galtaji, where getting a taxi or Uber/Ola to go back to the city may be tricky. They are generally more expensive than Uber/Ola, but on the plus side, they are readily available and don't require waiting time.

Hiring an autorickshaw for a whole day with a trip to Amber Fort, Tiger Fort, Jal Mahal, and other areas can cost anywhere between ₹450 to ₹550 (as of 2018). But be careful, as the drivers might ask for more money to cover parking fees, petrol, and other charges along the way. Always agree on an ‘all-in’ price that includes his/her time, petrol, lunch, and parking fees. It's not uncommon for people to agree to ₹500 and pay close to ₹1000 with all of the surprise fees. Lastly, make sure you and the driver agree that he/she will take you to the site and not close to it ‘just for photographs’.

Prepaid autos are available at the Jaipur railway station and the Sindhi Camp bus stand, although prices are a little inflated and often the same as you get with minimal bargaining.

At a certain point, the rates were revised to ₹350-400. The autorickshaw wallas will tell you to take the slip from the police booths. You can also go directly without the slip, but don't forget to bargain over the price in that case; it could be much cheaper. It'll be best if you start your sightseeing by 10AM in the morning as some of the major spots close by 4:30PM and each spot takes a lot of time, especially the forts.

Some autorickshaw drivers will try to trick you into paying more than the agreed amount after the trip is over, but you should stick to the original amount decided. Police in Jaipur are very friendly, so in case you feel the autorickshaw driver is trying to misguide you or force you to hand over extra money, just refer the dispute to the police officers at various spots.

Also some autorickshaw drivers will tell you to buy artefacts and gifts from some shops especially some on the way to Amber Fort. Firmly refuse to stop there as these shops operate on commission to the auto driver and fleece you. If you want to buy souvenirs, get them in city's main shopping areas like Bapu Bazaar.

Take along some of your own information about the eating and shopping places as the drivers have their fixed commissions at shops and eating outlets, so you might end up paying more for an item or eating at an undesirable place.

Autorickshaw drivers have been known to work together with the gem scammers. If you hire an autorickshaw for the day, he may suggest that you 'go for a beer' afterwards, and if you accept you will be introduced to the main man on the scam attempt, usually a very charismatic person who is clearly much wealthier than his rickshaw-driving 'friend'. Use common sense: why would a rickshaw driver who earns ₹350 per day (minus petrol) want to take you to a bar where beers are ₹75? Politely decline these invitations as they are invariably more trouble than they are worth.

By local bus
City bus #5 connects directly Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, New Gate and the intersection of MI Road and Railway Rd every 10 min until 9PM.

City bus #2 runs from the train station up Station Road to the City Palace, Minar, Observatory, etc. The bus driver will try to charge you more. They also sometimes ask you if you need change, or say they don't have change, despite it being obvious they do.

The buses are generally overcrowded and are in a poor condition. You can view this link to learn about the bus routes in Jaipur. Fares are by distance, as show on these charts.

By cycle-rickshaw
Cycle-rickshaws are cheaper, but the amount of time it takes quickly makes it worth paying a few extra rupees and going by autorickshaw, bus or taxi. The advantage of traveling by cycle-rickshaw is that you can cover some great places in the narrow lanes of Jaipur which can not be seen if you hire some other mode of transport.

On foot
Walking around the old town (Pink City) is certainly a highlight, and should be done on shopping business hours; otherwise, streets can be deserted and it might be a bit unsafe, especially for solo women. While the Pink City has footpaths, they are often obstructed so you will have to walk in the road at some points. Also, be careful with crossing the streets at the multi-lane roads. Even so, the Pink City's staggering architecture and endless colorful bazaars make walking around a treat, and many points of interest, like the Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Jantar Mantar are close by each other. As in many Indian cities. however, you need to be prepared to cope with the traffic, noise, pollution and litter in the streets.

