Known over the world as the Pink city Jaipur will set your senses tingling and make you remember your holiday.

The largest city in the state of Rajasthan, Jaipur has the distinction of being the first planned city of India.  Previously the home of Royal Indian families Jaipur is now a major business center and tourist spot for travelers from worldwide.

Unique Pre-Modern Jaipur

Unique amongst the pre-modern cities of India is Jaipur mainly due to the width and regularity of the city’s streets.  Laid out into 6 sectors and separated by wide streets at 111 ft or 34 meters wide.  Once into the urban sectors the city is further divided by a series of streets using a gridded format.  There are five sectors which encompass the east south and west sides of the palace quarter which is the central quarter, there is then the final quarter to the immediate east of the central palace quarters.

The sprawling palace complex housed by the palace quarter is truly remarkable. Hawa Mahal, formal gardens and a small lake can be found here, along with Nahargarh Fort which was the residence of the King Sawai Jai Singh II; this is a gorgeous fort that can be found in the North West corner of the old city.

Forward Thinking Jaipur                                 

These days Jaipur is a fast paced and growing city.  There are always numerous development projects being undertaken by both the government and private enterprises.  The planning and infrastructure that goes into Jaipur is something to be marvelled at and is far above the precedent set by other cities in India.

Often referred to as the pink city in reference to Jaipur' distinctly pinkish hued buildings it is interesting to know that originally the buildings were painted this colour to imitate the colour of the red sandstone used in the architecture of the marvellous Mughal empire cities.  Currently the buildings are an earthy red to which they were repainted for a visit by the Prince of Wales back in the year 1876.

Tourism in Jaipur

Jaipur boasts three absolutely amazing forts, Amber fort located 11km from central Jaipur, Jaigarh Fort which holds the boast of never having been defeated in battle, and Nahargarh Fort which is the smallest of the three.

Amber fort is an absolute stunner, a massive fort palace complex that was built in a hybrid of Hindu-Muslim style and dates back to Raja Man Singh. It was the royal palace of the Kachwahas between c.1600- 1727ad.  The fort is named after the town of Amber.  Well worth a visit and if you arrive early enough you can hitch an elephant to the fort.

Jaigarh fort is best known as the site of the world’s largest cannon, known as the Jaivana which has only been test fired once in its lifetime.  As legend goes, despite using only half the designed amount of gun powder the canon ball flew 35km.  However there are stunning scenic gardens and views of amber fort and the surrounding hills.

Nahargarh fort is the smallest of the three and is primarily notable for the stunning views over Man Sagar Lake and the stunningly vast view of sprawling Jaipur.

Pink city, Jaipur will reward you beyond your expectations if you make it a part of your package tour to India.