Jaipur, India: one of the cities that most travelers do not miss on a trip through Northern India. Jaipur is the capital of the state of Rajasthan and is also called the pink city. Jaipur owes its name to the pink city to the color of many buildings. In this part of India the color pink stands for hospitality and that is why Jaipur was painted pink when the Prince of Wales came to visit in 1876. Although this color is not really pink, but more terracotta, it remains special. Jaipur has many highlights, but you should definitely not miss these 7!
1. THE BAZAARS OF JAIPUR
Jaipur has several bazaars where you can shop until you drop. Colorful saris, jewelery, souvenirs, you name it! I thought Bapu Bazaar was the best bazaar for clothing and souvenirs in Jaipur. You will find a lot of clothing, jewelery and souvenirs here and it is very busy with sometimes persistent sellers. you can book your ride with taxi for rajasthan tour.
THE JOHARI BAZAR
Do you want to go to a slightly more ‘authentic’ bazaar in Jaipur? Near the City Palace is the Johari Bazar, easily the best place in the city to buy jewelry and clothing, or just to look at of course. Indians also do their shopping here and you will find many herbal shops.
THE FLOWER MARKET
Another market in Jaipur which is certainly worthwhile is the small flower market. Here, wreaths of flowers are made and flowers for the temples are sold.
2. GALTA JI TEMPLE (MONKEY TEMPLE)
Another place of interest located a little way outside of Jaipur is Galta Ji, a Hindu temple that has been virtually abandoned by people. The Galta Ji Temple, is also called the Monkey temple, because, yes, there are many monkeys. The temple complex below is certainly worth it, although it has fallen somewhat, but it becomes really special when you walk the nearly 2 kilometer long road to the Sun Temple. The route is perhaps a climb in the Indian warmth, but the view over Jaipur that you have from the top, certainly makes up for this. At the top you will be greeted by the inhabitant of the temple, who will welcome you by putting a Bindiya (red dot on your forehead) and a Rakhi (red-yellow cord that offers protection) around your wrist. The tranquility of this place is almost overwhelming in busy India.
3. BOLLYWOOD CINEMA RAJ MANDIR CINEMA
The famous Raj Mandir Cinema is the place to be in Jaipur to watch a Bollywood movie. For those who have always wanted to go to an authentic Indian cinema, Raj Mandir shows one or more Bollywood films every day. Even if you are not interested in the film, the experience is more than worth it. Despite the fact that the films mainly speak Hindi (with some English in between), you will experience a fantastic evening. The plot of every Bollywood film is reasonably predictable, but it is the enthusiasm of the audience that makes watching the film an experience here. For example, when ‘the kiss’ finally comes, the entire room shouts. It is not possible to watch a film quietly in this cinema, babies are taken quietly into the room and mobile phones are simply picked up by the Indians. But all that makes it such a hilarious place. Be on time when buying tickets, because the screenings are sold out quickly.
4. AMBER FORT
With its 1.4 million visitors per year (5000 per day), the Amber fort is one of the most touristic places in India, but certainly no less special. It’s not for nothing that this impressive building is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not only is the view from the fort beautiful, the inside is also very beautiful, especially the ‘mirror palace’. Make sure you don’t get lost in all the narrow aisles! Pay attention to sellers and ‘helpful’ people here who want to show you a special place, in the end they ask for money for this. This also applies to Indian ‘photogenic’ women with historical clothing.
5. NAHARGAH FORT
Also on this side of Jaipur, about a 20-minute drive from the Amber Fort, is the Nahargah fort. You can reach this fortress if you don’t mind burning some extra calories, climbing over a hill. Be prepared for groups of Indians who will stare at you in amazement. Once upstairs you have a beautiful view of the city.
6. CITY PALACE, JAIPUR
In the center of Jaipur’s Old City you will find the City Palace, for a few hundred rupees you can enter here. Inside are large collections of old weapons and silverware and many of the halls and rooms are beautifully decorated. The maharaja (ruler) of Jaipur lives today in this complex of gardens, courtyards and buildings. There are many stories about this place, one of the most special I found of the life-sized silver vases made for Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II. This man took the vases on his journey to England, filled with the holy water from the Ganges. This water was his own drinking water !!
If you are interested in astronomy, the largest stone observatory in the world, Jantar Mantar, is also worth a visit. You will find this near the entrance of the City Palace.
7. HAWA MAHAL (WIND PALACE)
The facade of the Hawal Mahal palace, also called the Wind Palace, with its five floors and 953 windows can be called impressive. The special thing about this building is that it is only one room deep, so it is actually not much more than that impressive facade. The palace was therefore built for one purpose only, to ensure that the king’s harem women could see the annual parade without being seen themselves. With taxi rental service in udaipur you will get to see all the places.
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