City Palace, Jaipur

The pink city of Jaipur, once ruled by the Rajputs, is famous for its historical forts and beautiful, which are further major centre of attraction among the tourists from all across the globe. Among all these structures stands the proud complex of royal residences, the City Palace, which even today speaks of the golden days of the Rajputs in Rajasthan.

History
The awesome structure of the City palace in Jaipur traces its history back to the 18th century Ce, when the founder of the Jaipur pink city, Maharaja Jai Singh II of the Kachhwaha Rajput clan had constructed its outer walls. However, it got a proper planning and was then reconstructed in 1900 CE and the following years till the first half of the 20th century by his successors.


Architecture
The City Palace, whose most of the parts were designed by a Britisher Sir Swinton Jacob, is basically a giant complex of early royal residences, courtyards, gardens and other palatial buildings. Presenting a synthesis of the Rajajasthani, Mughal and British architectural style, the palace can be entered from Atish Pol - its gateway. The gateway leads to the first courtyard - the Mubarak Mahal, which was built in the 20th century by Maharaja Madho Singh II, and now is more of a museum exhibiting ancient royal textiles, with its main treasure being the spanned out pyjamas and coat, which belonged to Sawai Madho Singh I, who was 6.5 feet tall, about 4 feet wide and weighed about 250 kilograms. The Munbarak Mahal has a beautifully carved marble gate with heavy brass doors on either side of this gate, thus adding to its exquisiteness. Nearby the museum, stands 'Sileh Khana', once the palace of Maharani(Queen), presenting a large collection of 15th century weapons, carpets and other antiques.

Besides, there is a famous temple inside the palace, known as the Shri Govind Temple, which once used to be a divine place of worship for the Hindu Rajputs. Then comes the Diwan-I-Khas, an open hall with a marble paved gallery, which was more of a hall of Private audience, displaying two silver vessels mentioned in the Guinness book of World Records. A magnificent work of art, the Diwan-I-Aam, which used to be a hall for Public Audience, acts as a art gallery with its intricate decorations and manuscripts in the Persian and Sanskrit languages.

But on the whole, the 'Chandra Mahal' or the Moon Palace is the 'crown' of the beautiful City Palace with a huge collection of paintings, mirror work on walls and floral decorations. It has seven floor, each with an excellent work of art. The lower two levels comprises the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, while the 'Sukh Niwas' or the hall of rest shelters the drawing room and the dining area. The fourth floor, which pampers the 'Shobha Niwas' or the Hall of Beauty, has been decorated with mirrors all over along with gold leaf and mica decorations. The 'Chavi Niwas' or the hall of images lie on the fifth floor, whereas the sixth floor is famous for offering a beautiful view of the surrounding area. The uppermost floor, which is known as the 'Mukut Mahal' or the crown building, also reflects the skills of the artisans with its wonderful architecture.

How to Reach
» Airways - The nearest airport is the Sanganer airport, which is well connected to the major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Luckhnow and others by a good network of flights.
» Railways - The nearest railway station is at Jaipur, which is well linked to Delhi, Ahmedabad and other major cities of India.
» Roadways - Jaipur is well connected with Delhi(258 km), Mumbai (1,202 km) and other cities of India by National Highway number 8 and can be easily reached from different places by bus, coach or a private taxi.