Everytime I plan to travel to a new place I tell myself that I will explore the unheard & unknown places but invariably end up visiting the touristy places. Jaipur was no exception. On the first day as I reached my hotel in the afternoon , I was famished. So I thought of going somewhere nearby and grabbing something to eat . I was told that there is a famous café called Windview with a view of the Hawa Mahal. How could I miss some fast food, cold beverage and a good view?
After I was done with petpuja I took a tour of the Hawa mahal . The view from the top gave me a glimpse of the hustle bustle on the badi chaupar and tourists flocking to take pictures outside the facade of Jharokas/ windows at the hawa mahal. My day ended with a Rajasthani Thali at Laxmi Misthan Bhandar.
The next day after finishing my meetings , I visited another popular monument in the afternoon – the Jantar Mantar. In Sanskrit ‘Jantar’ means Instrument and ‘Mantar’ means Calculate. It has 19 astronomical instruments built by Raja Jai Singh in the early 18th century. This Jantar Mantar is the largest among the 5 in India. It has the world’s largest stone sundial standing 90 feet tall. It was fascinating to know how the various instruments calculated the time of the day , calculated teh shortest and longest day of the year , helps in creating astronomical charts by tracking the sun , moon and earth.
“When one comes to Jaipur, one must see the city palace “ is what I was told. It was my first visit to Jaipur and I too was curious to see the house of Maharajas. For the City palace tour , Indian tourists have an option to pay Rs 400 and visit some selected places or Pay Rs 3000 and take a tour of the special rooms of the Royal Family. It is anideal place for Photoshoots, hence I ended up clicking many pics of mine that I have a stock of DPs for the next two years.
The third day in Jaipur was spend in meeting the people for the subject I was researching about . On the fourth and last day of my stay I thought of visiting the places I did not visit . Yes, the touristy ones.
While I was visiting the different forts, it was fascinating to know the history of the city of Jaipur. It came into existence because the then Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II wanted to accommodate the growing population and deal with the increasing scarcity of water, hence he shifted his capital from Amer, 11 kilometres to Jaipur .Thus Jaipur was founded on 18 November 1727. Perks of traveling! It improves your history , geography and human relations. Also climbing forts helps you lose some calories. Well I did lose some on my last day in Jaipur as I walked in three forts at a stretch- Amer fort, Jaigarh fort & Nahargarh fort.
I began with Amer fort, originally built by Raja Man Singh in the 16th century. Amer town was the capital of Rajasthan before Jaipur. (not) Surprisingly some Bollywood movie scenes and songs have been shot in Amer fort. The Amer palace within the fort was built with red sandstone & marble and influenced by the Mughal style of architecture. Among all rooms, Diwan e aam, Diwan e khaas, Sheesh Mahal are one of the largest.
My personal favorite is the Sukh Niwas . Why ? As the name suggests, this room was built to keep the queens happy. It was build in such a manner where a cool climate was artificially created by winds that blow over a water cascade while the queen would sit on a swing and enjoy the cool air.
Another interesting structure was the residents of the queens. Raja Man Singh had 12 queens & each one had a room. And there was a common corridor that connected the King’s room to each of these 12 rooms. Now take a guess why that was made!
After my elaborate visit at the Amer fort , I took a quick look at the Panna Meena ka kund. Always wanted to see a step well.
The next fort I visited was Jaigarh fort . The fort got its name from the ruler who built it in 1720 , Maharaja Jai Singh II . During the Mughal dynasty, the Jaigarh Fort became their empire’s main cannon foundry and also to store ammunition and other metal required for war. It is now home to the Jaivana, the world’s largest cannon on wheels of the early modern era. It is surrounded by huge battlements and is connected to the Amer Fort , with subterranean passages. This is also where I got bit by some insects.
At last I reached the Nahargarh fort whose fortification walls were connected to Jaigarh fort and which stands at an altitude of 700 feet . A place where Rang de basanti , Shudh desi romance , Sonar kella were shot. The view from the top is mind blowing. Also the best spot to catch the sunset. The best part of my trip was the family-like feel I got from the Bhinder family @meeraa.bhinder .
Places I visited in three days : 1.Hawa Mahal . 2. Laxmi Misthan Bhandar. 3. Jantar Mantar. 4. City palace. 5. Amer fort . 6. Jaigarh fort 7. Nahargarh Fort. and sunset point 8. Panna Meena ka Kund.
