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INTRODUCTION
Jaipur is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan in Northern India. It was founded on 18 November 1726 by Maharaja Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amer after
whom the city is named.
As of 2011, the city has a
population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most
populous city in the country.
Jaipur is also known as the Pink
City of India. Jaipur is
located 260 km (162 miles) from the Indian capital New Delhi. Jaipur forms a part of the west Golden Triangletourist circuit along with Agra (240 km, 149 mi).
Jaipur is a popular tourist destination in India and serves as a gateway to othertourist destinations
in Rajasthan such as Jodhpur (348 km, 216 mi), Jaisalmer (571 km,
355 mi) Udaipur (421 km, 262 mi).
andMount Abu (520 km,
323 mi).
CUSINE
One of the most delightful aspects of a
visit to the ‘pink city’ is the culinary delights of Rajasthan, the main
cuisine of Jaipur. The capital of Rajput kings had an impressive array of
mouth-watering delights, kept closely guarded by the royal chefs. Some of them
have been passed on through generations, sadly the rest have been lost.
As a matter of prestige the royal cooks were encouraged to experiment and serve
unusual dishes to guests. Legends tell tales of cooks trying to impress their
guests by presenting at least one unforgettable item on the menu.
The royal guests were served savory
dishes made from stuffed camels, goats, pigs and peacocks. The food was served
in gold and silver utensils, scores of utensils used each serving.
Jaipur is a city of royalty, a land which has served rich food to the Kings and
queens of the royal family. The imperial kitchens of Rajasthan used to employ
‘Khansamas’ (the royal cooks) to make the best gastronomy.
The Pink city still serves the best delicacies to its residents and tourists.
If you are planning a trip to Jaipur, leave your worries aside as the city has
myriad number of restaurants. Almost all the restaurants serve every type of
cuisine, so you need not to think about what to eat.
Jaipur is famous for its Dal Batti, Churma, Mawa Kachori, Ghewar, Mirchi Bada,
Rajasthani Subji and different kinds of Chapattis.
Typical dishes include Dal Baati Churma, Missi Roti. Sweet dishes include
Ghevar, Feeni, Gajak, Chauguni ke laddu, Moong Thal.
Dal Baati choorma, popular name for a preparation comprising Dal and Baati, is
a very well known dish of Rajasthan.
Recognized as a Rajasthan speciality, Dal-baati-choorma is a wholesome
Rajasthani meal. Dal, or lentil curry, is served with Baati, a roundel of
stuffed flour that’s baked in a charcoal fire or oven. Choorma is a sweet dish
made with flour, jaggery or sugar and ghee.
Dal is basically prepared from tuvaar
dal. Tuvaar dal is first boiled in pressure cooker and after that it is
prepared for the tadka. First the oil is heated in the frying pan and then
rai-jeera are sprinkled into it then put green meshed chili and garlic then all
spices including salt, hing, red chili, turmeric, coriander, ginger and many
more spices are mixed into it.
And finally we put the boiled tuvaar dal into this paste.
Baati is basically hard bread made up of wheat powder commonly known as aata.
First we mesh wheat powder with little bit of salt and water. Then we prepare
tennis ball size round balls of this mixture and put it in well heated cow dung
cake. After it gets brown color it’s been taken out and stuffed in Ghee.
Baati comes in varieties acts as a substitute for rotis. You could opt for plain
baati, or try the more exotic masala, dry fruit or missi baatis. Baati is made
out of wheat flour, millet or a mix of maize and wheat flour, with loads of
ghee.
There is also an unending variety in churma – the color of which depends on the
ingredients.
This Dal-Baati choorma is then served with Rava Ladoo, rice, pudina chaatni,
Kari (green mango) chaatni, green salad with excess of onion and fresh curd
milk. It has the highest number of calories. 100grams of Dal Baati has 99grams
of calories.
HISTORY
The now capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur was built in 1727 AD by
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. It is from his name that the city extracts its
name. Jaipur happens to be the first planned city of India. Maharaja Jai Singh,
who was only 11 years old, came into power after the demise of his father
Maharaja Bishan Singh.
