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. 

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Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Quote of the post: "A perfect destination for a traveler. From the top of the fort, witness the pink city Jaipur and its rich history." - Quote about Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur by Sachin Kumar Gupta

Jaigarh Fort is approx 15 km away from Jaipur city, and famous for the largest canon on wheels of the early modern era. This was our next destination after visiting Amer Fort. One our way to the hill, we were compelled by the beautiful scenery to take moment pauses; and pauses couldn't go without we clicking the pics. Yes, we took a lot of snaps covering the panoramic view of the pink city Jaipur and mesmerizing Jalmahal with the green hills behind.

The fort was built by Sawai Jai Singh II to protect Amer Fort, and was named "Jaigarh" after him. This is also called the Victory Fort of Rajasthan. At the entrance, Dungar Darwaza stands strong to depict the power and love for art, the king possessed. One would be startled as we were to see the layout plan covering the fort with thick walls of red sandstone. 

Jaigarh Fort (B in map below) Timings: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Entrance fee: INR 35 for Indian Tourists and INR 85 for Foreign Tourists.

Jaipur Forts Map

The highlights of the Jaigarh fort are its cannons, palaces, greenery,  cannon foundry, several temples, a tall tower, etc. The fort also houses a collection of weapons, puppets and ancient coins; but the best attraction of the place is that it is the home for the largest cannon on wheels in the world. One can also get the personal vehicles inside the fort with extra charges, saving some time, covering all points and avoiding walk by foot. But we opted by foot. There are approx 30 points within the fort complex with adequate signs.

*Jaivana Cannon: The canon named "Jaivana" was built in precincts of Jaigarh fort weighing 50 tons. A plaque at the entrance to the enclosure where the Jaivana Cannon is displayed gives relevant information on the history of the Cannon, its size and use. It is mounted on wheels and has the mechanism to turn it 360° enabling it to fire in any direction. A tin shade was built to protect the cannon against weather. There's even a notice here which proudly says, "because of the strong defense system, management and the foresightedness of the rulers, the enemy never dared to enter the fort." One more important caution - Beware of the black-faced monkeys  :p

*A central watch tower on a raised ground provides excellent vistas of the surrounding landscape.

*Tanks and Water Reservoirs: The water supply for fort facilities is met by stored water via Rainwater Harvesting. These tanks were searched for hidden treasure stashed for gemstones and jewelry. However after a three-month search by army unit had found no treasures. It was then conjectured that Sawai Jai Singh probably used the treasure to build the city of Jaipur.

*Rajasthan Handicrafts Center:  See and shop arts & crafts of Rajasthan for more on block printing. Shops at the complex also sell gems, jewelry, textiles, antiques and other handicrafts. However, prices are quite high here. By the time we completed visiting the tanks, it started raining and were quite hungry. To our rescue, we found one and only restaurant in the premise.

*Armory and Museum: The Armory's interesting part to see a 50-kg cannonball. This also houses a collection of guns, weapons, ancient coins and some cannon inside. The museum exhibits of photographs of the Royalty of Jaipur, stamps and many artifacts.

*There are two vintage temples within the fort complex, one is the Rama Hari Har temple of the 10th century and the other one is the Kal Bhairav temple of 12th century vintage. We spent 10-15 minutes at the temples. At that time we found unique combination of pigeons, parrots, and other birds flocking together. We also a few camels roaming around.

*Cannon foundry: It is one of the few surviving medieval foundries in the world. It has a furnace, lathe, tools and a collection of cannons. Most of the canons inside were massive. Because of the abundance of iron ore mines in the vicinity of the fort, it became one of the world's most efficient cannon foundries. One of them is famous Bajrang Ban.

*Jaigarh Tunnel: This subterranean passage was meant as an escape route in times of war for the royal family members and others in the Amer Fort to shift to the more redoubtable Jaigarh Fort. It is said that now it is open from Madho Singh Than near Rang Mahal (Amer) to Ganesh Pol in Jaigarh fort. 

*There are various other structures that we checked out too, such as open halls. After that we entered through another gate, and go through Subhat Niwas, Lakshmi Vilasa, Puppet House and zig-zag rooms. 

