Jaipur

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Jaipur

Jaipur (Hindi: जयपुर, Urdu: جے پور), also popularly known as the Pink City, historically sometimes rendered as Jeypore, is the capital of Rajasthan state, India. Jaipur is also the capital of Jaipur District. Jaipur is the former capital of a princely state of the same name. The city was founded in 1728 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber. The population in 2003 was approximately 2.7 million.

The city was built of pink stucco in imitation of sandstone, and is remarkable among pre-modern Indian cities for the width and regularity of its streets. The city is laid out into six quarters, 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 (the Hawa Mahal, or palace of winds), formal gardens, and a small lake. Narhargarh (fort) crowns the hill in the northwest corner of the old city. Another noteworthy building is Sawai Jai Singh's observatory, Jantar Mantar. Jaipur, with its rich and colourful past, resplendent with tales of valour and bravery is now one of the most important heritage cities in India, and is a must-see for tourists coming to India.

Jaipur is considered by many urbanists to be one of the best planned cities. Almost all Indian towns of that period presented a chaotic picture of narrow twisting lances, a confusion of run-down forts/temples/palaces and temporary shacks that bore no resemblence at all to the principles set out in Hindu architectural manuals, which calls for strict geometric planning. Thus, for Sawai Jai Singh and the Bengali Guru Vidyadhar (who belonged to the 'Shaspati' order of Hindu Priest Architects), the founding of Jaipur was also a ritual and a golden opportunity to plan a whole town according to the principles of Hindu architectural theory. The town of Jaipur is infact, built in the form of a nine-part Mandala known as the 'Pithapada'.

In the 19th century the city grew rapidly and became prosperous, with a population of 160,000 in 1900, and the city's wide boulevards were paved and lit with gas. Its chief industries were in metals and marble, which are fostered by a school of art, founded in 1868. There was also a wealthy and enterprising community of native bankers. The city had three colleges and several hospitals.

Princely Jaipur

During the British Raj, Jaipur was the capital of a princely state of the same name. Jaipur state, which existed from the twelfth century until Indian Independence in 1947, took its name from the city. It had a total area of 15,579 square miles (40,349 km²) in 1900. The maharajas of Jaipur belonged to the Kachwaha clan of Rajputs, claiming descent from Rama, king of Ayodhya. The state is said to have been founded about 1128 by Dhula Rai, who hailed from Narwar; he and his Kachwaha kinsmen are said to have absorbed or driven out the local Meenas chiefs and Bargujar rajputs. Their original capital in the Dhundhar region was Dausa, Ramgarth then Amber before the shift to Jaipur. The ruling dynasty of Jaipur provided the Mughal empire with some of their most distinguished generals. Among them were Man Singh I, who fought and governed from Kabul to Orissa and Assam; Jai Singh I, commonly known by his imperial title of Mirza Raja, whose name appears in all the wars of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb; and Jai Singh II, or Sawai Jai Singh, the famous mathematician and astronomer, and the founder of Jaipur city. Throughout the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, the armies of Jaipur were in a constant state of warfare. Towards the end of the 18th century, the Jats of Bharatpur and the chief of Alwar (Also a Kachwaha Raja) declared themselves independent from Jaipur and each annexed the eastern portion of Jaipur's territory. This period of Jaipur's history is characterized by internal power-struggles and constant military conflicts with the Marathas, Jats, other Rajput states, as well as the British and the Pindaris (Jaipur's former mercenary allies). Nevertheless enough wealth remained in Jaipur for the patronage of fine temples/palaces, continuity of its courtly traditions and the well-being of its citizens and merchant communities. By a treaty in 1818 Jaipur state entered into subsidiary alliance with the Brithish. In 1835 there was a serious disturbance in the city, after which the British government intervened. The state later became well-governed and prosperous. During the Revolt of 1857, the maharaja assisted the British.

While the Princely States were dissolved when Jaipur merged with the Union of India, Jaipur's current (albeit titular) Maharaja is H.H. Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh Bahadur. He has no official powers, but the people look up to him.

Location

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.

Distance from major cities

Delhi-261 km
Ahmedabad-625 km
Chandigarh-510 km
Mumbai-1,176 km
Calcutta-1,472 km
Agra-246 km

Climate and rainfall

The climate of the district is dry and healthy and is subject to extremities of cold and heat during winter and summer respectively, due to proximity to the Thar Desert. The minimum and maximum temperatures recorded in the district varies from 8 to 48 degrees Celsius. Normal annual rainfall is 556 mm.

Infrastructure

As Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan state, it is fully equipped with all infrastructural facilities.

Electricity

Jaipur district receives hydroelectric power from the Chambal Hydel system. 100% of the total of 2,131 villages in the district receive electricity as of March 2000.