Kachwaha Rajputs, who came into power in
12th century, are said to be Jai Singh's ancestors. Their rivalry with Sisodia
Rajputs, rulers of Mewar, helped them in their alliance with Mughals. Mughals too
helped the Kachwaha Rajputs against Sisodia Rajputs, resulting in Kachwahas
attaining a reputed place in Rajasthan.
They ruled the kingdoms of Mewar (Udaipur) and Marwar (Jodhpur) from the
glorious Amber Fort. Jai Singh supported Aurangzeb's son Azam Shah in the
battle of succession, which created unrest among people. But Azam Shah lost
this bid to throne to his brother Bahadur Shah.
Azam Shah then demanded the removal of Jai Singh
from the throne. With the ally of Mughals, Jai Singh brought himself back to
power.
The kingdom flourished in his reign and Jai Singh built his capital around
Amber Fort and Jaipur was eventually developed as India's first ever planned
city by chief architect from Bengal, Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya. Vidhyadhar
Bhattacharya, following the principles of Shilpa Shastra (the science of Indian
architecture), and referencing the ancient Indian knowledge on astronomy,
further developed and discussed the plan with Jai Singh.
It is said that the foundation of the city was laid down on 18th November 1727
by Jai Singh himself. It took minutely plans strategies and 4 years for the
city's major places-the roads, the square, palaces and the fortification of the
boundaries-to come to form.
After the death of Jai Singh in 1744, his sons
fought for power and without a king, the city became open to intrusion by
neighbouring states
. Rajputs and Marathas took over most of Jaipur. Later in 1876, Maharaja Ram
Singh adorned the city in pink colour, which is supposed to be associated with
hospitality, to welcome the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) to the
city; and thus it acquired the name Pink City. Ramgarh Lake was also built by
Maharaja Ram Singh to provide water to the budding and prospering city.
In 1922, the throne was taken over by
Man Singh II, and it was at that time, buildings like secretariat, schools, and
hospitals were built. After India got independence, Jaipur merged with Jodhpur,
Jaisalmer and Bikaner to form the largest state of India with Jaipur as its
capital.
PLACES TO VISIT
Jaipur is a major tourist destination in India forming a part of the Golden Triangle. In the 2008 Conde Nast Traveller
Readers Choice Survey, Jaipur was ranked the 7th best place to visit in Asia.
According to TripAdvisor's 2015
Traveller's Choice Awards for Destination, Jaipur ranked 1st among the Indian
destination for the year. The
Presidential Suite at the Raj Palace Hotel, billed at US$45,000 per
night, was listed in second place on CNN's World's 15 most expensive hotel suites in 2012.
Jaipur Exhibition & Convention Centre (JECC) is Rajasthan’s biggest
convention and exhibition centre. It
is famous for organising events such as Vastara, Jaipur Jewellery Show,
Stonemart 2015 and Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership Summit 2015.
Visitor attractions include the Hawa Mahal, Jal Mahal, City Palace, Amer Fort, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh Fort, Jaigarh Fort, Galtaji, Govind Dev Ji Temple, Garh Ganesh Temple, Sri
Kali Temple, Birla Mandir, Sanganeri Gate and the Jaipur Zoo.
The Jantar Mantar observatory and Amer Fort are
one of the World Heritage Sites. Hawa
Mahal is a five-storey pyramidal shaped monument with 953 windows that rises 15 metres (50 ft) from
its high base. Sisodiya Rani Bagh and Kanak Vrindavan are
the major parks in Jaipur.
Another major tourist attraction is
Chokhi Dhani, which is a Rajasthani ethnic village themed resort &
restaurant. The place homes a small village with a mix of activities like Camel
riding, Maze, Palm reading, Magic Shows, Rajasthani dances and a typical
Rajasthani dinner. Raj Mandir is one of the most famous Cinema hall
(movie hall) of Jaipur.
With changing times city has
added various shopping malls. Nahargarh Fort is the main tourist spot and you
can see whole Jaipur from the peak of a hill. The best time to visit the fort
is at night which will give you a twinkling view of the Jaipur city.
TRANSPORTATION
The now
capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur was built in 1727 AD by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh
II. It is from his name that the city extracts its name. Jaipur happens to be
the first planned city of India.
Maharaja Jai Singh, who was only 11 years old, came into power after the demise
of his father Maharaja Bishan Singh. Kachwaha Rajputs, who came into power in
12th century, are said to be Jai Singh's ancestors.
