 The
Prince of Wales came to visit Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, in 1867. In
order to show their hospitality, the city was painted pink (pink being the
colour in Rajput culture to express hospitality), hence Jaipur’s surname:
‘the pink city’. Not only the remnants of the old city parts give a
colourful impression. In Jaipur, many tribal people dress up in their
traditional costumes and sell bangles and other handicrafts at one of the
many street markets. These markets are especially concentred in the older
area of the city that is enclosed within a long wall (at least within what
is left of it) with seven gates.
The jewellery markets are good places to spend your time and money. The
Iswari Minar Swarga Sul minaret and the city palace are both interesting
historical sights and landmarks. Both the Jantar Mantar (observatory) and
the central museum will keep you from the city’s hustle and bustle for
quite some time.
However, the main reason why Jaipur is famous is because of its Hawa
Mahal, or ‘Palace of the Winds’. Although you might expect it to be a bit
more impressive, it sure makes a strange impression to see this red
sand-stone palace amidst all Jaipur’s recent hustle and bustle. The story
goes that the ladies of Singh’s harem where not allowed to go outside, but
that they were allowed to look outside without being spotted by the
ordinary people. Hence they all got their own window and in case you’re
wondering, don’t start counting. There are 953 of those little windows that
served as a gateway to a little glimpse of city life and, probably, freedom.
Another historical place worth visiting is the Amer Palace.
A good place to stay while there is the Rambagh Palace, which is a big
palatial hotel right in the heart of the city.
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