The City Palace is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthani and Mughal art and architecture. The City Palace complex houses several palatial structures. In the heart of the old Jaipur city, the City Palace occupies a large area divided into a series of courtyards, gardens and buildings. Jai Singh built the outer wall but other additions were made much later, some right up to the start of this century. The former Maharaja still lives in part of the palace. The City Palace sprawls over one-seventh of the area of the walled city. It houses the Chandra Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.

The first building in it, is Mubarak Mahal, built by Maharaja Madho Singh. It has a beautifully carved marble gate with heavy brass doors on either side of this gate. Beyond this gate, lies the 'Diwan-E-Khas' or the 'Hall Of Private Audience' with a marble paved gallery. Across a paved square lies the 'Diwan-E-Am' or the 'Hall Of Public Audience', with its intricate decorations and manuscripts in Persian and Sanskrit. There is also a clock tower and the newer Mubarak Mahal.

Outside the buildings, you may see a large silver vessel which a former Maharaja used to take drinking water with him to England. Being a devout Hindu, he could not drink the English water!

» Other Attractions of Jaipur

Hawa Mahal : The Hawa Mahal, or the "Palace of Wind" built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 A.D. is characterised by elaborate and fanciful architecture. The broad pyramidical facade comprises five storeys of semi octagonal overhanging windows with perforated screens, domes and spires.

Govind Devji Temple : To the north of Chandra Mahal in the midst of the sprawling Jai Niwas Garden is the spireless temple of Lord Krishna. The idol wsa brought from Vrindavan and installed here by Sawai Jai Singh II as the tutelary deity. Today, the temple attracts devotees, from all over the country.

A delightful system of fountains is placed in the middle of the paved path between the Chandra Mahal and the Badal Mahal. The palace has extensive and sprawling gardens.

Amer Fort : At a short distance of 11 kms . from Jaipur, the Amer Fort complex stands amidst wooded hills overlooking the Delhi-Jaipur highway, with its forbidding ramparts reflected in the still waters of the Maota Lake below. One of the finest examples of Rajput architecture, it was the ancient capital of the Kachhawah rulers.

The original palace was built by Raja Man Singh and additions were made later by Sawai Jai Singh. Within the palace are the Diwan-e-Aam or the "Hall of Public Audience", the Diwan-e-Khas or the "Hall of Private Audience" and the Sukh Niws where a cool breeze blows across channels of water for the purpose of air-conditioning.

Ram Niwas Garden Central Museum (or Albert Hall Museum) :
Situated in the spacious and beautiful Ram Niwas Garden, the museum has a rare collection of art facts and craft items such as metalwork, ivory carvings, cane wood articles and exquisite pieces of jewellery, textile, pottery and paintings. It is particularly rich in specimen of embossed, hammered and chiselled brass wares.

The building was designed by Colonel Sir Swinton Jacob in the modern Indo-Saracenic style and was built in 1886 A.D. when King Edward VII visited as the Prince of Wales.

» Places to Stay in Jaipur

There are several budget hotels and paying guest accommodations available in Jaipur. Heritage Hotel in Jaipur includes the Ramgarh Lodge, Royal Castle Kanota, Raj Mahal Palace, which pamper tourists with royal treatment. For budget vacationers, there are also Five star hotels that includes names such as Man Singh Towers, Hotel Jaipur Palace, The Ethnic Village Resort. Many Jaipur hotels are a part of leading hotels chains like the Taj Hotels and Resorts, Oberoi group of hotels, Welcome group of hotels, and the Mansingh group of hotels.

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» Best Time to visit Jaipur

Summer ranges from 25°C to a maximum of 45°C, while winter lies between 22°C to a low of 8°C. The rainy seasons are very humid starting from July to mid September. The best time to visit Jaipur is between October to March.

» How to Get there

Air : Indian Airlines connect Jaipur with Delhi, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Bombay, Varanasi, Calcutta, Ahmedabad.

Rail : Jaipur is connected by rail with Delhi, Agra, Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Abu Road (Mount Abu), Udaipur, Bombay and Sawai Madhopur.

Road : Good motorable roads connect Jaipur with Delhi 258 km, Agra 236 km, Bikaner 321 km, Udaipur 405 km, Ajmer 131 km, Jodhpur 316 km, Bharatpur 176 km, Jaisalmer 638 km and Bombay 1202 km

» Climate of Jaipur

Like most other north Indian cities, Jaipur too has extreme climate. The summers can be very hot with mercury crossing 45 degree, whereas winters are chilled and the temperature can fall below 5 degrees.