China Tours

 Jaipur also popularly known as the Pink City is the capital of Rajasthan State, India. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, founded the city in 1727. Built of pink stucco in imitation of sandstone, the city is remarkable among pre-modern Indian cities for the width and regularity of its streets. 

 Jaipur is home to some India’s most popular destinations for tourists such as the Hawa Mahal, which is a palace built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799, Jantar Mantar an observatory built from stones and marbles, and Amber Fort comprised of palaces, halls, pavilions, gardens and temples.

 Jaipur is considered by many people to be one of the best-planned cities. Almost all 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 calls for strict geometric planning. Thus, for Sawai Jai Singh II 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 in fact, 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. In 2003 the population was approximately 2.7 million.

Hawa Mahal

 Hawa Mahal, or the "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. The Hawa Mahal forms part of the City Palace and extends the Zenana or women's chambers. 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 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.

Jantar Mantar

 The Jantar Mantar is an observatory built between 1728 to 1734 by Maharajah Jai Singh II of Jaipur. Jantar Mantar is only 1 of 5 observatories created by Jai Singh and is also the largest and best preserved one. Jantar Mantar, which means 'enchanted device', is made of stones, consisting of fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars in their orbits, ascertaining the declinations of planets, and determining the celestial altitudes and related ephemerides.

Amber Fort Palace

 Agra Fort, also known as Lal Qila, Fort Rouge and Red Fort of Agra, is about 2.5 km northwest of its much more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled palatial city. 

 By most estimates, the fort was taken over from the Lodis by the Moghuls in the late 16th century, by Akbar the Great. During his reign, he shifted the government of his empire from Delhi to Agra. Because of this, much of Agra flourished and the site of the old Lodis fort began changing into more of a royal estate. Akbar tended to build from red sandstone, often inlaid with white marble and intricate decorations. 

 It was only during the reign of Akbar's grandson, Shah Jahan, that the site finally took on its current state. Legend fortells that Shah Jahan built the beautiful Taj Mahal for his wife. Unlike his grandfather, Shah Jahan tended to have buildings made from white marble, often inlaid with gold or semi-precious gems. He destroyed some of the earlier buildings inside the fort in order to make his own. 

 At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son, Aurangzeb, in the fort, a punishment which might not seem so harsh, considering the luxury of the fort. It is rumored that Shah Jahan died in Muasamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony with an excellent view of the Taj Mahal. 

 This was also a site of one of the battles during the Indian rebellion of 1857, which caused the end of the British East India Company's rule in India, and led to a century of direct rule of India by Britain.