By taxi
The taxis in Jaipur are very convenient and comfortable. Most of the vehicles are Maruti Omni Vans or Tata Indica cars, which are much safer than Auto rickshaws, and the drivers are polite. If you are alone or going to an unknown destination, you are strongly advised to choose this option, even though the rates will be double that of an autorickshaw. you must call for a taxi, as it is nearly impossible to hail one unless you are at a major point like the airport. When you call, you should negotiate a fare (or agree on using the meter) and get the taxi's 'number'. The taxi will come pick you up, and call you when they are close. Taxis generally have yellow licence plates with black letters. Some taxis are yellow & black, which helps to differentiate them from the private cars.

You can also try the Gozocabs Uber Cabbazar or Ola  Apps and webisite like https://gaadisechalo.com/ for taxi services which are not as expensive as hiring regular taxis. These services are becoming increasingly popular, so finding a car at a reasonable fare (often cheaper than a tuk tuk) is getting easier day by day.

By car
Car rental is one of the effective alternatives for wandering around in Jaipur. Almost all of the car rental services in India including Zoomcar, Myles and Avis offer services in Jaipur.

Tickets
It's possible to see the ticket price for each point of interest on the Rajasthan Tourist Government Office website

Composite tickets
The composite ticket includes Amber Fort, Jantar-Mantar, Hawa Mahal, Albert Hall (Central Museum), Nahargarh Fort, Sisodia Rani Palace/Garden, Vidyadhar Garden, and Isarlat tower (Swargasuli). The Composite Ticket is for sale at all archaeological monuments and costs ₹300/40 Indian adult/student and ₹1000/200 foreign adult/student (2018). The ticket is valid for two days.

Forts




Palaces






Temples






Monuments




Do

 * Cricket:
 * Cricket:

Nearby




Festivals

 * The Gangaur Festival of Jaipur is well known in India. It starts on the day after Holi (March or April) and lasts for 18 days. In Jaipur, a sweet dish called a ghewar is characteristic of the Gangaur festival. People buy ghewar to eat and distribute among their friends and relatives. The celebration is dedicated to the God Shiva and his consort, the Goddess Parvati. A procession with the image of Gauri commences from the Zanani-Deodhi of the City Palace. It then passes through Tripolia Bazaar, Chhoti Chaupar, Gangauri Bazaar, Chaugan stadium and finally converges near the Talkatora.

Buy
Nothing is 'fixed price' in Jaipur, even in the self advertised government (RTDC) approved shops & emporiums. There are a few RTDC approved shops along "Amer Road" claiming to be government-owned and 'fixed price', but beware: they are frequently overpriced by as much as three times. Almost everything, from food to transportation to handicrafts, even accommodation can be bargained down to as much as a 60% discount off the quoted price. The lowest rates will be found in the bazaars of Bapu & Johari. Even here, keep inquiring in several shops as each one will have a different price for the same item. Don't be ashamed to spend an hour or more in each shop with the friendly shop owners sharing stories over masala chai as you look at their goods. While they are doing their best to run a business, do not overlook the genuinely hospitable culture of Rajasthani people.

Jaipur has tens of bazaars of different sizes and specializing in different products. Expect a brilliant, colourful explosion of flowers, elephants, ox carts, and wares; a complete assault on the senses. The traveller will smell the deep aroma of spices in canvas bags, the fetid smell of animals and open sewers, the sweet waft of tea, and the crusty acrid burn of dust and exhaust. There are different specialist zones, whether it's food, flowers, textiles, carved statues or plumbing. It is chaotic and noisy, people may stare if you are a Westerner, and anybody who has something to sell will try to sell it to you, repeatedly. Watch cobras dance out of their wicker baskets, and don't be too surprised if the snake charmer slaps his cobra for having a wayward eye. Be prepared to be asked for money if you plan to take photographs of snake-charmers and beggars. While you should always be wary, be sure not to completely close yourself out to the locals as one of the highlights of Rajasthan is the chance to interact with the friendly people.
 * Jaipur also has other markets like Civil Lines Market and MI Road and nearby markets. It also has a few malls like Crystal Palm Shopping Mall, Gaurav Towers, MGF Metropolitan Mall, Pink Square Mall, Triton Mall and World Trade Park.
 * Jaipur also has other markets like Civil Lines Market and MI Road and nearby markets. It also has a few malls like Crystal Palm Shopping Mall, Gaurav Towers, MGF Metropolitan Mall, Pink Square Mall, Triton Mall and World Trade Park.
 * Jaipur also has other markets like Civil Lines Market and MI Road and nearby markets. It also has a few malls like Crystal Palm Shopping Mall, Gaurav Towers, MGF Metropolitan Mall, Pink Square Mall, Triton Mall and World Trade Park.

