Jaipur, the Heart of Proud Rajasthan

Known as "The Pink City', Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan and a magnet for visitors throughout the world because of its unique Rajput culture, imposing forts, intense colors, and more. The city got its name from the pink stucco Maharajaj Jai Singh II used in building the city in 1727. The old city is encircled by a wall with seven gates, the major ones being Chandapol, Ajmeri and Sanganeri and is divided into rectangles characterized by broad roads.

An amateur astronomer, Singh left behind the Jantar Mantar, an astronomical observatory across from the royal palace. This unique outdoor complex features a variety of complex astronomical instruments chiseled out of stone that continue to provide surprisingly accurate information about the planets even today.

Within the heart of Jaipur itself, one can also stroll through the City Palace complex, a blend of Mughal and Rajasthani architecture. Inside the palace is the Maharaja Swai Man Singh II Museum, which tells the history of the former Jaipur princely state through decorative art, arms, paintings, textiles and carpets. Highlights include a display of carriages and chariots belonging to previous maharajahs and two of the largest silver pots in the world, which a former rajah used to carry sacred Ganges water with him to drink on a European trip. The City Palace was built also by Maharaja Jai Sing II and a section of it is still home to the present Jaipur maharajah and his family.

The famous Palace of the Winds should not be missed. Built in 1799, the Hawa Mahal is an intricately carved red sandstone facade behind which ladies of the maharajah's court in ''purdah'' (a practice of preventing strange men from seeing women) could gaze down on the activities in the street below without being observed.

Today, when one looked down into the street running below the Palace of the Winds, you would see a host of typical small Indian shops and stalls. Here one can buy everything from Jaipur’s gorgeous blue pottery to such seasonal vegetables as eggplant and string beans, to household items like hemp, and of course paan, a very popular type of Indian digestive made up of various fillings including leaves of the betel pepper, wrapped in a triangular package, and held together with a toothpick or a clove.

Be sure to try Jaipur’s cuisine, which features many typical Rajasthani dishes including including the ever-popular Dal-Bati-Churma, a lentil dish made with baked wheat balls and a powdered sweetened cereal. Other dishes include crisp Kachoris, which are wheat preparations stuffed with onions and peas and deep fried.

A city of astonishingly vivid hues, incredible gems and a proud people, Jaipur is also home to countless Rajasthanis living in deep poverty. One hopes that someday the foreign currency spent here will begin to lift all boats to a more equal level.

Quick Tips:

If shopping for Rajasthani handicrafts and fabrics is your thing, be sure to stop by Rajasthali, a government emporium located in the middle of Jaipur. Here you can find everything from saris to jewelry to handmade furniture and even children's puppets. For westerners, the chief asset of Rajashali is probably the fact no haggling is permitted here!

Best Way To Get Around:

Private chauffeured car--your hotel can arrange one. Don't even think of driving here. To get a better look at Jaipur's strret markets, one will need to go on foot but be prepared to deal with persistent shopkeepers and touts. Who can blame them ... it's the culture and the way they make their living.

Surrounded by exquisite gardens, decorative pools, and fountains, the Rajvilas Oberoi hotel is a quiet, peaceful oasis set on the outskirts of Jaipur and the hurly burly created by its 2.3 million residents. Its luxurious rooms, tents, and villas are equalled only by the high level service and the extraordinary beauty seen throughout the property.

Since its 1997 opening, Rajvilas has acquired a reputation as one of the world's finest luxury hotels, which is probably why former President Clinton stayed here during a state visit. It has also won awards throughout the world include Gourmet magazine's "Most Exotic Resort in the World" recognition.

We stayed here for three nights in February 2008 and loved it. Our "room" choice was one of the 14 air-conditioned tents, each about 45 meters square. Though the tent itself was luxurious, featuring a freestanding cast iron bathtub and luxurious Rajasthani fabrics, we most liked its walled garden and private deck. Here we spent the late afternoon reading on chaises and listening to Indian music wafting over from Jaipur. (Winter is wedding season in India.)

The 32 acres of meticulously manicured gardens that surround Rajvilas' rooms, villas and tents are truly stunning. In the center sits a real Hindu temple and the gardens play host to many animals and birds, including peacocks and Indian parakeets, both of which we saw outside our tent.

Probably one of the chief highlights of our three night stay at Rajvilas was dinners at Suryamahal, the hotel's restaurant offering both Indian and Continental dishes. Because the weather was balmy, one had the option of eating outside in a magnificent stone courtyard and watching colorful Rajasthani dance and music performances.

Another highlight was the fact that our stay coincided with a weekly Rajasthan culture talk presented by a local professor. That night, we were fortunate enough to be the only attendees as this very erudite scholar discussed topics ranging from the Indian economy to Chittorgarh, a famous historic site in Rajasthan.