Their rivalry with Sisodia Rajputs, rulers of
Mewar, helped them in their alliance with Mughals. Mughals too helped the
Kachwaha Rajputs against Sisodia Rajputs, resulting in Kachwahas attaining a
reputed place in Rajasthan.
They ruled the kingdoms of Mewar (Udaipur) and
Marwar (Jodhpur) from the glorious Amber Fort. Jai Singh supported Aurangzeb's
son Azam Shah in the battle of succession, which created unrest among people.
But Azam Shah lost this bid to throne to his brother Bahadur Shah.
Azam Shah then demanded the removal of Jai Singh
from the throne. With the ally of Mughals, Jai Singh brought himself back to
power. The kingdom flourished in his reign and Jai Singh built his capital
around Amber Fort and Jaipur was eventually developed as India's first ever
planned city by chief architect from Bengal, Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya.
Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya, following the principles of Shilpa Shastra (the
science of Indian architecture), and referencing the ancient Indian knowledge
on astronomy, further developed and discussed the plan with Jai Singh.
It is said that the foundation of the city was laid down on 18th November 1727
by Jai Singh himself. It took minutely plans strategies and 4 years for the
city's major places-the roads, the square, palaces and the fortification of the
boundaries-to come to form.
After the death of Jai Singh in 1744, his sons
fought for power and without a king, the city became open to intrusion by
neighbouring states. Rajputs and Marathas took over most of Jaipur.
Later in
1876, Maharaja Ram Singh adorned the city in pink colour, which is supposed to
be associated with hospitality, to welcome the Prince of Wales (later King
Edward VII) to the city; and thus it acquired the name Pink City. Ramgarh Lake
was also built by Maharaja Ram Singh to provide water to the budding and
prospering city.
In 1922, the throne was taken over by
Man Singh II, and it was at that time, buildings like secretariat, schools, and
hospitals were built. After India got independence, Jaipur merged with Jodhpur,
Jaisalmer and Bikaner to form the largest state of India with Jaipur as its
capital.
CULTURE
Jaipur has many cultural sites like Jawahar Kala Kendra formed by Architect Charles Correa and Ravindra Manch. Government Central
Museum hosts several arts and antiquities. There is a government museum at Hawa Mahal and
an art gallery at Viratnagar. There are statues depicting Rajasthani culture around the city.
Jaipur has many traditional shops
selling antiques and handicrafts. The prior rulers of Jaipur patronised a
number of arts and crafts. They invited skilled artisans, artists and craftsmen
from India and abroad who settled in the city.
Some of the crafts include bandhani, block printing, stone carving and sculpture, tarkashi, zari, gota-patti, kinari and zardozi, silver
jewellery, gems, kundan, meenakari and jewellery, Lakh ki Chudiya, miniature paintings, blue pottery, ivory carving, shellac work and leather ware.
With a wonderful combination of ancient royal heritage and ultra-modern
life method Jaipur displays a cool presentation of urban lifestyle.
Jaipur has its own performing arts. The Jaipur Gharana for Kathak is one of
the three gharanas of the major north Indian classical dance form of Kathak.
The jaipur Gharana of Kathak is
known for its rapid intricate dance forms, vivacious body movements and subtle
Abhinaya.
The dance of Ghoomar is a
popular folk dance style. Tamasha
is an art form where Kathputli puppet dance is shown in play form.
Jaipur has four majors fairs and festivals namely Elephant Festival, Gangaur, Kite Festival Jaipur and Teej.
Jaipur is also famous for the Jaipur Literature Festival,
the world's largest free literature festival in which country-wide authors,
writers and literature lovers participate.
ECONOMY
The economy of Jaipur has seen a boom over the last few years. While the
family owned small businesses had been one of the main contributors to its
economy over the past several decades, various large scale industries are now
being established here.
At the same time, Jaipur’s family
owned businesses manufacturing traditional Rajasthani goods including
Rajasthani clothes, foot wear, handicraft items and the likes are now expanding
with most of the business owners setting up their branches in other parts of
the country.
Today Jaipur has become a hub of both traditional and contemporary
industries. The skilled artisans in the city have helped in the growth of the
traditional industries here and the educated youth of today is contributing
towards the growth of the modern industries.
