Jaipur, Rajasthan

Jaipur, popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital of Rajasthan- a western state in India. It is known for its rich history (and even richer food), jewellery, textiles and a vibrant culture. It is one of the biggest tourist destinations in India, owing to its sprawling forts and even bigger bazaars.

Now that I sufficiently sound like a ten-year old writing an essay about Jaipur, let us move on. Quickly.

I went to Rajasthan during the month of August a couple of years ago with my family and some family friends. I am not cool enough to travel with my own friends. Yes, I do have friends, thank you very much. I did want to post all these photos and knowledge gathered from the tour guides on my blog, but I forgot. I didn’t even listen to the tour guide properly because I was busy fidgeting with my camera and complaining about the heat and humidity.

Moti Dungri Fort and Birla Mandir

The Moti Dungri Fort sits on top of a hill, overlooking the Birla Mandir. It is a private residence, so no tourists are allowed inside, you can just look up at the fort, say ooh, take a photo and visit the Birla Mandir instead. The temple is a beautiful structure made of marble and stained-glass windows, you can go there to to admire the architecture and design even if you aren’t religiously inclined.

Moti Dungri Fort

Birla Mandir

 

Hawa Mahal

No, not the Vivid Bharti show with the very catchy tune. Hawa Mahal is one of the most iconic structures of Jaipur- it is made from red sandstone which gives it the “pink colour”. The palace façade of the palace- made up of hundreds of intricate jharokhas- was built primarily as a place where the royal women could observe the daily routines of the world outside without having to mingle with others, show up in public or God forbid, show their face. *cough* gold cage *cough*

 

Hawa Mahal from a Moving Vehicle 

Amer Fort

Then we went to the Amer Fort, an enormous palace built out of sandstone and marble, on a hill right next to the Maota Lake. You can either take an elephant ride up to the fort from its main entrance, walk up the steep hill, or take a jeep- we opted for a jeep because poor elephants, no one should sit on them, and we were too lazy to walk up the hill. The fort is divided up into four main sections, complete with its own gate, courtyard, and other structures (Jalebi Chowk, Sila Devi Mandir, Ganesh Pol, Diwan-i-Aam, Sheesh Mahal, Jai Mandir, etc)

Amer Fort

Courtyard Overlooking the Aravalli Mountain Range

Suraj Pol

Ideal Serving Size

Ganesh Pol

Ganesh Pol

Sheesh Mahal

Sheesh Mahal

Maota Lake 

Jal Mahal

On our way back from Amer Fort, we went to see Jal Mahal, located in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake, surrounded by the Aravalli range. The lake used to see a lot of traffic from local and migratory birds but, as the lake got progressively grimier, the birds were like- nope, not happening. Their numbers dwindled, much to the dismay of ardent bird watchers. A restoration attempt is ongoing, and the lake has seen an increase in the birds visiting it. I was very confused when I first saw the palace, wondering why does it even qualify as a place? Turns out, Jal Mahal is five stories tall, but most of it is underwater and you can only see the top floor.

Jal Mahal

City Palace

Unlike other palaces in Jaipur, the City Palace was built inside the city. It houses several structures within its complex, the most important ones are Mukut Mahal, Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Sri Govind Dev Temple, Maharani Palace, and the City Palace Museum. The interiors mostly contain artefacts of the royal family like daggers, swords, guns, and the most massive pajamas in the entire history of ever- which makes you feel a bit better about your steadily increasing waistline, courtesy of Keema Bati.

Mubarak Mahal

Mubarak Mahal

Mubarak Mahal

Clock Tower

Diwan-i-Khas

Diwan-i-Khas

Hotel

 The Jaipur Club

Food

Spice Court: The main objective, for me and my sister, of going to Jaipur was eating Keema Bati. Thankfully, they delivered it to our room at the Jaipur Club. We ordered two plates of Keema Bati, not knowing that they serve massive portions which, we were barely able to finish. 5/5

Jaipur Club: We had Laal Maas, a signature spicy mutton dish of Rajasthan, on our last day in Jaipur. I still catch myself daydreaming about it from time to time. 5/5

Kanha: Discount Manohar Dairy 2.5/5

Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar: I had a simple vegetarian pizza and a coffee because I couldn’t even think about consuming spicy, oily chat food. I get a pass for not eating local Indian food because I live in India and know what chole bhature taste like. 2/5

Shopping

We went to a block printing factory and bought a lot of lovely bedsheets and dupattas.

Bapu Bazaar: Good place to stock up on leheriya dupattas and Rajasthani souvenirs.