The City Palace, a vast palatial complex founded by Jai Singh II (first half of the 18C), is home to the buildings of the Rajasthan administration, as well as to Jaipur’s main tourist sights: the Palace of the Winds, the observatory, and the palace i..

To finish your visit of Jaipur, it is well worth heading up to the Amber Fort, which stands imperiously above the small Maota Sagar Lake a few miles from the Pink City. Amber was once the capital of Jaipur state. In the late 16C, Man Singh I built hi..

Jaipur is renowned throughout the world for its crafts, particularly its block-printed cotton fabrics and jewellery made from gold and precious stones. Each muhalla (district) in the city has its own speciality. Start your visit on Bari Chaupar and..

Built at the very end of the 18C, the Palace of the Winds boasts an impressive five-storey façade with numerous windows and balconies fitted with screens. The palace was built for the women of the harem, who could look out at the streets without bein..

Passionate about science and astronomy and interested in the theories of Ptolemy, Copernicus and Galileo, the Maharaja of Jaipur, Jai Sing II, had this impressive open-air conservatory built between 1728 and 1733. It houses 17 instruments, many of wh..

Maharajas’ palaces in India are often stunning places to visit, especially when they house beautiful royal collections. This is the case with the City Palace in Jaipur, which exhibits royal garments in the Mubarak Mahal ; miniatures, palanquins and ..

The Galta temples, about a dozen temples built in the 18C, stand in the wild setting of a narrow, picturesque gorge that is populated by macaque monkeys. Remember to remove your shoes before entering the temples! A spring said to possess miraculous q..

A ramp leads up to the top of the Ishwari Minar Swarga Sal tower, a 35m-high minaret also known by the name of Isarlaat, which boasts panoramic views of the Pink City. This is the tallest building in the old town and was built within the walls of the..

The very religious Madho Singh II transformed this old hunting lodge into a palace in the early 20C with the help of Colonel Jacob. The last maharaja to reign here, Man Singh II, spent his youth in the palace and made it his main residence in 1931, e..

Although less interesting than the Amber Palace , Jaigarh Fort is nonetheless a spectacular demonstration of the military power of the Kachhvaha Rajputs. It was founded in the 12C, when the Kachhvahas captured these hills from the Minas and made the..

Around twenty domed pavilions ( chhatri ) of all sizes, built in white marble or ochre sandstone, are dotted around the cremation site of the maharajas and Kachhvaha princes (the chhatri of the women are situated further away, near Lake Man Sagar)...

The main courtyard of Nahargarh Fort has an attractive baori (step well). The most interesting building, the Madhavendra Bhawan Palace, was laid out in the 19C for the wives of Ram Singh II; its façade adorned with pavilions is visible from Jaipur...