Jaipur,
popularly known as Pinkcity, was built in 1727 AD by Maharaja Sawai Jai
Singh II and designed by the brilliant young Bengali architect Vidhyadhar
Bhattacharya. Designed in accordance with Shilp Shastra - an ancient Hindu
treatise on architecture - Jaipur follows a grid system. The wide straight
bazaars, raastaas (streets), galis (lanes), mohallas and uniform rows of
shops on either side of main bazaars are arranged in nine rectangular city
sectors called chaukris. Encircled by a formidable wall, Jaipur was the only
planned city of its time.
The
palace lies in the heart of the city and occupies the whole central grid.
The fortified wall has seven gates and was built for protection from
invading armies and animals that lived in jungles which surrounded the wall
that time. Today, ofcourse, the city has spread beyond the walls and there
is hardly any jungle left even in the vicinity of the walled city.
Jaipur
was color washed pink to create an impression of red sandstone buildings of
mughal cities. The current color which is more red than pink was painted in
1876, during the visit of Prince of Wales. The city is best explored on foot
and only the adventurous visitor willing to go into the rastaas and galis
(inner lanes) can feel the spirit of the city. There's an amazing appeal to
Jaipur's colorful bazaars, beautifully laid out gardens, parks & the
monuments.
Places of interest are located mainly in the walled
city. There are famous mohallas, rectangular blocks, each designed in
conformity with a particular trade or craft. Johari Bazar, Tripoliya Bazar,
Chandpole Bazar, Kishanpole Bazar, Ramganj Bazar, Bari Chaupar, Chhoti
Chaupar, Ajmeri Gate, New Gate, Sanganeri Gate, Ghat Gate, Bapu Bazar, Nehru
Bazar, Indira Bazar and their lanes like Khazane Walon Ka Rasta, Maniharon
Ka Rasta, Gopal ji Ka Rasta, Ghee Walon Ka Rasta, Haldiyon Ka Rasta are some
of the main areas in the walled city. Each of these lanes is like an open
museum, a treasure house of traditional crafts and arts. Markets outside the
walled city include M.I. Road, Jayanti Market, Sansar Chandra Road, Station
Road, Raja Park and a number of colony markets.
Jaipur cannot be
explained. It is a city with a timeless quality to it, a city where the
ancient and the modern coexist in complete harmony.
