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.
I felt a soothing a warm ambiance of the interior of Amber Fort, which I didn't expect from looking at its outer appearance. The intricate carvings on the walls and ceilings were simply astonishing. The minute mirror work adds to the grand appearance and royalty of the halls. The Amer Fort undoubtedly captivates us with its artistic quality of delicate work.
I am always amazed at the detail of the gardens inside of these palaces. The room we were standing in when this picture was taken was the "summer" room, where the king stayed and it is "air conditioned" by running water that went through the room and into the pond in front. Apparently, laborers worked throughout the day to carry water from the pond to the holding tank in the rear.
The ornate passageways of the fort.
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