It has been observed that more and more industries are now setting up in
the smaller towns and cities in India as the cost of living in these places is
comparatively lower than the metropolitan and the quality of life is better.
The infrastructure and work life
offered by such cities is also better in comparison with that in the bigger
cities. Jaipur is proud to be one of the cities that has attracted several
businesses over the years. Its economic growth has also been a result of the
large deposits of precious gems that are found here. It is known to be one of
the largest exporters of diamond, gold and stone jewelry.
In the year 2012 RBI ranked the
city as the ninth largest credit centre and the eleventh largest deposit centre
across the country. Besides the various industries establishing in Jaipur, it
has also emerged as a global outsourcing city gradually.
Jaipur bagged the 31st position
among the 50 Emerging Global Outsourcing cities in the year 2008. Genpact,
Infosys and various other big companies have their BPO in the city.
DEMOGRAPHY
Founded and decorated by the Maharaja Sawai
Jai Singh, Jaipur is an out an out planned city. All its roads and by lanes are
formed in a grid pattern, and that makes the orientation absolutely easy.
While the old part of the city is a cluster
of historical spots, the new extension is facilitated with all items of
urbanization like stunning shopping malls, food courts, branded restaurants,
and multiplexes.
There
are three interconnecting road in this new extended portion and these are
Sansar Chandra Marg, Mirza Ismail road (MI road), and Station Road. Most of the
good hotels in Jaipur as well as the railway stations are located nearby to
these roads, which is a big advantage of Jaipur transportation. Jaipur is one
of the largest states of the country that has the international border-line
with Pakistan on its west side.
The
entire length of Jaipur ranging from east toward west is around 180 km while
the breadth from north toward south is around 110 km. Jaipur possess around
28.65 million cubic meter ground water resources for use. Ramgarh dam on the
River Ban Ganga is the prime source of drinking water. The major minerals
available in Jaipur and its neighborhood are copper, iron, white marble,
dolomite, glass and silicon. Sambhar Lake is one of the biggest natural lakes
of saline water in India and is located at close proximity to Jaipur. The lake
serves as one of the authentic sources of good quality salt that is used in the
whole country.
The city is recognized midst pre-modern
cities in India for the breadth and symmetry of the streets which are found
segregated into six subdivisions divided by broad streets of a consistent width
of 34m. These sectors are titled as “urban quarters” and each of these quarters
is further divided by a planned and well defined network of interrelating
streets.
Around the eastern, western, and southern
sides of the city at the central Palace quarter, rest five urban quarters get
enclosed with the sixth one to the east. This Palace quarter presents an
extensive palace complex comprising of Hawa Mahal, beautiful shahi-gardens, and
a small but beautiful natural lake.
The Aravali hill located at the northwestern
end of Jaipur and the famous Nahargarh Fort is located on the hill as its
crowning glory. From the aspect of communication Jaipur is well connected.
Various means of transport works here with great central coordination.
Jaipur
is 258 km away from Delhi, 350 km away from Gwalior, 405 km away from Udaipur,
and 232 km away from the city of Agra. The city is well connected with other
major parts of country by rail, road and air consistently.
CLIMATE
The detail description of Jaipur climate is
an easy way to understand the feel of the city in accordance to its geography.
Because of the existence of Thor desert in the state general climate of Jaipur
is found hot and humid to a large extent all though the year.
In Jaipur climate three seasons’ impact are
mostly found and these are summer, winter, and monsoon. In Jaipur summer season
is hot no doubt and temperature rises up to 45 degree Celsius at time.
Summer season persists between April and July
and during this time Jaipur experienced semi-arid weather around with high
level of humidity. Monsoon starts in Jaipur from July month and extends up to
September month.
The city enjoys moderate rainfall that around
650 mm rainfall/yearly. In July Jaipur gets clad with lots of dust and frequent
occurrence of thunderstorms. However post monsoon during the month of
September, days start growing warm and to some extent humid again.
The city of Jaipur observes winter between the latest part of October month and
till the middle of March. During this time the temperature ranges between 15
degree Celsius and 5 degree Celsius.
The
people of Jaipur do not feel any trace of humidity during this period however,
dense fog is found during early morning and early evening at daily course all
around the city. However winter is the best time to visit this pink city
