JAIPUR VACATIONS

Welcome to Jaipur

Sheer symphony in Pink
A twinkling fairy tale Pink City in Stone, chiselled out of the desert, reflecting a spur of colour, pulsating bustle and charm of the Old World. The place make you fell that kings did live here. Built in the 18th century among the rugged hills of Aravali, the city's exquisite buildings in Pink Terracota, echoes the tales of Chivalrous Rajputs. Along with the women in bright swishing skirts and men in huge colourful turbans, Jaipur offers a radiance - Dazzling with Peacocks, Palaces, Forts, Gardens, and intriguing Bazzars, the Silver and Ivory intricacies, Quaint MArble Objects and Jewellery can be seen allover the Bazzars.

Tourist Hot Spots

The Amber Fort
The magnificent fort with its huge ramparts & watchtowers, overlooking the Delhi-Jaipur Highway. The image of the Amber Fort is beautifully reflected in the lake below. Within the Fort lies the famous Jai Mandir (Temple) with its world renowned Sheesh Mahal, a hall full of Mirrors. Located 9 Kms north west of Jaipur, the Amber Fort was once the Capital of the Minas. Falling under the Golden Triangle, and being visited by millions of domestic and foreign tourists, the city of Jaipur is a place of high tourist interest.

Hawa Mahal
A Pandora's box of wonders, Jaipur's signature building, the Hawa Mahal, a multi layered palace, was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. Famous for it's beehive like structure, the Mahal is an interplay of red and pink sand stone, carefully and painstakingly outlined with white borders and motifs. The palaces and forts of yesteryears, which were witness to the royal processions and splendors are now living monuments, accepted quite naturally into the lifestyle of the people of the "Pink City".

Jantar Mantar
At the entrance to the City Palace is Jantar Mantar, the 'Yantralaya' of Sawai Jai Singh II, the last great classical astronomer of India. This is the largest of five observatories founded by him in 1716 AD. The others are at Delhi, Ujjain, Mathura & Varanasi. Its massive masonry instruments are of an extraordinary precision & can still be used to measure local time, the sun's declination, azimuth & altitude, the declination of fixed stars & planets also to determine the time of an eclipse of the sun.

City Palace
A delightful blend of Mughal and traditional Rajasthani architecture, the city palace sprawls over one- seventh of the area in the walled city. The City Palace complex houses several palatial structures in the heart of the old city and occupies a large area divided into a series of courtyards, gardens and buildings. It houses the Chandra Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum. The former Maharaja still lives in part of the palace.

Interesting Interludes :
Central Museum; Museum of Indology; Lakshmi Narain Temple; Kanak Vrindavan; B.M. Birla Planetarium; The Rajmahal palace; Rambagh Palace (now a luxury hotel ), parks, gardens and bazaars.

Celebrations and Festivities :

The Gangaur Festival
Held in honor of goddess Parvati, this festival is held a few days after Holi, and is celebrated in Jaipur on a grand scale.

The Elephant Festival
On the occasion of Holi in Jaipur, this festival of pachyderms includes several interesting attractions including elephant polo. The caparisoned elephants, their bodies painted with floral decorations by the mahouts, are a sight to behold.

Teej Fair, Jaipur
Teej marks the advent of monsoon. It is celebrated on the third day of bright lunar half of the month of Shrav and according to the Hindu calendar. Goddess Parvati is involved to bless her worshipers with conjugal harmony and bliss.

A Shopper's Paradise
Shopping in the old Bazaar at twilight, in the shadows of the City Palace is truly a magical experience in this romantic city. The Pink city is one of the finest centres in the entire region for beautiful prints - specially on cotton fabrics and has India's largest center of semi-precious /precious gems, and stones. Tie - and dye fabrics and saris ; sanganer prints ; Brocades ; Marble statuettes; Ivory carving; Stone-set and semi precious jewelry ; Enamel work ……
There is no end to what Jaipur offers to shoppers.

Excursions and Experiences

Gaitor
There are memorials to the queens in the Maharani-ki-Chhatri complex near the Ramgarh road crossing. The white marble cenotaph of Maharajah Jai Singh II is the most impressive and is decorated with carved peacocks. The island palace-Jal Mahal built by Sawai Madho Singh as a pleasure spot at the centre of the Man Sagar Lake, and the Kanak Vrindavan complex of temples and gardens recently renovated add to its pristine glory.

Galta
Located about 10 kms from Jaipur, Galta is a holy pilgrimage centre, having a temple dedicated to Sun God. This temple is only one of its kind in this part of the country. Dotting the serene green landscape, beyond the gardens, is situated the astounding Sun Temple. The place also has a number of natural springs. It crests the ridge over a picturesque gorge and provides an impressive view of the city.