Jaipur

Jaipur pronunciation (help info) (Hindi:

), also popularly known as the Pink City, is the

capital of Rajasthan state, India. Jaipur is the former capital of the princely state ofJaipur.
Founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a
population of more than 5 million residents.
Jaipur is the first well planned city of India, located in the desert lands of India, Rajasthan. The
city which once had been the capital of the royalty now is the capital city of Rajasthan. The very
structure of Jaipur resembles the taste of the Rajputs and the Royal families. In the present date,
Jaipur is the major business centre for the natives of Rajasthan with all requisites of a
metropolitan city.
The city is remarkable among pre-modern Indian cities for the width and regularity of its streets
which are laid out into six sectors separated by broad streets 111 ft (34 m) wide. The urban
quarters are further divided by networks of gridded streets. Five quarters wrap around the east,
south, and west sides of a central palace quarter, with a sixth quarter immediately to the east. The
Palace quarter encloses a sprawling palace complex (theHawa Mahal, or palace of winds),
formal gardens, and a small lake. Nahargarh Fort crowns the hill in the northwest corner of the
old city. Another noteworthy building is Sawai Jai Singh's observatory, Jantar Mantar.
History


Hawa Mahal, and the Principal Street of Jaipur, c. 1875
Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, a Kachwaha Rajput, who ruled
from 1699-1744. Initially his capital was Amber (city), which lies at a distance of 11 km
from Jaipur. He felt the need of shifting his capital city with the increase in population and
growing scarcity of water. Jaipur is the first planned city of India. The King consulted
several books on architecture and architects before making the lay out of Jaipur.
After several battles with Marathas, Jai Singh was keen on the security aspect of the city.
Being a lover of mathematics and science, Jai Singh sought advice from Vidyadhar
Bhattacharya, a Brahmin scholar of Bengal, to aid him design the city architecture.
The construction of the city started in 1727. It took around 4 years to complete the major
palaces, roads and square. The city was built following the principles of Shilpa Shastra, the
Indian Architecture. The city was divided into nine blocks, of which two consist the state
buildings and palaces, with the remaining seven allotted to the public. Huge fortification
walls were made along with seven strong gates.
For the time, architecture of the town was very advanced and certainly the best in Indian
subcontinent. In 1853, when the Prince of Wales visited Jaipur, the whole city was painted
pink to welcome him. Today, avenues remain painted in pink, provide a distinctive
appearance to the city.
In the 19th century the city grew rapidly ; by 1900 it had a population of 160,000. The city's
wide boulevards were paved and lit with gas.
The city had several hospitals. Its chief industries were in metals and marble, fostered by a
school of art founded in 1868. The city also had three colleges, including a Sanskrit college
(1865) and a girls' school (1867) initiated under the reign of the enigmatic Maharaja Sawai
Ram Singh II. There was also a wealthy and enterprising community of native bankers,
particularly theJains and the Marwaris.
Architecture