Water

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.

Road transport

Jaipur city is the capital of the state and is centrally located. The National Highway No.8 links Delhi to Ahmedabad and No.11, linking Bikaner to Agra passes through Jaipur district to a total length of 366 km. The total length of different types of roads in the district was about 4,102 km as of March 2000.

Rail transport

Jaipur district is connected with metre gauge rail route with Sri Ganganagar, Ajmer, Udaipur and Sirohi. Jaipur is also connected with major centres of neighbouring states such as Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Delhi. Recently, Jaipur has been connected to the broad gauge system, enabling direct connections to cities like Sawai Madhopur, Kota, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Bombay, Howrah, Lucknow, Kanpur & Delhi.

Air transport

Jaipur's Sanganer Airport offers sporadic service to London, Dublin, Singapore and Dubai. Jaipur also has well connected domestic air links with Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Delhi and Mumbai.

Communication facilities

Post offices 599 Telegraph offices 143 Telecom centres 9 PCOs 859 Telephone exchanges 150

Places to see

Nahargarh Fort

Amber Fort The Amber Palace complex overlooking the artificial lake south of Amber town is one of the most popular tourist sites in the city, famous for its mixture of Hindu and Muslim architecture, and offering elephant rides from the town up to the palace courtyard. However, although the structure is today known as Amber fort, the complex was initiatlly a Palace Complex within the Fort of Amber which is today known as Jaigarh fort.

Jaigarh Fort The Jaigarh Fort on the hills above the Amber Palace complex offers stunning views of the foothills of the Aravalli range, as well as attractions such as immense underground water-storage tanks, a medieval canon foundry and an impressive collection of medieval cannons including the Jaivana which is reputed to be the world's largest cannon on wheels. Historically this was the original Amber Fort, although it became known as Jaigarh from the time of Sawai Jai Singh II onwards.

Janter Manter is a astromonical laboratory setup by Maharaja of Jaipur.
Jal Mahal
Sri Gopinath Ji is a Temple
Sri Galata Ji is a Temple
Sri Govind Dev Temple is a Temple
Sri Gayatri Temple is a Temple

Educational facilities/institutions

University of Rajasthan 45 Colleges, 2 Agricultural colleges, 22 Engineering colleges, 2 Polytechnical colleges, 1 Medical colleges, 554 Secondary & higher secondary schools, 1,460 Higher primary schools, 2,905 Primary schools, 6 ITIs, 2 Agricultural research centre and 1 International Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship

Industry

No. of large & medium scale running units: 48 No. of small scale units: 19,544 No. of industrial areas: 19

Bagru, Bassi, Bais Godam, Bindyaka, Dudu, Hirawala, Jetpura, Jhotwara, Kaladera, Kanakpura, Kartarpura, Malviya Nagar, Phulera, Renwal, Sanganeer, Shahpura, Sitapura, Sudarshanpur and Vishwakarma.

Main industrial products

Jaipur district is a centre for both modern and traditional industry. Acetylene gas, ACSR (Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced) cable, ball bearings, bottling of LPG, ceramics, pottery, cold roll strips, common salt, corrugated boxes, deoiled cakes, durries, dyeing and printing, edible oil, electronic items, engraving on brass items, ferrous and non-ferrous castings, gems and jewellery, general engineering and manufacturing, granite slabs and tiles, hand made paper, handicraft items, halogen auto bulbs, hawai chappals, household electrical appliances, HT steel strips, iodized salt, lamps, laminated springs for railways, marble statues, marble tiles & slabs, moulded plastic components for electronics, perfumes, pigment colours, plastic containers, P.P. multifilament yarn, PVC cables, PVC doors, PVC footwear, canvas shoes, nitrochlorobenzene, oxygen gas, Portland cement, readymade garments, re-roller products, steel furniture, steel ingots, stone grits, synthetic leather, synthetic suits & shirts, tablets and capsules, two way radio and line, washing soap, wheat maida, suji, atta, woollen carpet, refined vegetable oil and vanaspati ghee.

Export items

Brass and lacquer work, enamel work, gems and jewellery, granite tiles, handloom, marble statues, printed cloth and textiles, readymade garments, woollen and silk carpets.

External links

Jaipur - The Pink City of India
Flickr photos tagged with Jaipur
Jaipur & Amber Fort - photo gallery
Photographic Gallery - A Photographic Gallery by Steven Caudill
jaipur- pink city of india
Gayatri Shaktipeeth, Vatika - *Gayatri Temple Jaipur

Indian Princely States | Cities and towns in Rajasthan | Indian state-capitals | Tourism in Rajasthan | Jaipur

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