The famed but harrowing story of Chittorharh goes back to 1303, when the sultan of Delhi besieged and captured this fort so he could abduct the beautiful Rani Padmini. In true Rajput fashion, Padmini preferred death to dishonor so rather than become the sultan's mistress, she committed "jauhar" (killing oneself by leaping into a large fire) along with all the other ladies of the fort. At the same time, all the men left the fort in saffron robes to fight the enemy unto death.

Prices for rooms at Rajvilas range from just under $600 for a deluxe double up to over $3,000 for the huge royal villa, which has its own private pool. Guests can even avail themselves of the luxurious Banyan Tree Spa, though we didn't try it. Rajvilas lies a little over ten miles from the Jaipur airport.

Among other services, Rajvilas also offers a private car to take guests to the heart of Jaipur. The one jarring note in our stay was that literally right outside the opulent front gates of Rajvilas sits a small shantytown built from nothing more than tarps and sticks and obviously lacking running water or sanitation. Its presence pointedly reminded us of the extremes of rich and poor that characterize contemporary India.

A monument to the awesome power of the Mughal princes who once ruled great swathes of India, the Amber Fort, located a few miles outside Jaipur in the Aravali Hills, was the ancient citadel of the ruling Kachhawa clan of Amber. The fort was this region's capital before it was shifted to present day Jaipur.

Known for its unique artistic style, which blends both Hindu and Mughal elements, and its ornate and breathtaking artistic mastery, the fort borders the Maota Lake and is a must-see if you're visiting Jaipur. It was built in 1592 and was initially a palace complex within the original fort of Amber that today is known as Jaigarh Fort. Connected to Amber via fortified passages, Jaigarh Fort sits on a hill above the Amber complex and is still reputed to be a treasure vault. (Our guide told us that rumor was that Indira Ghandi had once hid ill-gotten funds here.)

Like the entire fort complex, Amber Fort is constructed of white and red sandstone. The fort is unique in that its outside, an imposing and rugged defensive structure, is quite different from its inside, which is ornate and lavish, showing influences of both Hindu and Mughal styles of ornamentation. Its interior walls are covered with exquisite murals, frescoes, and paintings depicting scenes from daily royal life. Other walls feature intricate carvings, mosaic, and minute mirror work.

Though now markedly deteriorated, in its heyday, the Amber Fort was obviously an absolutely opulent place to live and govern from. We were particularly struck by the emperor's apartments, which are situated on a higher terrace beyond a two tiered decorative gateway, covered with elegant frescoes and pavilions having fascinating jali (lattice worked) screens.

The 'Jai Mandir' (hall of victory) features a glittering ceiling ornamented with mirror pieces on stucco and elegant inlaid panels. The 'Diwan- E- Khas' or hall of private audience is similarly decorated and the 'Seesh Mahal' or "Hall of Mirrors", which is known for its craftsmanship in mirrors, is the most spectacular of the lot.

Thousands of mirror pieces adorn the walls and the ceiling so that any streak of light makes them sparkle and illuminates the entire room. When the Mughal rulers lived here, at night when illumination was needed, a single candle would brighten the entire room, as it was reflected in all of the tiny intricate mirrors, giving a romantic illusion of twinkling stars on a clear night.

In front of the Jai Mandir of Rajasthan is the 'Sukh Niwas' (hall of pleasure) with a door made of sandalwood and inlaid with ivory. A channel runs through here, which formerly carried cool water that acted as an air cooler in hot weather. (Rajasthan has blistering hot summers with temperatures frequently in triple digits Farenheit.) It's humbling to consider that at the time the Mughals built this ingenious "air conditioner", aqueducts and running water had not been seen in most of Europe since the Roman Empire.

The zenana or the women's apartments and frescoes depicting scenes from Krishna Leela's life surround a spectacular courtyard. Here you will see private chambers from where the royal women could watch the proceedings of the court in privacy.

For a real treat, visitors can take elephants up from the base of the hill to the fort itself. Make sure you hire a knowledgable guide to take you through the Amber Fort. Doing so will add immeasurably to the experience of visiting this unique Rajput monument that evokes bygone splendor on an almost unimaginable scale.

The fort is open from 9:30 a.m.- 4.30 p.m. and admission is 10 rupees for Indian nationals and 50 rupees for others. Photography charges are extra, levied at 25 rupees for Indians and 40 for everyone else. There is also a three for one admission fee of 100 rupees for Indians and 150 for foreigners, which covers admission, still camera, and video cam fees.

