Pink in the air -Jaipur

A DAY IN PINK CITY – JAIPUR

It was Saturday night when I boarded the bus from Delhi to endure the real touch  of the glorious past of  the “Jaipur”.

Jaipur ,capital of Rajasthan is the flamboyant state with majestic forts,old markets,the narrow lanes flooded with the cultural stuffs,colourful shops,auto rickshaw looking for tourists,camels,royal elephant rides and mouth watering cuisine.After a long delay I finally made my way to Jaipur ,though I had only a single day to explore this Pink City- Jaipur. 

The first place I visited was the ‘City Palace’  which was located right in the centre of Jaipur holding the soul of the city’s rich heritage and vocalizing a ton about the bygone era.The palace built in 1729 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh ,was exhibiting the fusion of Mughal,Rajput and European style of architecture. The palace was comprised of many other structures like the famous Chandra Mahal,Mubarak Mahal ,Diwan-i-Khas and many grand courtyards and gates.The city palace is considered as a milestone and tourist hub of jaipur.

The second place I checked in was  “Hawa Mahal” ,The window Palace which was located at a small distance from city palace.The  five storey palace carved beautifully with Rajasthani pattern and impression built by Raja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 was the prime attraction of Jaipur.The mighty Hawa Mahal standing in the hustle-bustle of the city gave a occasion of peace to my eyes.The shape of the palace resembled the crown of Lord Krishna as the King Swai Pratap Singh was the great devotee of  Krishna and dedicated this Mahal to the Lord krishna .The palace had 953 windows oh my goodness ! this was my reaction when I got to know the number of Jharokhas (windows) of the palace.The most engaging fact about the palace was that, the Mahal was standing upright at a height of 50 ft from ground and was curved leaning at an angle of 87 degrees  had a thickness of even lesser than one foot.The Palace built using red and pink sand stone , by Lal Ustad chand was composed particularly for the Royal ladies so that they can enjoy the events and the festivals of the city without being seen. When I stepped into the fifth floor the breezes coming in through the windows which were presenting the lattice work ,were making the palace cool and  that was the reason behind the name of this Palace.When I looked outside the window the sight was completely eyeful and royal. 

After the iconic monument of Hawa Mahal I took the cab and went to the “JAL MAHAL” which was at a distance of 4 km from Jaipur.When I arrived at the place my eyes saw a ‘Pompous lotus blooming in the core of the spring’.The Jal Mahal was located just in the middle of mighty lake Man Sagar, built by the ruler of Jaipur Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. The five storey Mahal was designed with a blend of Mughal and Rajasthani style of architecture. Built with red sand stone  the palace was bordered by the Nahargarh hills .The Water Palace was enunciating the verses of a sonnetist with its beauty.The shadow of the Palace in the clear blue water of the lake was the picture to capture.The four floors of the Mahal remained under the water only the top floor is above the water level.The palace with four chattris was built with the purpose of  bird shooting by the royals.In evening when the palace is illuminated it shines like a jewel and I felt its the shadow of the moon .

After Jal Mahal I went to the ‘ Amber Fort’ also known as Amer fort which was few a kilometre away from Jal Mahal .The beautiful fort was buit by the Raja Man Singh in 16th century who was the first General of  Emperor Akbar and the one of the nine jewels (nav ratan) of Akbar’s court. The fort was situated on the hills of Cheel ka Teela (Eagles hill) and to reach the fort I took the royal ride on the back of elephant, to reach the Surah Pol which was the main entrance of fort. My ride went through the walls of the fortress,ravishingly flourished forest fields and the hills.When I entered the fort I realised why this fort is visited by a number of tourist.The fort was reflecting the amalgam of Hindu and Mughal style of architecture. The fort built with red and pale yellow  sand stone was extremely picturesque with the huge courtyards and sprawling structures like Diwan-i-Aam ,Diwan-i-khas,Sukh Mahal and Sheesh Mahal which took all my attention with its minute and fine mirror work.The most amazing fact of the Sheesh Mahal was that when I burned a single candle the reflection was turned itno thousand stars,I was really bewildered. The Maoth lake near the fort was adding a certain kind of charisma to the fort.

This Pink beauty of the Rajasthan ,where the forts were singing the song of bravery and creativity of Rajputs ,where the lanes and walls were tightened up the spirit of its culture and tradition and where the nature was jiggling in pleasure made the city a must visit place.