The Princely City of Jaipur

"Jaipur, also popularly known as the Pink City, historically sometimes rendered as Jeypore, is the capital of Rajasthan state, India. Jaipur is also the capital of Jaipur District. Jaipur is the former capital of a princely state of the same name. The city was founded in 1728 by Maharaja Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber. The population in 2003 was approximately 2.7 million.

The city was built of pink stucco in imitation of sandstone, and is remarkable among pre-modern Indian cities for the width and regularity of its streets. The city is laid out into six quarters, separated by broad streets 111 ft. wide. The urban quarters are further divided by networks of gridded streets. Five quarters wrap around the east, south, and west sides of a central palace quarter, with a sixth quarter immediately to the east. The Palace quarter encloses a sprawling palace complex (the Hawa Mahal, or palace of winds), formal gardens, and a small lake. A fort crowns the hill in the northwest corner of the old city. Another noteworthy building is Jai Singh's observatory, Jantar Mantar.

Jaipur is considered by many urbanists to be one of the best planned cities. During the British Raj, Jaipur was the capital of a princely state of the same name, ruled by the Rajput Maharajas of the Kachwaha clan. In the 19th century the city grew rapidly and became prosperous, with a population of 160,000 in 1900, and the City's wide boulevards were paved and lit with gas. Its chief industries were in metals and marble, which are fostered by a school of art, founded in 1868. There was also a wealthy and enterprising community of native bankers. The city had three colleges and several hospitals". Source: Wikipedia. For more practical information on Jaipur, visit the Jaipur City Guide.

Oeillets d'Inde, Jaipur
French marigold, Jaipur

Marché aux légumes, Jaipur
Vegetable market, Jaipur

Sculptures sur une mur du palais de Jaipur
Sculptures on a wall of the palace of Jaipur

Gardien, palais de Jaipur
Museum attendant, palace of Jaipur

Hawah Mahal in Jaipur India