This picturesque capital of Rajasthan is royal in all ways, why they even have royalty that still lives in palaces! If you wish to spend the monies you too can hire out a royal palace and wed in its courtyard! Elephant rides are still quite common here as is camel trading. This is Jaipur, a spot on the Indian map where old customs, traditions and festivals are held in their true flavor.

The city itself is a m?nge of colors with brightly dressed locals standing out against the dull sands on one hand and the hues of pink that cover a few towering monuments on the other.

The city, when built was extremely well-planned, and some of its features are advanced for today?s day and age too. It still has a walled city and drainage lines that leave one stumped! This is a place that?s best explored on foot.

History
The Pink City of Jaipur dates back in time, to the reign of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, of the great warrior astronomer King of the Kachhwaha Rajput clan. The city was designed by Sawai Jai Singh and his architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya only because it became impossible to fit the growing population and supply them with good clean drinking water at Amber (which is about 11 kilometres from Jaipur), their home at that time.

It was in 1727 that Jaipur was founded using the principles of Shilpa Shastra and thus becoming the first planned city of India. The city follows grid system with wide straight roads, streets and lanes. One can find uniform rows of shops on either side of main roads. As a security measure from external aggression, the city was en-circled with a strong wall with seven gates. It?s thus impossible to get lost here.

The pink color was used at the time of creating the city to create an impression of red sandstone buildings similar to the Mughal cities. The city was later repainted pink in 1876, during the visit of the Prince of Wales
How to Reach
Air
The Sanganer Airport is 12 km out of the city. It is well connected to all major cities in the country. There are regular flights to Mumbai, Udaipur, Kolkatta and New Delhi from here. On the international route there is a flight to Dubai daily.

Train
The railway station, is situated in the heart of the city and has trains chugging out to all major cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkatta. The Palace on Wheels is the best option to travel to this royal city. It would an expensive trip, but the experience on the train makes it all worth it.

Road
Jaipur is linked by the National Highways 8 and 11. The national highway number 8 links Jaipur directly to New Delhi and 11 links Jaipur to Agra. There are regular bus services to Agra (230 km) and Delhi (261 km). The journey is quite decent by road saving a few bad patches. And there?s some awesome food on the way too, stop at any of the dhaba?s and get your first bite of dhal-bhatti and puran poli.

Religious Places
Govind Dev Ji Temple
Inside the City Palace complex is this temple dedicated to lord Krishna. Sawai Jai Singh installed the image of Govinddevji (an incarnation of lord Krishna) after it was brought from Vrindavan. The gods are unveiled seven times daily for 'Arti?s' and ?bhogs? offered in the silver wares, consisting of sweets most of the time. The idols of radha-krishnan are dressed in different styles for each arti. A great sight to capture.

Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple
On a small hill called the Moti Dungri (Pearl hill) lies a small castle, built along the lines of a Scottish castle. This is a private property of the ruling family. This is also where Lord Ganesha resides in Jaipur. The temple is know far and wide and in fact, this elephant god gets more outstation visitors than he does locals.

Birla Lakshmi-Narayan Temple
The temple that dominates the skyline of south Jaipur! Constructed in white marble the temple has three domes, each portraying a different approach to religion. The presiding deities here are Vishnu (One of the Hindu Trilogy Gods) called Narayan and his consort Lakshmi Goddess of wealth and good fortune. The exterior of the temple is beautiful with carved sculptures of various mythological themes and images of saints. The interior has large panel in marble of mythological proceedings.

Galtaji
If you?ve sinned come here for absolution! This ancient pilgrimage centre has a temple of the sun god, but what?s worth dipping into here is the holy kunds (natural springs) along the lush green landscape. A dip in these kunds is supposed to cleanse you of all your sins. It?s not too far from Jaipur, just 2.5kms away.