I have visited Jaipur twice in the past twenty years. Once a very long time ago, when my uncle took me on a day trip from New Delhi. One day is just not enough, I can tell you that! The second time was in May this year when I happened to visit New Delhi on a work trip.
This second time was slightly better as I spent a weekend in Jaipur. I still couldn't see everything I wanted to see. However, I think I saw enough to write about in this blog post, and share with you all. If you are thinking of a quick weekend getaway to Jaipur, you might find this post useful.
So, without further ado, I go into all the places I was able to visit during my weekend trip.
Amer Fort
Situated about 11km away from the city centre, this is one of the must-visit places if you come to Jaipur.
Built in the 16th century by Man Singh - a trusted general of the Mughal emperor, Akbar - the awe-inspiring architecture combines traditional Rajput and Hindu styles with the gracefully ornate touches characteristic of the Mughal era.
The sandstone complex houses a number of different courtyards and buildings such as Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience) and Sukh Niwas (Hall of Pleasure). The most striking is undoubtedly the Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace). Designed as part of the queen's private apartments, the walls and ceilings of this "Mirror Palace" are sheathed by intricate carvings and paintings made of glass. The guide says that the beguiling Mirror Palace is best seen at night when two candles are lit in complete darkness, creating the effect of thousands of stars glittering in the ceiling!
I loved this place, it's unbelievably beautiful and majestic, and I was transported to the times of the dashing Man Singh and Jodhabai. I now really mean to see the movie Jodha Akbar - the story of Jodhabai and Akbar's marriage.
We went to this place twice - once in the daytime to see all its glories, and again in the evening to see the sound and light show. And yes, it's absolutely worth it visiting the place twice in a day.
They have two shows every evening. The early one is in English, and is the one we attended. The later show is in Hindi with lyrics by Gulzar and narration by Amitabh Bachchan. We opted for the English, because my Hindi is not very strong, and I wasn't sure I would understand everything. But that combination of Gulzar and Bachchan? Wow! I am sure that is the much better show.
If you have more time, you could also traipse across to the neighboring Jaigarh Fort via the 18th century tunnels connecting the two historic landmarks.
Hawa Mahal
Hawa Mahal is the other iconic structure of Jaipur.
Delicately rising in the shape of a crown, the five-storied Hawa Mahal was built in 1799, with the purpose of providing women of the royal household a discreet viewpoint for looking out onto city life (particularly the passing processions).
We didn't have the time to visit the inside of the place. By the time we reached, it was past closing time. However, I did manage to take quite a few (somewhat repetitive) shots of the place.
Don't blame me. It's very very photogenic, and I just couldn't resist clicking away.
Note: I am not very happy with the quality of the photos in this post, and my apologies for that. They were all taken on cellphone and in direct blazing heat from the sun. Some are too washed out as a result.
City Palace
Set in the heart of the Old City, the walled complex of City Palace is a treasure trove of wonders, spanning gardens, courtyards and buildings from different eras. It's a very large place, and extremely hot the afternoon we visited (45c), and we didn't take too many photos of the place. The original palace was built by Sawai Jai Singh in the 1720s and was enlarged and adapted over the centuries by his successors. Btw, this Sawai Jai Singh seems to have been one of the most influential rulers of Jaipur. I didn't know too much about him before I visited, but he seems to have been one of the more progressive and forward looking rulers who has left his stamp on the city even today.
I wish I had photos of the City Palace to share with you but I don't. While we visited every nook and corner of it end to end, we were just too drained to take any photos. Or, rather we did, but they have come out too horribly to share here.
I am pretty sure you don't want to be reading paragraphs of prose about this place without any photos so I"ll spare you that. All I can say is that the major major attractions are the Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas, Mubarak Mahal, and Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum (the absolute most interesting place in the palace).
The City Palace is a must-visit if you are going to Jaipur. Just don't go in the peak of summer like we did.
Chokhi Dhani
To get an immersive cultural experience in just a couple of hours, Chokhi Dhani is the place to go. It may be a bit on the touristy side, but we had a blast going around all the cultural stalls, watching the traditional dance performances (I twirled around a bit myself!), the magicians, and some window shopping.
We went in the evening so that we could walk around the place, and then end the day with the massive Rajasthani thali dinner that this place is so famous for.
The atmosphere in this place is very festive - it's loud and colorful, and captures the rural side of Rajasthan perfectly.
The food was enjoyable (but way too much). Go there with empty bellies, or you won't be able to do justice to the thali. I couldn't take photos of the thali as I was eating with my fingers. So... yeah, this is a totally useless travel / food blog post. Ouch 🙁 .
Overall, a great place to hang out and spend a couple of hours.
Jal Mahal
I found this to be one of the most photogenic sites in Jaipur. Jal Mahal (Water Palace) is not open to tourists, but nevertheless you can stand on the lake shore and take some snaps of the place.
So, that's what we did. Spent a couple of minutes taking shots before proceeding on to other activities.
Shopping
Jaipur is a shopaholic's paradise. They have everything from home wares, clothes, jewelry, and so much more. The artisans are incredibly talented, and we had a hard time walking away from the various shops. We ended up carrying heavy bags lugging everything through train and flight.
And then! When we got home, a little google searching revealed that most of what we bought could have been easily purchased online on Amazon and various other retailers!
Still, the excitement from my kids when I came back with bags laden with stuff is not to be beaten. My son especially loved the elephant blanket and the kurta pajama I got for him.
Snubnose is not so much interested in clothes and blankets. Her current obsession is sneakers. So that's what I got her 🙂 . It may not be a travel souvenir but it made her happy enough and those sneakers (Adidas Gazelle if you need to know), have not left her feet since (very minor exaggeration here).
So, that was all we managed to visit during our weekend in Jaipur. We stopped at other places too such as Jantar Mantar and Albert's museum. Unfortunately though, they were closed by the time we visited.
Never mind! Something left for another day. I loved my experience there so much I am determined to bring my family along for a full-on Rajasthan tour some day.
Fingers crossed!
Resources
Some websites you might want to refer to while planning a trip to Jaipur: