The very first thaught which comes to our mind when we think about jaipur is “The pink city” , but the glory of this historic city is not just limited limited to few historical events. It’s one of the most culturally rich city of india. Jaipur was founded in 1727 by the Kacchawa Rajput ruler Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amer, after whom the city is named. It was one of the earliest planned cities of modern India, designed by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. During the British Colonial period, the city served as the capital of Jaipur State. After independence in 1947, Jaipur was made the capital of the newly formed state of Rajasthan.

Jaipur is a popular tourist destination in India and forms a part of the west Golden Triangle tourist circuit along with Delhi and Agra.On 6 July 2019, UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed Jaipur the “Pink City of India” among its World Heritage Sites. The city is also home to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Amer Fort and Jantar Mantar.

History & Development

Unlike other medieval cities of the region, Jaipur was deliberately planned as a new city located on the plains and open for trade, as opposed to cities on hilly terrain and military cities of the past, though its planning still responded to the surrounding hill tops in all topography. The site selected within the valley that lay to the south of the Amber hills was comparatively flat and undeveloped. It was also adequately protected, nestled within hills having an array of forts and defence posts. Thus, the new city could be planned as an inviting trade and commerce city with an ambitious vision of the ruler Sawai Jai Singh II and his architect- planner Vidyadhar.

The City of Jaipur is an exceptional example of indigenous city planning and construction in South Asia. In a remarkable difference from the existing medieval practices where settlements developed in a more organic manner. It is an expression of the astronomical skills, living traditions, unique urban form and exemplary innovative city planning of an 18th century city from India.

The design of the new city was a breath-taking departure from the prevalent practices in city development in the sub-continent. Its urban morphology reflected the coming together of cultural elements from eastern and western planning, expressing a culture of a ‘trade and commerce city’ and townscape that is unparalleled anywhere in South Asia. Envisaged as a trade capital, the main avenues of the city were designed as markets, which still remain as characteristic bazaars of the city. Chaupar, or designed large public squares at the intersection of roads, is another feature that is distinct to Jaipur as are its single and multicourt havelis and haveli temples. Besides an exemplary planning, its iconic monuments such as the Govind Dev temple, City Palace, Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal excel in artistic and architectural craftsmanship of the period.

The boundaries of the property conform to the original 18th century plans of Sawai Jai Singh II and relate to the surrounding topography as well as the original vision for the planned city. The size and scale of all town planning elements such as width of roads, hierarchy of public spaces, open spaces, water bodies, built form all are intact as per the original plan. The iconic built heritage structures retain their original form, character and architectural style. Though some areas of bazars and inside havelis in chowkris are undergoing major changes, but most are still intact form and location.

it is an exemplary development in town planning and architecture that demonstrates an amalgamation and important interchange of several ideas over the late medieval period. It shows an interchange of ancient Hindu, Mughal and contemporary Western ideas that resulted in the customised layout of the city. It is believed that Raja Jai Singh arrived at the final layout after a thorough analysis of several town plans sourced from across the globe. Following the grid-iron plan prevalent in the west but with traditional zoning, superimposed by the desire to rival Mughal cities, Jaipur reflected new concepts for a thriving trade and commerce hub that became a model for the later towns in the adjoining Shekhawati region and others parts of Western India.

The inscribed area of the historic walled city of Jaipur within the walls and gates includes all of the attributes of the property (18th century town plan with its grid iron plan, chaupars, chowkris, city wall and nine city gates; urban form with 11 bazaar facades, shop typology along bazaars, havelis and haveli temples along bazaars and at chaupars, iconic monuments, gates leading to inner streets; craft streets and bazaar areas). The inner areas of chowkris and the related old havelis are not attributes of the property.

The tourist hub

Jaipur is always honored for its magnetic heritage beauty which is indiscreet from more than thousands of years. And, if you are a lover of the wild, culture and history, then travel to Jaipur and celebrate this day by visiting some of its Heritage Sites.According to TripAdvisor’s 2015 Traveller’s Choice Awards for Destination, Jaipur ranked 1st among the Indian destinations for the year.The Presidential Suite at the Raj Palace Hotel, billed at US$45,000 per night, was listed in second place on CNN’s World’s 15 most expensive hotel suites in 2012.

Visitor attractions include the Birla Auditorium, Albert Hall Museum, Hawa Mahal, Jal Mahal, City Palace, Amer Fort, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh Fort, Jaigarh Fort, Birla Mandir, Galtaji, Govind Dev Ji Temple, Garh Ganesh Temple, Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple, Sanghiji Jain temple and the Jaipur Zoo.The Jantar Mantar observatory and Amer Fort are one of the World Heritage Sites.Hawa Mahal is a five-storey pyramidal shaped monument with 953 windows that rises 15 metres from its high base. Sisodiya Rani Bagh and Kanak Vrindavan are the major parks in Jaipur,Raj Mandir is a notable cinema hall in Jaipur.

Jaipur has many cultural sites like Jawahar Kala Kendra formed by Architect Charles Correa and Ravindra Manch. Government Central Museum hosts several arts and antiquities. There is a government museum at Hawa Mahal and an art gallery at Viratnagar. There are statues depicting Rajasthani culture around the city.Jaipur has many traditional shops selling antiques and handicrafts, as well as contemporary brands reviving traditional techniques, such as Anokhi. The prior rulers of Jaipur patronised a number of arts and crafts. They invited skilled artisans, artists and craftsmen from India and abroad who settled in the city. Some of the crafts include bandhani, block printing, stone carving and sculpture, tarkashi, zari, gota-patti, kinari and zardozi, silver jewellery, gems, kundan, meenakari and jewellery, Lakh ki Chudiya, miniature paintings, blue pottery, ivory carving, shellac work and leather ware.