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Notes on Jaipur: forts and palaces

October 12, 2013 By James Clark 9 Comments

Forts and palaces of Jaipur

I came to Jaipur in 2011 and I had Delhi belly (I had just come from Delhi and got sick when I arrived, so I’m calling it Delhi). As a result, I didn’t see much of Jaipur the first time around, so now I had the chance to see what I missed.

Forts and Palaces

Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan and there is a tonne of things to see in the city and in the surrounding area. There are many forts and palaces outside the city so to make the most of your time it is best to jump on a tour that will visit all the sites, or hire a driver and car, which I did for a half-day trip.

My first stop was to Amber Fort, which is about 11km outside of the city.

Amber Fort
[Amber Fort]

The Amber Fort of one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Jaipur area, and the crowds there were a reminder of this fact.

Ganesh Gate - Amber Fort
[Ganesh Gate – Amber Fort]

I always escape large crowds by looking for the smaller details, such as these ceiling decorations.

Ceiling decoration - Amber Fort

Ceiling at Hall of private audience - Amber Fort

About a kilometre uphill from Amber Fort is the Jaigarh Fort, which is considered as part of the same complex.

Jaigarh Fort
[Jaigarh Fort]

The interior isn’t as lavish as the Amber Fort but it is worth going up there for the view.

Jaigarh Fort Wall
[Jaigarh Fort Wall]

Jaigarh Fort is also home to the Jaivana Cannon – the worlds largest cannon on wheels.

Jaivana Cannon - Jaigarh Fort
[Jaivana Cannon]

Heading back into town we passed by the Jal Mahal (Water Palace). I was palaced out by this point so I didn’t go in, but it seems that seems it is at its most photogenic with the view of the lake.

Jal Mahal
[Jal Mahal]

Back in Jaipur is the City Palace, which was the seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur.

City Palace - Jaipur
[City Palace]

More crowds…

City Palace Crowds Jaipur

… and once again, looks for the details. There are beautiful things everywhere.

Peacock at City Palace - Jaipur

Next to the City Palace is Jantar Mantar, which has a collection of architectural astronomical instruments. This giant sundial is 27 metres tall and is accurate to within 2 seconds.

Giant Sundial - Jantar Mantar
[Giant sundial at Jantar Mantar]

The Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) is in the heart of the historic Pink City district and can be visited with the same ticket from the Amber Fort.

Most of the buildings in the Pink City are built from red and pink sandstone, thus giving the city its name.

Hawa Mahal - Jaipur
[Hawa Mahal]

Random Travel Moment

I had a crazy, random travel coincidence where I crossed paths with one of my best friends, Jodi, who was in Jaipur on a work trip with her mum. Both of our itineraries were not set by us, yet it just so happened that we crossed paths on the same day in Jaipur.

Travel Friends in Jaipur
[Yay for travel coincidences!]

Lassi’s

Did I tell you that I love lassi’s, the yogurt-based drink that is popular in India? Yes, I did. I mentioned the delicious drinks of India when I was in Mamallapuram, and here in Jaipur the drink seems to be everywhere.

There is a famous lassi shop called Lassiwala, which has been serving lassi’s since the 1940’s. It’s famous to the point that other lassi shops have also called themselves Lassiwala, just like in New York where “Rays Pizza” can be found everywhere.

This Lassiwala can be found on MI Rd, Shop 312.

Lassi from Lassi Walla
[Lassi from Lassiwala]

I also discovered the joys of an ice cream lassi. This one was at shop 222 on Tripolia Bazar.

Ice Cream Lassi
[Ice Cream Lassi]

Books

A History of Jaipur by Jadunath Sarkar.

This authentic and authoritative History of Jaipur was commissioned by Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II, the last ruler of the erstwhile Jaipur state. Sir Jadunath Sarkar agreed to take up the assignment and completed the manuscript in 1939-40. This book was finally published, as it was originally written, more than 40 years later in 1984. The author meticulously documented the history of the Kachhwa rulers of Jaipur.

Building Jaipur: The Making of an Indian City by Vibhuti Tillotson and Giles Sachdev.

Jaipur, in Rajasthan, is one of India’s most famous cities, and is renowned for its palaces and museums, its craft traditions and its distinctive pink shops and houses. A planned city within walls, it was built in pre-modern times according to a distinctive Indian theory of architecture known as vastu vidya.

Filed Under: Travel Blog Tagged With: india, jaipur

About James Clark

James Clark is the founder of Nomadic Notes. He has been a digital nomad since 2003, and Nomadic Notes features trip reports, train travel articles, and where to stay guides. He writes about transport and urban development at Future Southeast Asia. Subscribe to the weekly travel newsletter.

Comments

  1. apol | WanderfulTogether.com says

    October 12, 2013 at 9:12 am

    oh that ice cream lassi looks yummy! Jaipur is a must-go for me. Look at those details..sometimes it makes me wonder how people can create such ornate buildings.

    I read about Jodi’s soup story at the airport. Was that at the airport? Fun fun.

    Reply
  2. Zoe Dawes says

    October 12, 2013 at 9:40 am

    What a treat this is. I’ve never been to India and it is very high on my wish list. Your photos and description have added to my desire to go!

    Reply
  3. Maria says

    October 12, 2013 at 3:14 pm

    Well, you missed the Jal Mahal (Water Palace) this time… guess that means you just have to return! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Nicki Chen says

    October 12, 2013 at 3:50 pm

    What a beautiful city! I don’t think I’ll ever make it there, so thank you for the chance to see it from home.

    Reply
  5. Dan Cowell says

    October 12, 2013 at 11:54 pm

    I’ve been following both you and Jodi on Facebook and on your blogs, I was wondering if you’d bump into each other.

    Those palaces are very photogenic, I really like how you pick out the details. One more place to add to the ever-growing list of “I want to go there!”

    Reply
  6. Bama says

    October 13, 2013 at 10:58 am

    Rajasthan boasts some of India’s most magnificent monuments and I’m glad you had a much better time exploring some of them without having Delhi Belly. I really want to go to this part of India one day but my first trip to the country might start from the south. I really enjoyed your photos of Jaipur’s architectural wonders!

    Reply
  7. len says

    October 16, 2013 at 3:56 am

    Wow, a great place to visit. Thanks for sharing this! 🙂

    Reply
  8. Adam P. says

    October 18, 2013 at 8:32 am

    Great pictures and even greater travel inspiration! Seems to me like there´s an exceptionally high concentration of cultural sites in Jaipur, even for India. I can imagine that this place has been a setting to many Bollywood movies, it just breathes history and exotic! I´ve heard somewhere that it´s called Pink city, wonder why.

    Reply
  9. Zahid says

    October 25, 2013 at 8:49 am

    This post is really amazing which showing our beauty of our neighbor country India. One day i will explore all these places. Thanks for sharing

    Reply

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James Clark from Nomadic Notes

Hi, I’m James Clark, and I've been travelling the world since 2003 while running a location independent travel business. Nomadic Notes is a travel blog featuring travel guides and notes from my travels.

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