Jaipur, the first planned city of India and the capital of Rajasthan was built in 1727 A.D by the Kachhwaha Rajput, Maharaja Jai Singh II, after whom it was named. The most striking feature of this city is the pink wash applied to the buildings during the occasion of the visit of Prince of Wales in 1853, giving Jaipur its universal title, the 'Pink City'. This royal city with its fairy - tale palaces, rugged fortresses display remarkable harmony in architectural splendor. Jaipur's craft, especially lacquer bangles are famous all over the world. Some of the palaces, once the residence of Maharajas have been converted to heritage hotels. The famous landmarks here are the five-storey Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) built in 1799 and the Jantar Mantar observatory, built by Maharajah Jai Singh II in 1728.