Jaipur is considered by many urbanists to be one of the best planned cities. In an era when
most of the rajputs were busy fighting with each other, Jaipur's kings diplomatically
broadened their control sphere maintaining good relations with the Mughals.
The city was planned according to Indian Vastu Shastra (Vedic or Pouranic Planning for the
comfort and prosperity of the citizens). The directions of each street and market are east to
West and North to South. The Eastern gate is called Suraj (Sun) Pol, while the Western gate
is called Chand (Moon) Pol. There are only three gates facing East, west, and North
including the Northern gate (known as Zorawar Singh gate) which faces toward the
ancestral capital of Amber, while many gates face South.
Although the present city has expanded from outside of its walls, the original planning was
within the walls. The gates used to be closed at sunset and opened at sunrise. Almost all
Northern Indian towns of that period presented a chaotic picture of narrow twisting lanes, a
confusion of run-down forts, temples, palaces, and temporary shacks that bore no
resemblance at all to the principles set out in Hindu architectural manuals which call for
strict geometric planning. Thus, for Sawai Jai Singh II and the Bengali Guru Vidyadhar
(who was a 'Shaspati' - Hindu Priest Architect), the founding of Jaipur was also a ritual and
a bronze opportunity to plan a whole town according to the principles of Hindu architectural
theory.
The town of Jaipur is built in the form of a eight-part Mandala known as the 'Pithapada'.
Nine signifies the nine planets of the ancient astrological zodiac. It is also known that Sawai
Jai Singh II was a great astronomer and a town planner, and hence the 'Pithapada'. Also, the
commercial shops are designed in multiples of nine (27), having one cross street for
a planet.
Geography and Climate
Jaipur is located at 26.92N 75.82E.
[1]
It has an average elevation of 432 metres
(1417 ft).
The district is situated in the eastern part of Rajasthan. It is bound in the north by Sikar and
Alwar, in South by Tonk, Ajmer and Sawai Madhopur. Nagaur, Sikar and Ajmer in the west
and in east by Bharatpur and Dausa districts.
The major rivers passing through the Jaipur district are Banas and Banganga. Ground water
resources to the extent of about 28.65 million cubic meter are available in the district.
Although serious drought is rare, poor water management and exploitation of groundwater
with extensive tube-well systems threatens agriculture in some areas.
Jaipur has a semi-arid climate. Although it receives over 650 mm (25 in) of rainfall annually
the rainfall is concentrated in the monsoon months between June and September.
Temperatures remain relatively high throughout the year, with the summer months of April
to early July having average daily temperatures of around 30
o
C. During the monsoon
months there are frequent, heavy rains and thunderstorms, but flooding is not common. The
winter months of November to February are mild and pleasant, with average temperatures
in the 15-18
o
C range and little or no humidity. There are however occasional cold waves
that lead to temperatures near freezing.
Politics
The recent general election showed tremendous swing toward the Indian National
Congress but it has won only 2 of 14 parliament elections in the past. Currently Mahesh
Joshi is the MP from Jaipur. Before that Late Girdhari Lal Bhargava of BJP was the MP
from Jaipur, who won first time in 1989 and has been elected six times since then.
Jaipur Districts has 19 constituencies for electing MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly)
of Rajasthan, namely Shahpura, Chaksu, Bassi, Bagru, Sanganer, Malviya Nagar, Adarsh
Nagar, Kishanpole, Civil Lines, Vidhyadhar Nagar, Hawa Mahal, Jamva Ramgarh, Amber
or Amer, Banipark, Dudu, Phulera, Chomu, Virat Nagar and Kotputli. Banipark is the
largest constituency of all. Bhairon Singh Shekhawathas also has been elected MLA for
Jaipur three times.
Pankaj Joshi is currently the Mayor of Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC). Totally, there
are 70 seats for Vidhan Parishad in Jaipur District.
Lake Palace


Lake Palace on Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India
Lake Palace is a luxury hotel, of 83 rooms and suites featuring white marble walls, located on a
natural foundation of 4 acres (16,000 m
2
) rock on the Jag Niwas
[1]
island
[2]
in Lake
Pichola, Udaipur, India. The hotel operates a boat which transports guests to the hotel from a
jetty at the City Palace.
History
It was built in 1743
[3]
- 1746
[4]
under the direction of the Maharana Jagat Singh II (62nd successor
to the royal dynasty of Mewar) ofUdaipur, Rajasthan as a royal summer palace and was initially
called Jagniwas or Jan Niwas after its founder
[5]
. The Maharana, ruler of Jaipur from 1628 to
1654, was very friendly with Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and encouraged his craftsmen to copy
some of the glories of his incomparable buildings at Agra. The palace was constructed facing
east, allowing its inhabitants to pray to the Sun god at the crack of dawn
[6]
. The successive rulers
used this cool haven as their summer resort, holding their regal durbars in its courtyards lined
with columns, pillared terraces, fountains and gardens
[7]
.
The upper room of the palace is a perfect circle and is about 21 feet (6.4 m) in diameter. Its floor
is inlaid with black and white marbles, the walls are ornamented with nichs and decorated with
arabesques of different coloured stones in the same style as the Taj at Agra, though the patterns
are Hindu and dome is exquisitely beautiful in form. A room built of 12 enormous slabs of
marble, Shah Jahans throne sculptured from a single block of serpentine and the little mosque
dedicated to Kapuria Baba, a Muhammedan Saint, are other objects of interest on the island
[8]
.
During the famous Indian Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 several European families fled from Nimach
and used the island as an asylum, offered to them by Maharana Swaroop Singh. In order to
protect his guests the Rana destroyed all the towns boats so that the rebels could not reach the
island
[9]
.


