City Palace and Govind Devji Temple, Jaipur

Quote of the Post: "The beautifully built City Palace, is still a treat to the eyes, a landmark and a tourist hotstop in Jaipur". - Quote about 'City Palace Jaipur' by Sachin Kumar Gupta

It was a very pleasant morning with clouded sky, when we were all set for exploring the city. We decided to take local public transport as against a full day cab/taxi. This eventually, turned out to be a good deal as the places we visited, were very much at walk-able distance from each other.    

CHANDRA MAHAL - CITY PALACE VIEW FROM THE LENSES

The first place in our checklist was the most famous and time consuming vast place to visit - City Palace. City Palace, located at the heart of the Pink City, is the first and foremost place to be visited. It has many designed rooms, distinctively colored in red & pink and the beautiful Royal Palace. The palace is surrounded by a boundary which has finely en-carved art. There are four entrances to the Palace with richly decorated gates  - 'Udai Pol', 'Jaleb Chowk', 'Tripolia Gate' and 'Virendra Pol'.

City Palace Timing: 9:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Entry Fees: INR 75 per person for Indians, They also charge INR 75 extra for camera just for outside photography. INR 300 for foreigners including camera charges. There are audio guide service INR 80 each in different languages.

City Palace of Jaipur was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh between 1729 to 1732. The City Palace includes Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal and other buildings. City Palace complex covers a huge area, which is divided into a series of gardens, courtyards and buildings. 

*Today, the 'Chandra Mahal' has been converted into a museum which is home to unique handcrafted products, various kings clothes and Jaipuri Maharani clothes and many more things pertaining to the royal heritage of the City Palace.

*Inside Sabha Niwas there is an amazing royal seating of the king. There are many other idols and painting of many kings who ruled here. You could see many cannons (Top) at the entrance of the palaces which may amuse you. 

*There is a BaggiKhana where you can enjoy the Baggis which were being used by kings during their travel or hunting. Bhaggi Khana is a museum in the palace complex, where a collection of old carriages, palanquins and European cabs adopted as are on display here. The baggi which attracts the main attention is the one gifted by Prince of Wales to the Maharaja in 1876, called the Victoria Baggi. There are some outlets where one can do shopping. 

SABHA NIWAS ENTRANCE CITY PALACE JAIPUR

FAMILY INSIDE CITY PALACE

INSIDE DIWAN-I-KHAAS

*There is a restaurant inside which is quite costly. 

*Meenal took a pause at Diwan-i-khaas and asked for Mehendi at her hand. There are two silver jugs which have been penned in Guinness book of records as the world's largest sterling silver vessel.

*Pitam Niwas Chowk: The Peacock Gate is exquisite, and contains an alluring display of detailed workmanship featuring bright peacocks. I also took some nice snaps which was clicked taking reflection of the palace inside the spectacles. 

CHANDRA MAHAL VIEW

INSIDE CITY PALACE

MUBARAK MAHAL - CITY PALACE JAIPUR

*There is another place named Silahkhana (Arms & Weapons) where we see the collection of articles and arms instruments. 

After that we had heavy snacks rather than lunch for the day and moved to Jantar Mantar.

*ROYAL GRANDEUR TOUR: There is another quite interesting place "Royal Palace" for which they charge extra 2000 INR, but we opted out checking the money and time. If the visitor wishes to see the inner quarters of the Chandra Mahal, a separate tour will be arranged known as Royal Grandeur Tour. In this tour the visitor will be able to see the following areas:-

Chandra Mahal

Sukh Niwas

Chhavi Niwas

Shobha Niwas

Sri Niwas

Mukut Mandir

SHRI GOVIND DEVJI TEMPLE - JAIPUR

**The deity of Jaipur rulers, Shri Govind Devji temple is placed between Chandra Mahal and Badal Mahal in the City Palace complex. We visited the temple late in the evening when Janmashtami celebrations were on. Not to mention, The best time to visit the Govind Dev Ji temple is during Janmashtami. The idol of Govind Dev Ji is strikingly beautiful for its complete resemblance with Lord Krishna, and the temple. The wonderful architecture, beautiful chandeliers and paintings, mirror works on the walls and decorations makes the palace a must-see for every visitor. Various 'Aartis' and 'Prasad' or 'Bhogs' are offered at the temple, at different times everyday.

Timings: 5:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M.

Upon visiting the magnificent City Palace, it's easy to see that the royal family of Jaipur was one of the richest in India. The City Palace is a must-see while sightseeing in Jaipur for a day or two.