JAIPUR

Komal Jain

A city, home to the marvellous and world-famous Hawa Mahal which was built without any foundation. Can you guess which city in India is this? This is Jaipur, the Pink City of India. Hawa Mahal, known as the “Palace of Breeze” – the place is considered as a landmark of Jaipur. Built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799, this five-story building has 953 windows that are beautifully carved to allow the breeze to blow through the palace and makes it a perfect summer palace. From its exterior, it looks like a honeycomb of a beehive which is able to keep this summer palace cool all around the year.

Did you know that Jaipur was constructed over a period of 4 years? Yes! That’s right! Well after its construction, to feel the ease, Maharaja Jai Singh felt the need of shifting his capital city from Amer to Jaipur with the increase in population and the growing scarcity of water. So he took the architectural guidance of Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, a learned Benjali architect and planned Jaipur based on the principles of Vastu Shastra and Shilpa Shastra in 1727. The directions of each street and market are East to West and North to South.Since the plan successfully came into existence and completion in the year 1730, Jaipur is believed to be the First planned city in the country. The flamboyance of the Rajasthani people can be seen during the numerous Jaipur festivals they celebrate. Right from Gangaur and Teej to Jaipur Literature Festival and

Jaipur International Film Festival, these events in Jaipur help showcase the true Rajasthani heritage and culture.

Teej is a traditional festival which is one of the most important and celebrated ones in Jaipur. Women dress up in traditional attire, wear jewellery and apply henna on their palms. People gather together in temples where they worship Goddess Parvati. Married women pray for the long lives of their husbands while unmarried girls pray to find the right match. Typically, women fast on Teej and later on, there are folk dances and songs and other fun activities that take place on this day.

Not to forget the lip-smacking delicacies of Jaipur which makes their Marwadi cuisine renowned worldwide. Some of their most famous dishes as well as restaurants are Rajasthani Thali at Chokhi Dhani Village Resort, Dal Baluchi at Baluchi Restaurant and Pyaz Kachori and Ghewar at Rawat.

The people of Jaipur are friendly and warm. The colourful outfits and ethnic jewellery they sport are the part of our culture exhibited in a beautiful way. They love to perform folk dances to the tunes of Rajasthani folk songs. The main language of Jaipur is Hindi.

Jaipur is known for its history, culture, heritage and architecture.This royal city has regal heritage in abundance that one must learn and explore. I would give this place a rating of 10/10 to be visited!