Jaipur is the capital of the desert state of Rajasthan and is full of history, culture and colour. In this post, I’ll take you through the top things to in Jaipur, when you are there. Rajasthan in Hindi literally translates to “Land of the Kings”. And Jaipur does live up to it as the state capital.
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The royals of Jaipur founded this city in 1727 and ever since it has been the centre of this region. The original city, or the Old City, is known as “Pink City”. This is due to the trademark salmon pink colour of the buildings in this area. In and around it, stands quite a few grand places and forts, which brings alive the history of this place.
Apart from its bustling population, the streets of Jaipur is also “wildlife” friendly. You’ll see “wild” animals like monkeys and elephants (tamed) sharing the city infrastructure with humankind.
Palaces
When you are in Jaipur, you cannot miss the palaces that are dotted around the city. The ones that stands out the most are Hawamahal, Jal Mahal, Amber Palace and the City Palace.
Hawamahal (Palace of winds) is arguably the most iconic symbol of Jaipur and is situated in the heart of the Pink city. This five story palace is constructed out of red and pink sandstone and is the tallest building in the world without a foundation. From the top floor of the building, you’ll also get some good views of the Pink City including the City Palace and the Jantar Mantar, which is a collection of nineteen architectural astronomical instruments built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II.
Jal Mahal (meaning “Water Palace”) is a palace in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur. Although you cannot go inside this palace, the location of this palace still makes a good photograph. The best time to visit is at dusk and dawn, when natural and artificial lights combine to make it look really special. On a hot summer day, the Jal Mahal would have been the perfect place to relax and cool down for the royals back in the days.
Amber Palace – Located on the outskirts of Jaipur, and within the walls of Amber Fort, this palace is grand in its architecture and opulence. The palace is home to numerous paintings and artworks complementing its grand designs. One of the famous structures within the walls of the palace is the Sheesh Mahal or the Palace of Mirrors. This room is made of mirrors, which are aligned in a way that if a single ray of light enters the room, it will lighten up the whole room. Amber Palace also hosts an incredible sound and light show in the evenings, which tries to tell the story of the fort and region through sound and light.
City Palace – This is a residence of the current Royals of the city of Jaipur and therefore the best maintained amongst all the other palaces in the area. You can visit various wings and areas of this palace, including common areas shared by the Royals. However, this comes with a (heavy) price. Tickets are quite expensive, compared to other places of interest in Jaipur, especially if you are not an Indian.
By the way, if you didn’t know, most Indian places of interest have different priced tickets for Indians (generally cheaper) than citizens of other nations.
Day Trips
Outside the city, there are plenty of smaller towns and wildlife conservation areas that you can spend a day or two at. The top day trips to do from Jaipur will be the following:
Pushkar – This town is famous for its lake and as a Hindu pilgrimage site. This is normally a day-trip recommendation. Unless you are going for a special occasion or fair. It’s a quiet and peaceful town, where something or the other is always going on around the steps of the lake.
The Pushkar Camel Fair (late October – early November) and Hot Air Ballooning Festival (early – mid November) are the most popular activities in this town. This is also the best time to visit to Jaipur.
Ranthambore Tiger Safari – Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, is a national park about 170 kms (~106 miles) from Jaipur. As the name suggests, the key attraction of this national park are tigers in the wild.
It is advisable to book a safari in advance. You’ll be assigned a forest guide who will lead your safari at the destination. The public access areas of this forest is divided into 10 zones and each party is assigned one zone that they can visit.
Normally tiger sightings are quite frequent here. The other animals in this reserve are monkeys, deer, antelopes, peacocks, jackals, hyenas and leopards (extremely rare).
Some people stay there overnight and book two safaris (one in the afternoon of the day they arrive and one the next morning) to give themselves a better chance to come across a tiger(s). Of all things to do in Jaipur, this is a must if you are a nature adventurer.
Chand Baori – Around 93 kms (~58 miles) from the city of Jaipur is the small village of Abhaneri. This is the home to one of the largest, and arguably, the most famous step wells of the world. Chand Baori is a deep four-sided structure with an immense temple on one face. Some 3,500 Escher-esqe terraced steps march down the other three sides 13 stories to a depth of 100 feet.
This is also the famous location of Bane’s prison from the movie Batman – The Dark Knight. For seekers of the paranormal, this location is also supposed to be haunted by a djinn (an invisible ghost referred to in the Quran). So, travel at your own risk!
Culture
There’s so much culture in this place that you can spend days exploring that. The top things to in Jaipur, culture wise are:
Traditional Puppet Shows – One of the most traditional forms of entertainment in this city are the colourful puppet shows. Known are the Bhats, the colourful, wooden puppets and the puppet masters combine to narrate famous fables and stories of the land, with the help of song and music. Even if you don’t understand the language, it is still a unique experience. And an opportunity to immerse yourself in some local culture. A lot of places offer the puppet shows with dinner and could be a good way to spend an evening.
Folk Music – Another way to spend an evening will be the attend a folk music event. Owing to the size of the state, there are multiple forms of folk music to keep you entertained. Similar to the puppet show, a lot of venues offers folk music events with dinner.
Shopping – I normally don’t talk about shopping in my posts. But when you are in Jaipur, you’ll surely like to check out the local handicraft, jewellery and other souvenirs for your trip. One of the best places to explore the things this city has to offer is the Pink City. It is split into various markets that sells wide of range of products including authentic Rajasthani silver jewellery, textiles including traditional “tie and dye” prints, Jaipuri shoes and much more. Johari Bazaar, Tripolia Bazaar, Chandpole Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar are some of the best places to shop in this city.
However, do not forget to haggle to get the best deal possible. My recommendation is to start at 20% of the quoted price and never go above 50% as your final offer.
If you have any questions, or want some help to plan your next holiday, feel free to contact me.
