Tourism

Hawa Mahal
This 'Palace of the Wind' (Hawa Mahal) is a part of the city palace. This is the most famous building in Jaipur. It is build for the ladies of the harem by Sawai Pratap Singh.  The monument was originally conceived with the aim of enabling ladies of the royal household to watch the everyday life and royal processions of the city. Click for more details

The City Palace-Jaipur Palace
The citadel of the Kachchawah Rajput rulers of Jaipur. The palace houses a museum with a superb collection of costumes and armoury of Rajputs & Mughals. The vast complex occupies one seventh of the walled city of Jaipur and is wonderful blend of Rajput and Mughal architecture. 
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Jantar Mantar (Observatory).  It is literally known as 'Instruments for measuring the harmony of the heavens. It was built between 1728 to 1734 by Jai Singh.  Each instrument of this observatory is used for a particular function and gives an accurate reading. The differnt Yantras placed in clockwise at the observatory is narrated below. The Samrat Yantra  is a large sundial (the triangular structure) marked with hours and minutes.  The arc at the left side will show the time from sunrise to midday and the right side will show the time from midday to sunset. The time is read, where the shadow is sharpest. The sundials are constructed on latitude 27⁰ North. To adjust the reading to Indian standard Time (IST), between 1 minute 15 seconds to 32 minutes must be added according to the time of year and solar position.   The  Dhruva Yantra locates the position of 12 Zodiac signs and the Pole Star at night. The traditional unit of  measurement is the human breath calculated to be of 6 seconds duration.  Thus 4 breaths = 1 pala (24 seconds), 60 palas = 1 gati (24 minutes), 60 gatis = 1 day (24 hrs). The Narivalya Yantra  is a sundial with two dials.  The first dial facing towards south, to read time when the sun is in the south hemisphere (21 September to 21 March) and the other one is at the north facing towards the north for the rest of the year. At  noon the sun falls on the north-south line and the time is read in normal way.  Next is Jai Singh's seat (Observer's seat).  The Kranti Yantra is used for direct measurement of the longitude and latitude of  the celestial bodies. The Raj Yantra is the King of Instruments used only once in a year to calculate the Hindu calendar. The Unnsyhsmsa yantra is used for finding the altitudes of the celestial bodies and Disha yantra points to the north.  The Dakshina yantra used for observing the position and movement of heavenly bodies when passing over the meridian. The Large Samrat Yantra operates on the same principal of Samrat Yantra.  However, it is ten times larger and accurate to 2 seconds instead of 20 seconds than the samrat yantra. The sundial of this yantra is 27.4 meters high hence, the observer could climb the steps to make the reading. During Guru Purnima, the holy full moon,  in the month of July/August,  this yantra is used to predict the length and heaviness of the monsoon for the local area. The Rashivalayas Yantra  has 12 sundials for the signs of the zodiac and operated in the same way of  Samrat Yantra. The instruments enable readings to be made at the instant each zodiacal sign crosses the meridian.  Hindus believes that their fated souls move with the rhythms of  this zodiac.  The Jai Prakash Yantra act as a double check on all the other instruments. The Chakra yantra gives the angle of an object from the equator. 

Albert Hall Museum
It is erected in the middle of Ram Niwas Garden of Jaipur. It was built in 1876 to mark the visit of Prince of Wales to the city. The building is made of sandstone and marble in Indo- saracenic style. It contains a fine collection of sculptures, paintings, decorative art objects, natural history specimens, an Egyptian mummy and a celebrated Persian Garden Carpet. Timings : 10.30 - 16.30 hrs.

Statue Circle
The full length exquisitely carved statue of Sawai Jai Singh in white marble in the centre of the circle is a landmark in a newly planned residential area to pay homage to the founder of Jaipur. The big circle attracts large crowds in the evenings.

Ram Niwas Garden
Was built in 1868 by Swai Ram Singh. It is located in the center of modern Jaipur, it spreads over 33 acres of land. It houses the Albert Hall Museum, the state Zoo, Ravindra Manch Theatre and several cafes and picnic spots in its premises.
Timings : 1000 - 1630 hrs.

Jal Mahal
A picturesque palace amidst the Man Sagar lake. It was built by Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 A.D for royal duck shooting parties. During winter, a large number of migratory birds arrive at the lake. The red sandstone palace is located 6.5 kms from Jaipur on the road to Amber. A causeway from the main land, leads to the palace. 

Jaigarh Fort
One of the few military structures of medieval India built in 1726 by Sawai Jai Singh. Situated north of Jaipur, on a cliff and surrounded by huge battlements with inside walkways, the fort houses the 'Jai Ban' the largest cannon in Asia, supposed to have been test fired only once. This fort of Victory has a museum which displays a collection of weapons and cannons used by the Rajput rulers. There are fine views of the Amber fort. Timings : 0900 - 1630 hrs.

Nargarh Fort

Located 6km north west of Jaipur, on the rugged Aravali Hills. Nahargarh meaning 'abode of the tigers' was built by Jai Singh II in 1734 to bolster the defense of Amer. There is a wonderful view of the Mansagar lake and the Jal Mahal Palace from the fort. Timings : 1000 - 1800 hrs.

Govinddev Ji ka Mandir
The presiding deity of Jaipur is Govindeoji, Lord Krishna. The temple is located between the Chandra Mahal and the Badal Mahal in the city palace complex, so that the rulers of the state could view the temple from their residences. The temple attracts large number of devotes specially on the 'Janmashtmi', the day of Lord Krishna’s birth.

Rani Sisodia's Garden and Palace
The terraced garden is located 8 kms from Jaipur on the Agra route. Sawai Jai Singh built it in 1728 for his Sisodia Queen from Udaipur. The beautiful landscaped garden laid in Mughal style have murals of the life of Lord Krishna in the interior apartments.

Amber Fort and Palace
Is one of the most magnificent destinations in Jaipur located on the hills just 11km out of Jaipur.  It was built by Raja Man Singh in 1600 AD, continued by Raja Jai Singh and then completed to its present form by Sawai Jai Singh in the eighteenth century. The fort is an example of a fascinating blend of Hindu and Muslim architecture built in red sandstone and white marble.  Click for more details

Galtaji
An ancient pilgrimage centre lying beyond the gardens amidst low hills. Temples pavilions and holy kunds (natural spring and water tanks) along with lush landscape make it a delightful spot. The small temple of the sun god built by Diwan Kriparam on the top of the highest peak is visible from all parts of the city.

Ramgarh
25 Kms from Jaipur. An ancient site now famous for its huge artificial lake created by constructing a high bund amidst tree converted hills where the citizens throng in a large number for picnic in the rainy season.

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