Fronting MI Road in a nondescript modern building, Jaipur’s Saraogi Mansion is a shopping landmark stuffed with shops selling typical Indian saris, costume jewelry, lingerie, shoes, cosmetics, and regional items. Getting there is probably half the challenge. There is little parking out front so your driver must drop you across the way. When you finally get up the nerve to cross MI Road, just look both ways, say a prayer, and dash as fast as you possibly can across this very busy thoroughfare as if Kali herself was on your heels!

Most of the shops in Saraogi Mansion face open arcades so it’s easy to stroll through the building’s several floors and browse. Here you will find such companies as RK Bangles (bracelets), Nikhaar Creations (sarees and salwars), Metro Shoes, Ashok Furnishings (decorating fabrics), Indian Wedding Sarees, and Liberty Exclusive Showroom (shoes).

The Saraogi store that had initially attracted my interest was Utsaav Sarees, which does a huge on-line business through a slick website. I had previously ordered several salwar kameez from Utsaav so was anxious to see what might be offered in its store. Unfortunately, although Utsaav was stuffed full of exquisite fabrics, the salesman told me that they had no ready-made salwars to offer me there but would be happy to take my measurements and after I selected my desired fabrics, deliver the outfit to my hotel the next day.

However, because I was leaving for Udaipur first thing the following morning, I knew this scenario was undoable so said thanks and good-bye. Wandering down the arcade, I then found Nikhaar Creations, another Jaipur shop specializing in typical regional clothes ranging from sarees and salwars to kurtas and hand-embroidered blouses. It was here where I had my first taste of a typical Indian clothes shopping experience.

Unlike in the U.S. where we are accustomed to picking through racks and then pulling out a clothing selection, here things are much less self-service. Seating me in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling shelf taking up an entire wall and stacked full of salwars in lush colors ranging from chartreuse to royal to eggplant and fabrics from rayon to the finest Varanasi silks, the proprietor first served me tea.

Then the show began. After he asked me my size (though I’m an American 10-12, in India I’m an Extra Large), the man began pulling out what seemed like dozens of cellophane-wrapped salwars for me to examine. It appears that store owners here give the customer a quick look and then pull out what they think will suit … or are pushing this week!

An avalanche of gold braid, sequins, pearls, and kudan work soon began to make my head swim. Quite a few of the outfits pulled out for me were too showy for a middle-aged, blonde, fair-skinned Anglo but eventually, I selected two salwar kameezI thought might flatter. Nikhaar accepts Visa so before I knew it, I’d paid my bill and was on my way with a meticulously wrapped package of salwars.

Though Nikhaar was the only Saraoghi Mansion store in which I shopped, I enjoyed walking through the building and looking at what some other stores were selling here. For example, Ashok Furnishing, which is known throughout India for the quality of its cotton fabrics, offers block printed Indian cottons that can be used to cover furniture, make drapes, create unique tablecloths, and more. RK Bangles sells the famed glass Rajasthan bangles for women known as "lac", along with hand beaded bracelets. Mohidis, typical local shoes, are found at Metro Shoes and Liberty Exclusive Clothing though if your feet are much bigger than an American nine, you may not find your shoe size here.

If you’re looking for the old-fashioned Indian bazaar experience or glamor, Saraogi Mansion may disappoint but if you’d like to see what clothes shopping is like for contemporary, middle-class Indian women and wants lots of selection at moderate prices (my two salwars cost about $45), it’s certainly the place to go in Jaipur.

Characterized by its splendid blend of traditional Rajput and Mughal architecture, Jaipur's City Palace was built by Maharaja Jai Singh II in the early 18th century. The vast complex, which extends across approximately one-seventh of Jaipur's Old City, is divided into a series of courtyards, leafy gardens, and various buildings.

These include Mubarek Mahal, a textile museum; Diwane-Khas or Hall of Private Audience; Diwan-e-Asam or Hall of Public Audience; and the gateway Ridhi Sidhi Pol, which features four small doorways decorated with colorful peacock designs inspired by the four seasons. Several of the palatial buildings found here are open to the public but only a section Chandra Mahal, personal home to the Jaipur maharajah and his family, hosts visitors. (If the rajah’s personal flag is flying above the palace, you’ll know he’s at home!)

The City Palace’s various mahals are decorated with pillars, arches, mehrabs (alcoves), and grills along with beautiful inlay works. It has two main entrances, one from Jaleb Chowk and another from Tripolia Gate. The Tripolia Gate is reserved exclusively for the royal family and its guests.

The ground and first floor of Chandra Mahal form the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, which tells the history of the former Jaipur princely state through decorative art, arms, paintings, textiles and carpets. Exhibit highlights include a chilling scissor-action dagger. When thrust into a man, this deadly weapon released blades that when withdrawn from the body, tore the victim from limb to limb.

