The capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur is not only the gateway to the state; it is also the most natural place to begin a discovery of its multi-faceted attractions. For visitors unfamiliar with its history, a little explanation may be necessary, since it will aid their understanding of one of the most fascinating cities of India.

As a city, Jaipur is fairly young, less than three centuries old. It was laid out by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of the Kachchawaha dynasty from Amber, the former capital of the state, which is less than 10 km from here. The Maharaja appointed Vidhyadhar, a Bengali architect, to plan a modern capital for him.

Jaipur has been laid according to the conventional nine-grid pattern that astrologers believe to be lucky, which has been recommended in the ancient Indian treatise on architecture. Each grid consists of a square and these have been planned so that at the heart of the city is the City Palace. Spread around it, in tiers, are public buildings, the residences of noblemen, the living and trading quarters of merchants and artisans. Straight, wide roads run through the city, while a high, crenellated wall that forms its defence fortification is pierced with seven gateways that served as entry points. Today, these walls may be more difficult to spot since the city has overgrown far beyond its original plan, but they are still there, proof that though Jaipur saw no great siege, it was more than adequately prepared for it.

Vidyadhar was a stringent planner and even the drawings for private residences and trading establishments had to be submitted to him and meet with his approval. This is the reason for the striking similarity in the facades of the buildings in even the bazaars of the old city, though it is a myth that he was also responsible for the uniform colour, labelled Indian pink. This has given Jaipur its euphemistic name, Pink City. However, the reason for the autumnal colours on the facades of all old city buildings was a forthcoming trip by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) in 1876 for whom the capital was being decorated. It was decided to paint the entire city white for the occasion, but eventually the pink-ochre was chosen because it came closest to the colour of sandstone with which many of the buildings were made. To date, the tradition of painting the buildings pink has continued, though with the highlights picked out in white, they end up resembling the structures in a film studio city rather than the solid structures that they, in fact, are. TOP^

Having outgrown the original nine grids, Jaipur has spread in all directions, but its market areas are still characterised by streets and areas where work of a certain kind may be found. For example, there will be a separate street for marble-workers, while another area will deal exclusively in textiles or jewellery.

Jaipur’s architectural planning may have been ancient, but its execution was definitely modern. Best represented by the City Palace complex, it brought together all that was excellent in Rajput and Mughal architecture, creating a new tradition that found wide currency over much of north India. As in the Mughal tradition, the durbar or court areas became much more open, characterised by a series of arched pavilions held on delicately crafted pillars. Ornamentation had always been a part of the state’s architectural heritage, now it became much more opulent. The private wings of the family also extended their entertainment areas.

Since defence was no longer a primary concern, larger, more ornamental windows were built to overlook the streets or courtyards outside these wings. Gardens were no longer planned within the internal courtyards only, but were added to the external vistas and water, a basic feature of Mughal palaces and gardens, was utilised in a similar fashion, as canals and fountains.

Some of these experiments had begun at Amber itself, in the palaces that were its more recent additions. A major distinguishing feature of the Mughal palaces was the use of marble and pietra dura inlay. Amber and Jaipur used marble more judiciously, but were able to achieve the same effect on polished wall surfaces using a mixture of lime and eggshell, in a style that was referred to as araish. Rather than stone inlay, it preferred the delicate art of painting, especially religious and historical sequences, the depiction of which is forbidden in Islamic art. The concept of the Sheesh Mahal or ‘Palace of Mirrors’, however, was equally favoured in both architectural traditions: it consisted of small, even sized mirrors used to embellish all surfaces, so that when a match is lit in a darkened room, it flames brightly as it is reflected in millions of small mirrors. Such ostentatiousness was usually limited and good taste was evident in the manner in which the walls were painted, or the pierced windows placed.

Amber Fort represents the early phases of Kachchawaha architecture. The foundations of the fort were laid in 1592 by Maharaja Man Singh. Seen from the outside, the fortifications are impressive. Coming upon it when entering or exiting Jaipur, it makes one gasp, but it must have sent a chill up the spine of its foes. A steep ramp leads to Jai Pol, the Gate of Victory, named after Jai Singh I. Today, elephants carry tourists up the ramp, but it is not difficult to imagine pennant-carrying armies setting off on horseback along this majestic path. TOP^

The architecture within spans several centuries and even after the establishment of Jaipur, the erstwhile royal family would come here for ceremonial occasions and to pray at the Kali shrine. The image enshrined within the temple is that of Shila Mata, the Goddess of War, carried here by Maharaja Man Singh all the way from Jessore in Bengal. Visitors can also see the sumptuous Diwan-e-Am or Hall of Public Audience, a sight denied even to Emperor Akbar at the height of his glory. Legend has it that reports came to Akbar of Man Singh’s splendid durbar hall: as a Mughal feudatory, Amber did not have the permission to hold public audiences, but Akbar, it appears, was more entranced by Amber’s reported “tier upon tier of beautiful buildings”. Two emissaries were despatched to find out if the durbar hall was as beautiful as its description, but Man Singh, fearful that the Mughal would covet something so beautiful, had the hall covered with stucco plaster, concealing its decorations for centuries altogether.

Amber had reason to be concerned since its history had seen skirmishes with other Rajput kingdoms, and had at various times faced the armies of the Sultans of Gujarat, the Marathas and the Mughals. No wonder its architecture, like other Rajput palaces, consists of narrow passages and staircases that can be defended by a single swordsman, ridged ramps to allow the cavalry to move within the fortifications, high walls that cannot be easily scaled and windows at only the highest levels. While the exterior is forbidding, the interiors are lavished with decoration since the royals and especially the women, spent almost all their time within the fortified palaces.

In Jaipur, the facades seem to have become as ornate as the interiors and sometimes, as in the case of the Hawa Mahal even more so. The Hawa Mahal, part of the City Palace complex, is a familiar landmark, and looks like a series of pierced windows placed in tiers to overlook the street below. In fact, the façade pretty much characterises it, for on the inside, the building is no more than a series of corridors with windows overlooking the street. Its purpose was simply to allow the royal women a view of ceremonial processions while seated behind the small windows, allowing them to look out without themselves being seen. TOP^