*From the top corner of the fort, One can easily mark the amazing Amber (Amer) Fort and Maota Lake near Amer village in Jaipur. While from another courtyard we see the panoramic views of pink city Jaipur and mesmerizing Jalmahal. We took many snaps from the top corner of the fort. The fort was never conquered in battle, and was also the strongest of the three forts - Amber, Jaigarh and Nagargarh in Jaipur (A, B, C in the map). 2.5 to 3 hours are enough to explore this full-fledged citadel. The Jaigarh Fort is definitely worth a visit, if you are in Jaipur. We couldn't enjoy the light and sound show because of time constraints. Next moving to Nahargarh Fort.

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Amber Fort and Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Quote of the post: "This most precious gem in Jaipur is a beautifully built fort and palace, is a treat to the eyes from the first till last glimpse." - Quote about Amer Fort in Jaipur by Sachin Kumar Gupta

During my Jaipur visit, I was so excited to visit this fort, Amer fort and palace is listed in top 7 places to visit in India as per various sites (7 wonders of India). Amer Fort (also pronounced as Amber Fort) is located in small town Amer 11 km from Jaipur, Rajasthan state, India. Amber or Amer Fort's name is derived from Amba, the Mother Goddess. It is one of the principle tourist attractions in the Jaipur area, located high on a hill surrounded by the Aravali ranges in all sides. Amer Fort was built by Raja Man Singh I. Amer Fort is known for its artistic style of Hindu elements. 

The fort built with red sandstone and marble, and its large ramparts, series of gates and cobbled paths, the fort overlooks the Maota Lake at its forefront just looks awesome. For those who have the passion for photography, Amber is the best spot to click innumerable photographs and enjoy your photography passion. We took many snaps from the road at lake side while starting our day journey from Jaipur. The palace of Amber is the most beautiful palaces of world, Never miss an opportunity of an elephant ride to hilltop Amber Fort if that is in your budget. During peak season, You have to book the elephant ride in advance. If you are coming by bike, car or taxi that will lead you till entrance entrance gate near parking area. 

Forts in Jaipur, RJ

Amber Palace Timings: 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Amber has some extremely beautiful and interesting spots, that one should not miss, a few of them mentioned below:

Suraj Pol: This is main entrance known as Sun Gate.

Chand Pol: This was the main gate of entry for the commoners known as Moon Gate.

The Jaleb Chowk: First Main Courtyard.

Shila Devi Temple: At the entrance to the palace near the fort’s Ganesh Gate, there is also a temple dedicated to Shila Devi, a goddess of the Chaitanya cult. Interiors walls of temple portray wonderful carvings on Sangmarmar.

Diwaan-e-aam (Hall of Public Audience): The court where the king give their audience to his subjects and his officials.

Hammam (Turkish Baths): Adjacent to Diwan-e-Khaas this hammam was used by the ruler and the royal family. Change and massage rooms alongwith adjoining toilets can be seen here.

Ganesh Pol: This is entry place into the private palaces of the kings.

Diwaan-e-Khaas (Hall of Private Audience): Private quarters of the royal family

Maota Lake and Garden: The vistas of the lake can be seen while climbing the fort, and from different points of fort.

Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace) or Jai Mandir: Sheesh Mahal is exquisitely beautified with glass panel and multiple-coloured ceilings. 

Sukh Mandir or Sukh Mahal: This place is known as Hall of Pleasure.

Amer Fort Garden: Between Jai Mandir and Sukh Mandir, there is a small garden shaped in a hexagonal pattern. 

Jaigarh Tunnel: This subterranean passage was meant as an escape route in times of war for the royal family members and others in the Amer Fort to shift to the more redoubtable Jaigarh Fort.

Palace of Man Singh I: Oldest part of the palace fort. The exit from this palace leads to the Amer town with many temples, palatial houses and mosques. One can also view many temples and mosques from other side of the fort.

Queen Palaces are some exquisite places, these places are known and famous as a Bollywood shooting spot - like Veer, Jodha Akbar, Hum saath saath hain - to name a few.

We took many photographs from different points of the forts. Apart from monuments and palaces, there are several moments that one would definitely like to capture through third eye. Bustling city life, festivals, decorations etc are worth capturing on camera during various occasions.

Don't miss this fort to visit even if you are coming for 1 day or 2 days visit to Jaipur. Taking you to the next nearby Jaigarh and Nahargarh Forts in Jaipur.

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