ABOUT JAIPUR

The city of victory - was originally Sawai Jaipur named after its founder Sawai Jai Singh in 1727 A.D. It epitomizes the dreams of a visionary kachhwaha rular who wanted to build a planned capital city with the creative ideas of his talented designer and builder Vidyadhar. On a dried lake bed beneath Amer. Sawai Jai Singh's hill fort. He build a new capital naming it Jaipur after himself "Jai" coincidentally also means victory. In course of time the sunset-pink ting of its walls, building, temples and emporia gave it the name pink city, the name by which it became famous throughout the world.

Jai Singh envisaged this first planned city as the capital of united Rajputana a centre of government. Trade and workmanship some 250 years later his foresight brought his ambition to reality.

In 1948 after independence Maharaja Mansingh II become "Rajpramukh" Head of the Rajputana renamed Rajasthan Jaipur became the administrative and commercial capital of a democratized collection of former princely states.

Jaipur was build by Vidyadhar in a grid system with wide straight avenues roads streets and lanes and uniform rows of shops on either side of the main bazaar, all arranged in nine rectangular sectors called CHOKRIS. At its heart stands the palace which occupied two sectors. The city was an attractive creation worthy of universal admiration. The Principal monuments are concentrated around the centrally situated palace sector called Chokri Sarhad. The city follows the principle of the Hindu architectural treatise - the "SHILPA SHASTRA".

Situated at a height 431 meters above the sea level there are various legends as to why Jaipur is called the Pink City two of which are worthy of mention.

It was believed that the Prince of Wales late Edward VII visited India in 1876 A.D. during the reign of Jai Sigh. On his arrival he was accorded a warm welcome and the entire city was paved with pink Bajri or fine gravel thus giving it the name Pink City. Another theory is that Maharaja Jai Singh II was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. As terracotta is the favorite colour of the Lord he painted the entire city pink