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Jaipur, the “Pink City,” is the capital of Rajasthan. This city is also the capital of Jaipur district. Earlier, it was the capital of the Princely State of Jaipur. Jaipur was established in 1728 century by Jai Singh II, or Sawai Jai Singh, a famous mathematician and astronomer. Situated at the eastern part of Rajasthan, the city is surrounded by large forts and walls.

There are many stories why the city was colored in pink. According to one story, the pink color was the result of a diplomatic decision of the King. Prior to the visit of the Prince of Wales, his ambassadors came to visit the city. Some local people called them “Pink faced Monkeys” because they hated the British rulers. When the ambassadors asked the Raja and his men, they explained that those men actually paid their respect to them. Pink is the symbol of friendship in that region and monkey is worshipped in this place. In order to show the truthfulness of their statement, the King later painted the city in Pink.

Aside from being painted in pink, the most distinctive feature of Jaipur city is that it is very well planned. At that time, Indian cities were unplanned with narrow streets, over crowded with shops and people and filth and dirt, but Jaipur was built according to the Hindu laws of architecture. Jai Singh II and Bengali Guru Vidyadhar, an architect priest, designed the city. To the modern day urban planners, it is the best city of its time. The city is divided into six sections, each separated by a broad street of 34 feet.

The previous capital of Raja Sawai Jai Singh was located in Amber. Because of the increase in population and water shortage, he decided to move his capital and in eighteenth century he built this new city. It was the best city of its time.  

Rajasthan is a desert area so the climate of Jaipur is extreme. During summer, it becomes very hot (highest is forty three degree centigrade). The best option to visit Jaipur is in winter, at that time the temperature does not cross twenty two. Between September and March is the best time.

The present day Jaipur is a very developed city. The city has a good number of educational institutions. There are forty five colleges, two agricultural colleges, twenty two engineering colleges, two polytechnical colleges and so on.

Jaipur is also heavily industrialized area. There are forty eight large and medium sized industries, 19,544 small industries. Major industrial products include: Acetylene gas, Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced cable, ball bearings, bottling of LPG, ceramics, pottery, cold roll strips, common salt, corrugated boxes, deoiled cakes, durries, dyeing and printing, edible oil, electronic items, engraving on brass items, ferrous and non-ferrous castings, gems and jewellery, etc.

Jaipur is well connected by road, air and railway. It is linked with highway no.8. Train goes to all parts of India from Jaipur. Jaipur airport have both domestic and international airlines.  

Jaipur is a great place for international tourists. The city has a rich cultural background and there are many forts, temples, lakes around the city.

• Amber Fort: Built in 1727 this fort is located 11 kilometers from the city. It bears the glory of Kachhawa clan.
• City Palace: Built during the reign of Raja Sawai Singh in the city center, a portion of the palace is still occupied by the royal family.
  

• Gaitore: Situated about 15 kilometers from Jaipur, this is a cenotaph of the Maharajas belonged to Sawai Jai Singh II. 
• Hawa Mahal: One of the best land marks of Jaipur, Hawa Mahal is actually built for the royal ladies. This magnificent building was built in 1799 by King Sawai Pratap Singh. The building contains 953 windows.
• Jantar Mantar: An observatory built by Sawai Jai Singh. Still now, the instruments give proper information.
• Sanganer: Situated 16 kilometers from Jaipur this place is famous for Jain Temples. It also contains cottage industries that produce hand printed textiles.

For more information on Jaipur tourism visit these websites: