Jaipur Golden Triangle Travel Guide

Welcome to theindiatravels Guide Series on Jaipur located near New Delhi. Jaipur is part of the Golden Triangle a popular tourist route which includes Delhi andAgra.

There are various ways to get to Jaipur, the fastest way is to take adomestic flight from Delhi to Jaipur. You can also take the train from New Delhito Jaipur through Indian Railway. You can get the link to Indian Railways on theindiatravels Once you arrive by plane or by the train. You can hire a taxi orchauffeur driven rental car to take you around to all the attractions in Jaipur. We took a chauffeur driven rental car from New Delhi to Jaipur. The car wasclean, well maintained, air-conditioned, and the driver who isalso a guide knows how to get to all the attractions and is available to you andat all times. He will remain with you and guide you through your itinerary andmake stops along your road trip. For instance on our road trip to Jaipur fromDelhi we were able to stop and see a Nilagai or the blue bull also called theAsian antelope, and a colony of prairie dogs, eat at local restaurants, viewed thebeautiful countryside, and when we needed it he made stops for our personal needs.Look below in the description for the links for these private car rentals forthis tour.

On our way toJaipur from Delhi, our first stop was at Amer Fort which is located in Amer city, 11 kilometersfrom Jaipur. Amer was the capital of the state of Rajasthan before Jaipur andis a UNESCO World Heritage site as part of the groups of Hill Forts of Rajasthan.Built in 1592 by Raja Man Singh, it is also known as Amer Palace.

Ituses both Hindu and Muslim styles of architecture. The city of Amer is aquaint little city founded by the Meena, a tribe found mainly in Rajasthan. Once inthe city of Amer, to get to the fort take a taxi or rickshaw to the entrance. You may have to walk up the winding roads and hill to get to the fortdepending on where you get dropped off so we're good walking shoes. Also insteadof walking you can take the elephant ride up for additional fee. The Amerfort was built atop the Cheel ka Teela or hill of eagles in the Aravalli range ofhills from red sandstone and marble which overlooks Maotha Lake.

The fortis open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. If you are not an Indian citizen or avisitor of a SAARC or BIMSTEC country you will have to pay the foreigner entrancefee. Personal guides are available for an additional fee. Guides may behelpful in maneuvering through relatively quickly. You can purchasetickets in the Jalebi Chowk courtyard area on the right near the restrooms. Thefort has four sections or levels with each with a separate entrance.The first area you'll encounter as you enter the fort is Jalebi Chowk. In thiscourtyard you will see the Sila Devi temple on the right where the RajputMaharajas worshipped Kali or Durga You'll also see the door that's embossedin silver leaf with the raised images once inside look for the statue ofGanesha carved from one piece of coral also in this courtyard you'll see theGanesh Pol or the Ganesh gate named after the Hindu god Lord Ganesh. It leadsinto the private palaces of the Maharajahs. The gate is a three levelstructure with frescoes built in 1621 to 1627. Above the gate is theto Suhag Mandir where the ladies of the royal family used to watch events at theDiwan I Am -- through latticed windows. Be aware of the monkeys, do not feed them orhave food around them. They can be aggressive if they feel harassed. Afteryou pass the Ganesh gate, you'll see the second courtyard up the main stairway ofthe first level. In this second courtyard you will find the Diwan I Am or the publicaudience hall. It was built on a raised platform and it has 27 colonnades eachmounted with an elephant shape capital with carvings around it. As you continuethrough the second courtyard you will enter into the third courtyard which wasused for the private quarters of the Maharaja and the royal court.This third courtyard has two buildings separated by Mughal Gardens. The building on the Left called the Sheesh Mahal or the mirror palace is decorated with inlaidcoloured glass panels and ceilings. The walls around the palace have carvedmarble relief panels. Of particular interest is the magic flower, it's a carved marble panel at the base of one of the pillars. It depicts twohovering butterflies that when viewed properly make seven images: a fishtail, Lotus, hooded Cobra, elephant trunk, lion's tail, cob of corn, and a scorpion. Theother building is the Sukh Niwas or Sukh Mahal, hall of pleasure. This Hall has asandalwood door with inlay marble designs. What's unique in this building isthe medieval air-conditioning system which was created by the winds that blewover a water cascade within the palace South of the palace lies the palace ofMan Singh the first, the oldest part of the palace fort. In the center of hispalace is the pillared pavilion which was curtained for privacy and used as ahangout place for the Queen and concubines. This fourth courtyard wasliving quarters for the Maharajah's harem. It had many living spaces for allhis concubines and his queen. The Amer Fort also has a light show in the eveningfor an additional fee. The fort will take you about an hour more depending onyour interest Combined with Jaigarh Fort, Jal Mahal, Aravalli Hills, and Vijay Garh if you have time. After our tour of the AmerFort, we continued our road trip to Jal Mahal.

Jal Mahal Palace also known as the waterpalace is built in the Rajasthan style of architecture and is surrounded by theMan Sagar Lake The palacebuilt in red sandstone is a five-story building. During the rainy season fourfloors remain underwater. Unfortunately you can only see this palace from faraway. There are no public visits allowed to the palace due to its currentcondition. Along the promenade you'll see many stalls selling trinkets of allkinds, snacks, and pictures. There are also street performers. You caneven take a camel ride here. This was a good place for us to visit after ourvisit at the Amer fort and a good way to end the evening. It will take you no morethan 30 minutes or more depending on your interest. After the Jal Mahal wewent into Jaipur city and had a great meal in the evening. Jaipur is known asthe pink city and is the capital of the state of Rajasthan. In 1876 the Prince ofWales and Queen Victoria visited india and since pink denotes the color ofhospitality in india, the Maharaja Rama Singh of Jaipur, painted the whole citypink in order to welcome his guests. It was then that Lord Albert exclaimed thatJaipur is the pink city and hence the name. Since then all the buildings inthe city center have been colored pink After a good night's rest in our hotelwe woke up early to visit the Hawa Mahal. The Hawa Mahal or palace of winds is a five storey palace with 953 high screen walls and windows. It wasoriginally built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh so the women of hisroyal household could observe the outside but not be seen. .