Amber
Eleven km. away from Jaipur is this former
capital of the state. This mountain fortress with its cool and
comfortable marble palace, massive walls and towers, pillard
halls and mirror rooms is an excellent example of medieval Rajputi
architecture. The Shish Mahal or the Mirror Rooms of Amber are
unrivalled in their elegance and elaborateness. Reaching the
palace riding an elephant is a great and majestic experience
which you will love to cherish. Adjoining thepalace is a temple
dedicated to Shila Devi (Kali), also the chosen Goddess of the
members of Jaipur royal family. The Amber palace and citadel
is open to the visitors from 9 A.M. to 4.30 P.M. against an
entry fee of Re. I. There are frequent buses to Amber from Hawa
Mahal or a taxi can be hired.
Gaitore
North of and nearby Jaipur. at Gaitore,
lies the Chantries or Cenotaps of the royal family of Jaipur.
Of these ornate or pillard marble Chantries, the finest is that
of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur.
Jaigarh
Built in 1726 by Sawai Jai Singh, this
Jaigarh Fort, near Amber, provides excellent view of the city
below. The fort in open to visitors from 9 AM. to 4.30 P.M.
and there is no admission fee.
Sisodia Rani-ka-Bagh
10 km. from Jaipur on the Jaipur Agra road
lie Sisodia Rani-Ka-Bagh and the place in nestled in a picturesque
gorge. The terraced gardens and a palace decorated with bright
murals depicting hunting scenes and the Krishnalila, were built
by SisodiaRani. the second wife of Maharaja Jai Singh.
Ramgarh Lake
This 16 km. perimeter lake, created stemming
the river Banganga to supply water to Jaipur, is a quiet place
with boating facilities.
Sanganer
Eleven km. from Jaipur, near the aerodrome.
is Sanganer, the renowned block printing centre. The cotton
textiles, dyed in bright colors and hand printed in a variety
of designs is famous all over the country. The town is also
noted for its ruins of royal palaces, Jai shrines, ornate gateways
or toranas
Lakshminarain Temple
Near Moti Doongri stands this magnificent
temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu and his espouse Lakshmi. This
grand temple, built by the noted industrial group of the country,
the Birlas, has its curvilinear white marble shikhar (pinnacle)
almost scrapping the sky.
The Palace on Wheels
Jaipur is very well connected with Delhi
by air, rail and road routes. “The Palace on Wheels”-
a luxury deluxe train which operates between Delhi and Jaipur,
other famous Rajasthan, town (Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bharatpur)
and back to Delhi. Travellin. by it means enjoying the sight-seeing
tours sitting in a Five Star Hotel This train is entirely made
up of the saloons which belonged to various former Maharajas
of the Indian principalities. The tariff includes the travel
cost. Catering, conducted sight-seeing in deluxe bus at the
spot, entrance fees for monuments, palaces, etc. for reservation,
etc., contact Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation, 36,
Janpath, New Delhi. The Palace on Wheels’ operate between
Nov. and March-Jaipur has even otherwise very many hotels, rest-houses,
lodges, etc., for your comfortable stay. Jaipur is also famous
for precious and semi-precious stones, marble images, tic-dye
textiles, silk and muslim block printing, ivory carving, lacquer
wares, silver jeweler, miniatures, clothes and special quilts.
John Bazaar, shops around Hawa Mahal, Khazane-Walon-ka-Rasta
are the ideal places to do the shopping.
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