The Pink City Jaipur | UNESCO World Heritage Site

“The Pink City Jaipur” is the capital of Rajasthan in northwest India. It is a culturally-rich and main hotspot of tourism in India which attract domestic and also foreign tourist too. It is located approx 280km from the National Capital of India, Delhi. Jaipur is one of the three corners of the Golden Triangle that is the most famous tourist circuit of the country including Jaipur, Agra, and Delhi.

This city was founded by the Rajput ruler Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh 2nd in 1727. The ruler of Amer, after his name this city, was called “Jaipur”. This city was the first planned city of modern India designed by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya on the principles of Vastu Shastra.

The architectural design of Jaipur has 03 gates facing east, west, and north. Their name is East Gate is Suraj Pol (sun gate), West Gate is Chand Pol (moon gate), and North Gate faces to previous capital Amer Fort.

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Jaipur UNESCO World Heritage Sites

In August 2018 Indian government sent a proposal to UNESCO to declare it as Heritage City.

Out of many World Heritage sites in Rajasthan including Chittorgarh Fort, Kumbhalgarh, Jaisalmer, Ranthambore, Jaipur is now a World Heritage Site. As on July 06, 2019, the UNESCO World Heritage team declared Jaipur ‘The Pink City of India’ is the World Heritage site.

As per Unesco World Heritage, “Jaipur was established on the plain and built according to a grid plan interpreted in the light of Vedic Architecture”.

Audrey Azoulay director-general of UNESCO presented the ‘World Heritage City’ certificate of The Pink City Jaipur to Minister of Urban Development Mr. Shanti Dhariwal on February 05, 2020, in a ceremony held at Albert Hall.

Benefits of World Heritage City

The purpose of this certificate is to preserve this culture for future generations. Even this site is the property of a particular country in which it is stated but it is also the responsibility of the international community to protect it.

Being a World Heritage City, it boosts the attraction of domestic & international tourism which strengthens the economy and employment of the region. Hotel industry, Jaipur handlooms, and Jaipur handicrafts get benefits.

UNESCO also provides financial assistance to these sites in certain circumstances.

Why is Jaipur called the pink city?

There was a story behind it “Why is Jaipur called the pink city?”. In 1876 the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward visited India, and that time the ruler of Jaipur was Maharaja Ram Singh.

It assumed that Pink Color was a symbol of hospitality. So, Maharaja Ram Singh painted the whole city in pink color in the honor of Prince of Wales. Since then Jaipur is called The Pink City.

Tourist Places in Jaipur

Jaipur is a popular tourist destination in India and also the gateway of other tourist places of Rajasthan such as Ajmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Mount Abu, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Ranthambore, Pushkar, Ajmer, and many more tourist places to visit.

Here are few best tourist places to spend holiday in Jaipur.

Jal Mahal

Jal Mahal is a palace in the middle of Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur. It attracts lots of tourists because of its architecture and beauty. But it is now closed and visitors are not allowed to go inside but can see it from the road or boat. It looks amazing at night when it glows with lights.

Amber Palace

It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Jaipur. Amber also pronounced Amer is the top tourist attraction of Jaipur. It is located at the top of the small hill. It’s distance is 11 km from the main city. Earlier this palace was capital before moving to plains, to what is called Jaipur now.

There are many attractions in Amber Fort including the Diwan-e-Aam, the Diwan-e-Khas, the Sheesh Mahal, Jai Mandir, and the Sukh Niwas.

Nahargarh Fort

Nahargarh Fort is a magnificent fort in Aravalli mountain range in Jaipur. It is famous for seeing the scenic view of Jaipur. It was earlier known as Sudarshangarh and was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh 2nd 1734 for protecting Jaipur city. And later on it was named after Prince Nahar Singh Bhomia. This fort is worth visiting.

Hawa Mahal

We can say Hawa Mahal to “The Palace of Winds” or “The Palace of Breeze” because it’s wall has 953 honeycombs designed windows. This was a perfect summer palace because beautifully carved windows allow the breeze to flow inside the palace. It was built for women of royal families who can see everyday life from windows because they are not allowed to go in public.

This palace was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799, grandson of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur.

Jantar Mantar Jaipur

The Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments. Its world’s largest stone sundial, located near City Palace and Hawa Mahal in Jaipur. It is constructed by the founder of Jaipur Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh in 1734. UNESCO World Heritage Committee declared it World Heritage Site in August 2010.

City Palace Jaipur

The City Palace of Jaipur belongs to the Royal Family of Jaipur. Jaipur Palace is famous for the history and architecture of royal rulers. It is one of the best tourist spots in the city. It established at the time when Jaipur was developed and the court moved from Amber to Jaipur in 1727 by Maharaja Jai Singh.

This Palace has two main complexes are the Chandra Mahal & the Mubarak Mahal including other tourist spots i.e. Shri Govind Dev Temple, The City Palace Museum, Diwan-e-Aam, and Diwan-e-Khas. This is a fusion of art, design, the creativity of Rajput, and Mugal. The City Palace Museum is worth visiting to see the glorious history and architecture of monuments.

Albert Hall Museum

Albert Hall Museum is a museum located in the Jaipur district of Rajasthan state, India. It is the oldest museum in Rajasthan. This museum was established approx 150yrs ago. Its foundation was laid by Prince of Wales Mr. Albert Adverd in Feb 1876 during the visit of Jaipur and opened in 1887 for the public.

This museum is in front of the new entrance of the CT wall on the exterior of the “Ram Niwas Udyan”.

This museum has elephant tusks, unique stones, sculptures, and many objects related with culture of Rajasthan.

Jaigarh Fort

Jaigarh Fort is situated on the Cheel ka Teela ( Hill of Eagles ) of the Aravalli mountains range. It was constructed by Maharaja Jai Singh in 1726 to protect Amber Fort. It was built on one of the high hills of Aravalli range above 400m of the Amer Fort. From this Fort, there was an excellent overview of Amer Fort, Maota Lake, and Aravalli range.

Jaivana Cannon is the main feature of Jaigarh Fort, which was manufactured within the Jaigarh Fort complex. It was the world’s largest cannon on wheels.

Jaigarh Fort and Amer Fort are connected with underground tunnel for passages in any emergency.

Raj Mandir

Raj Mandir is a movie theatre in Jaipur in Rajasthan state. The famous Raj Mandir Cinema Hall is known for its archaic architecture and is the pride of the city. Its hall has a seating capacity of 1300 people, due to which it is the largest hall in Asia. Due to its magnificent architecture, it has been awarded the title of ‘Pride of Asia’.

Its seating capacity is divided into four categories – Pearl, Ruby, Emerald, and Diamond. The main hall has velvet curtains which further enhance its royal influence. People get their seats booked in advance so that they can fully enjoy this royal hall. It has a full house every day. Many successful films have made a silver jubilee in this prestigious hall.

If you are visiting Jaipur then you must visit once to this royal movie theatre.

How to Reach Jaipur

Jaipur is one of the famous tourist city in India, it provides a cultural look and as well as modern amenities with luxurious hotels and resorts for tourists. This city has its dedicated airport name Sanganer Airport for domestic & International flights.

There is a convenient road route available for AC, Deluxe buses, own vehicles, and other public transport from all other major cities of Rajasthan and India.

Jaipur is in rail network connected with all major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Agra, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bangalore, etc.

For commuting within the city, this has a metro, auto-rickshaws, Ola & Uber taxi, and local buses for roaming in the city.