Jewels
Jaipur is famous for its many jewel merchants where you can get great deals on semi-precious gems such as turquoise, lapis, tiger eye and the star ruby (a gem found only in India that is distinctive for the 6-pointed star it shines under natural light).

Rajais
Jaipur is famous for its 'rajais', a type of light quilt stuffed with cotton. You can get colourful & soft `Shaneel ki Rajai' in a velvet finish. These are quiet warm, soft and long lasting. You can shop in the main market area. But remember to bargain. To be confident of quality, and are willing to pay a little more, visit government stores for rajais.

Mid-range




Splurge


In addition to these listings, see the "Do" listing for Chokhi Dhani.

Bars & Pubs




Night clubs




Budget
Jaipur being a prime destination for the tourists of all ages, both international and domestic, has a plethora of budget accommodation options. Almost all of the pan-Indian hostel chains are present in the city, including Zostel, Moustache, Backpacker Panda, Roadhouse and others. These places are generally dominated by young backpackers. Homestays and guest houses that are hosted by local residents and offer to give you an authentic experience from interiors, to ambiance, to the food they serve. Try to find a place near the Pink CIty, or Hawa Mahal.

Splurge
Jaipur has an excellent selection of expensive places to be treated like a maharaja for a day or two, most of which are often booked a year in advance. Though the list is endless, a few of them are:



Stay safe
Beyond the standard dangers of travelling in India (thieves, hustlers, touts, questionable drinking water), Jaipur has developed its own set of unique scams.

The gem scam
You may be approached by a local, sometimes youths on motorbikes, who claim that Westerners are unwilling to engage with the Indian people. "Why don't tourists want to talk to me?" or "I am a student, I want to learn about your culture" is a common opener. They may also try to make you feel guilty by claiming "It is Indian culture to be help." If you engage them, the scam artist will invite the visitor to drink tea. Frequently, the tourist will only be told of the gem stones the next day or after dinner. Usually it is some sort of tax problem. The unwitting mark is then sold fake stones for resale in his/her home country. Even if stones are posted in front of your eyes, you are more likely to see Elvis than the gems again. As a general rule, do not accept tea from strangers, but in addition be wary of any who invite you to talk in secluded areas. The easiest is a simple and polite refusal of any offer, even if just a drink and chat. You may need to firm in your refusal, and walk away.

If you are a Westerner and a person outside your hotel accosts you, then it's likely the person is scheming to acquire your money. There have been reports of smugglers trying to entice foreigners to assist in smuggling items. Under no circumstances accept: smuggling is a serious offence.

Go next
There are many other fascinating and beautiful places to visit in Rajasthan.

If you are booking train tickets out of Jaipur, make sure to ask for Tatkal tickets at the reservation office, as tickets to just about everywhere sell out weeks in advance. Tatkal (last minute) tickets only open for sale the day before the train leaves, and are not always offered voluntarily by the staff, who will simply tell you the train is full.


 * Abhaneri &mdash; you can arrange transport to this village, which contains an impressive ancient stepwell and a beautiful 9th-century temple
 * Bikaner &mdash; a city in the Thar Desert; though less visited than Jaisalmer, it is home to several important sites such as Bikaner Fort (Junagarh Fort), Laxmi Niwas Palace and Shivbari Temple
 * Bhandarej &mdash; a little-known town 62 km from Jaipur off the Jaipur-Agra Highway, which dates from the times of the Mahabharata and features 11th-century monuments and temples
 * Jaisalmer &mdash; the Golden City in the Thar Desert
 * Jodhpur &mdash; the stunning Blue City, with its awe-inspiring Mehrangarh Fort
 * Udaipur &mdash; train #2965, Gwalior Udaipur Superfast Express (via Agra), is the best option for this beautiful City of Lakes