Jaipur - Palace on Wheels
The capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur is also known as the 'Pink City' due to beautifully constructed palaces, havelis and forts, all painted in pink. The literal meaning of Jaipur is 'the city of victory', which was built in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh-II. Jaipur was the first planned city of its time, planned by Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya, a Bengali architect. A strong wall encircles the old city, which was built with an aim to protect the city, even today it has a suggestion of formidable strength. Jaipur has wide straight avenues, roads, streets and lanes and uniform rows of shops on either side of the main bazaars, all arranged in nine rectangular city sectors (chokris). The city itself is an attractive creation worthy of universal admiration.
The old city is crowded with cyclists and shoppers.
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The Palace of the Winds -- a giant facade on the outer wall of the palace, created by the maharaja to allow the ladies of the harem to discreetly watch the goings-on in the busy city below. Hawa Mahal
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Even today, the Palace of the Winds stands guard over a major thoroughfare.
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The Jantar Mantar astronomy park. A sophisticated collection of early 18th century structures designed to measure the movements of the stars, sun and planets.
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Each instrument, designed by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh himself, has a specific astronomical task, though they look like whimsical modern architecture.
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