By the latter half of the 19th century time and weather took their toll on the extraordinary water
palaces of Udaipur. Pierre Loti, a French writer, described Jag Niwas as "slowly mouldering in
the damp emanations of the lake." About the same time two colonial bicyclists, Fanny Bullock
Workman and her husband William Hunter Workman, were distressed by the cheap and
tasteless style of the interiors of the water palaces with "an assortment of infirm European
furniture, wooden clocks, coloured glass ornaments, and childrens toys, all of which seems to
the visitor quite out of place, where he would naturally expect a dignified display of Eastern
splendour."
[10]

The reign of Bhopal Singh (1930-55) saw the addition of another pavilion, Chandra Prakash, but
otherwise the Jag Niwas remained unaltered and decaying. Geoffrey Kendal, the noted theatre
personality, described the palace during his visit in the 1950s as "totally deserted, the stillness
broken only by the humming of clouds of mosquitoes."
[11]

Bhagwat Singh he decided to convert the Jag Niwas Palace into Udaipurs first luxury hotel. Didi
Contractor, an American artist, became a design consultant to this hotel project. Didis accounts
gives an insight to the life and responsibility of the new maharana of Udaipur: "I worked from
1961 to 1969 and what an adventure! His Highness, you know, was a real monarch really like
kings always were. So one had a sense of being one of the last people to be an artist for the king.
It felt the way one imagines it was like working in the courts of the Renaissance. It was an
experience of going back in time to an entirely different era, a different world. His Highness was
actually working on a shoestring. He wasnt in dire straits, mind you, but when he came to the
throne he inherited big problems like what to do with the 300 dancing girls that belonged to his
predecessor [Maharana Bhopal Singh]. He tried to offer them scholarships to become nurses but
they didnt want to move out of the palace so what could he do? He had to keep them. They were
old crones by this time and on state occasions I remember they would come to sing and dance
with their ghunghats [veils] down and occasionally one would lift hers to show a wizened old
face underneath. and he had something like twelve state elephants. and he had all these
properties which were deteriorating. The buildings on Jag Niwas were starting to fall down and
basically the Lake Palace was turned into a hotel because it seemed the only viable way that it
could be maintained It was really a job of conservation."
[12]

In 1971, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces took over management of the hotel.
[13]
and added
another 75 rooms.
[14]
In 2000, a second restoration was undertaken. The "Royal Butlers" working
in the hotel are descendents of the original palace retainers
[15]
.
Hawa Mahal
Hawa Mahal or "Hall of the Winds", information given by samiksha malhotraJaipur.

Hawa Mahal (Hindi: , translation: Palace of Winds), is a palace in Jaipur, India. It was
built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, and designed by Lal Chand Usta in the form of
the crown ofKrishna, the Hindu god. It forms part of the City Palace and extends the Zenana or
women's chambers, the chambers of the harem. Its original intention was to allow royal ladies to
observe everyday life in the street below without being seen.
It has five stories and is constructed of red and pink sandstone, highlighted with white
quakeee quick lime. The side facing the street outside the palace complex has 953 small
windows, and the breeze (hawa) which circulates through these windows gives the palace its
name, and keeps it cool even in hot months.
The entrance opens onto a courtyard with a double-storied building on three sides, and one on
the eastern wing with three more stories, which is just one room wide. There are no stairs to
reach the upper floors, only ramps.