ABOUT JAIPUR

History

Jaipur is one of the most culturally rich heritage cities in India. The now capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur was built in 1727 AD by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. It is from his name that the city extracts its name. Jaipur happens to be the first planned city of India. Maharaja Jai Singh, who was only 11 years old, came into power after the demise of his father Maharaja Bishan Singh. Kachwaha Rajputs, who came into power in 12th century, are said to be Jai Singh's ancestors. Their rivalry with Sisodia Rajputs, rulers of Mewar, helped them in their alliance with Mughals. Mughals too helped the Kachwaha Rajputs against Sisodia Rajputs, resulting in Kachwahas attaining a reputed place in Rajasthan. They ruled the kingdoms of Mewar (Udaipur) and Marwar (Jodhpur) from the glorious Amber Fort. Jai Singh supported Aurangzeb's son Azam Shah in the battle of succession, which created unrest among people. But Azam Shah lost this bid to throne to his brother Bahadur Shah.

Azam Shah then demanded the removal of Jai Singh from the throne. With the ally of Mughals, Jai Singh brought himself back to power. The kingdom flourished in his reign and Jai Singh built his capital around Amber Fort and Jaipur was eventually developed as India's first ever planned city by chief architect from Bengal, Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya. It is said that the foundation of the city was laid down on 18th November 1727 by Jai Singh himself.

After the death of Jai Singh in 1744, his sons fought for power and without a king, the city became open to intrusion by neighbouring states. Rajputs and Marathas took over most of Jaipur. Ramgarh Lake was also built by Maharaja Ram Singh to provide water to the budding and prospering city. In 1922, the throne was taken over by Man Singh II, and it was at that time, buildings like secretariat, schools, and hospitals were built. After India got independence, Jaipur merged with Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner to form the largest state of India with Jaipur as its capital.

The Rulers

Post Sawai Jai Singh era, the city was ruled by several Rajput rulers. Sawai Pratap Singh (1764 - 1803), Sawai Ram Singh II (1835 to 1880), Madho Singh II (1861 - 1922) and Sawai Man Singh II (1911 – 1970) were among the main rulers who kept the heritage of the city alive.

The city was attacked many times by neighboring warriors, Marathas. But for most of its history, Jaipur stayed under the rule of Rajputs. It was one of the few parts of the country which never came under the rule of British, who left India in 1947.

Power Struggle

Jaipur might have struggled to be in power but it continued to be a princely state till 1948. The history of Jaipur speaks about the internal power struggles in the Pink City. Though, it had lost against Marathas in the Battle of Patan fought in 1790, it had enough wealth to carry its patronage. After Sawai Jai Singh, came Ishwari Singh, followed by different rulers belonging to Kachwaha dynasty. Jaipur became a part of Indian Union on 7 April 1949. Presently, Sawai Padmanabh Singh and his Royal Family live in The City Palace of Jaipur.

The Architecture

Jai Singh’s former capital was in Amber, which is 11 kilometers outside Jaipur. He later shifted it to JaipurIt has meticulously planned market areas, canal system, parks and residential areas.

Maharaja Jai Singh oversaw the construction of buildings in the city and made sure that they follow the traditional Rajput architectural design. Various ancient books and repositories were consulted while designing this city. Almost all buildings in Jaipur were built with special sandstone, which is found in abundance in Rajasthan.

After building close bonds with the Mughals and sure that there could be no danger to his throne, and due to an increase in population and scarcity of water in Amber. Jaipur has the privilege of being the first completely planned city in India. Sawai Jai Singh, envisioned his dream project, the building of Jaipur.

The foundation stone was laid by him in 1727 and an eminent architect, Vidyadhar Bhattacharaya, was asked to design the 'Pink City.' who was a scholar from Bengal. The scholar consulted books on ancient Ptolemy, astronomy and Euclid to provide his expert advice. The city was built on the principal of Indian Architectural science called Shilpa Shastra and took 4 years to build. The city has a world famous planetarium, a beautiful city palace, a number of temples and cultural venues.

The city was planned in a grid system of seven blocks of buildings with wide straight avenues lined with trees, with the palace set on the north side. Surrounding it are high walls pieced with ten gates. The site of the shops were chosen after careful planning and they are arranged in nine rectangular city sectors (chokris). Jaipur was the first sizable city in north India to be built from scratch, though the famous pink colour symbolizing welcome', came later when Ram Singh II received the Prince of Wales in 1876.

It was a two-in-one compliment as 'Jai' means victory and was also the ruler's first name. That it was later chosen as the capital of Rajasthan formed from the amalgamation of various kingdoms, was a tribute to both Jai Singh and Bhattacharya.

Why Pink City?

In 1876, the Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria were to pay a visit to India. Pink signifies hospitality, so to bring to life the essence of welcoming words, "Padharo Mahrey Desh", Maharajah Ram Singh got the city drenched in this beautiful colour. The colour, Terracotta Pink adds seven stars to the pride of this majestic city. To this day, you will find the historical gates and squares that have now turned into bazaars possessing the colour of hospitality and has woven itself into the history of Jaipur.

Jaipur Post Independence

After India’s independence, Jaipur became the capital city of the state of Rajasthan. Even though, the royal family still resides in the City Palace, the state is completely run by the civil authorities and democratically elected candidates.

Today, Jaipur is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Millions of domestic and international tourists throng its beautiful hotels and palaces to relive its royal past. Many of the ancient palaces have been transformed into heritage hotels.