A section of the museum also features a fabulous collection of exquisite dresses and costumes of the former maharajas and maharanis of Jaipur, many worked with gold and made from sumptuous silks. Its artifacts include delicately handwork including sanganeri block prints, royal shawls, Kashmiri Pashmina (goat's wool) shawls, folk embroideries and Benaras saris. The "jumbo size" highlight is probably the ornate clothes of Maharajah Madho Singh I, who tipped the scales at 250 kgs.

The ceiling of the hall is embellished with fabulous frescoes, its colors created from the dust of semi-precious jewels including lapis lazuli, carnelian, and turquoise.

City Palace also offers great shopping. The vibrant culture of Rajasthan and Jaipur is colorfully evoked at the bustling mini market and shop through exquisite handicraft items. Only in Rajasthan can one find such wonderful silver jewelery, semi-precious stones, handcrafted footwear and miniature elephants, horses and camels. The palace facilities are open from 9:30 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Like in so many other Indian attractions, historic sites, and museums, you will get the most out of the City Palace if you hire a private guide as there is little written interpretation here. Admission is 180 rupees or 200 if you’re carrying a video camera.

Also, if you're into snakes, you might get a look at a cobra if the day you visit, the same hawker we saw is sitting outside the museum. Though I gave this rather pathetic, defanged snake a wide berth, if he's still there, at least you can't say you didn't see any snakes in India!

To most westerners, the word "maharaja" evokes unfathomable wealth, limitless power, and a mysterious exoticism. For centuries maharajas ruled India’s patchwork of kingdoms or "princely states" and built the grand and luxurious forts and palaces that dot the country’s landscape today.

Virtually all the sculptures, paintings and wall murals that define "classic India" were created for and by the order of maharajas, the ruling class believed to be descended from heavenly incarnations. Today, the glory days of Indian royalty are over, but the maharajas and maharanis survive, stripped of any real authority, but clinging to their royal lineage like the few remaining European kings and queens.

One of the most famous members of this small but exclusive club is the maharajah of Jaipur, whose ancestors built "The Pink City". The royal family has long been known as one of the most glamorous ... and recently, one of the most progressive.

Nicknamed "Bubbles", His Highness Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singhji is the current maharajah. He is the son of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and his first maharani, the Maharani Shri Marudhar Kanwar Devi Sahiba, daughter of the maharaja of Jodphur. Born October 22, 1931, the present maharajah assumed his position after the untimely death of His Highness Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II in 1970. Her Highness Maharani Shri Padmini Devi Sahiba, the Maharani of Jaipur, married the current maharajah in 1966.

After India won its independence from Britain in 1947, the orders and titles given by the Crown to the maharajas of the princely states were declated null and void. Along with their thrones, the subcontinent's maharajas also lost their titles. Man Singh II was the last ruler of the city of Jaipur and oversaw saw the city's transition from a princely state to a secular one. Later he served as India's first Ambassador to Spain and lived in England in the 1950s.

Flamboyant, handsome, debonair and elegant, the late maharajah had two principal passions, polo and his third wife, Maharani Gayatri Devi. In 1933, his polo team flattened England’s by winning all major tournaments, a feat never since repeated. The maharajah's romance with Gayatri Devi, the stunningly beautiful princess from Cooch Behar who Vogue magazine once called one of the world’s most beautiful women, is also legendary.

Man Singh II was such a fanatical polo player that at one time his residence, the Ram Bagh Palace in Jaipur, was the only private home in the world with its own polo grounds. It was while playing polo in England that he died after being thrown from his horse.

In the early 1970s, India’s maharajahs became a target of various reforms implemented by the autocratic Prime Minister Indira Ghandi. "Bubbles" found himself stripped of his official title and for the first time, all of the country’s remaining maharajahs had to begin paying taxes.

Sadly, the changes experienced in India during the 20th century seem to have been easier on the Jaipur royal women than on their husbands and sons. With few exceptions (including Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singhji who fought in the Indian Army as a paratrooper), the males died young from complications of severe alcoholism.

Perhaps too much time and too much money created a lack of purpose in these men who were fabulously wealthy, well educated, and extremely powerful. At least on the surface, it seems they were in a position where they could have doned things to improve the quality of life for India’s masses who even today, must struggle mightily to make a living for themselves and their families.

Thankfully, the present Jaipur maharajah and his family seem well aware of the debt they owe their people and their country. For decades, they have worked to boost tourism in the region, encourage education for both boys and girls (Rajasthan still has a high illiteracy rate, particularly for women), and promote traditional Jaipur handicrafts. It seems their eyes are now firmly fixed on the future rather than on past glories.