Things to see & do in Jaipur

Jaipur has a royal heart, its City Palace is still home to the former royal family. Like so many important buildings in the Golden Triangle, this isn’t just one structure but a colossal complex of pavilions, gardens and temples. Rajput royalty had a lot of people around them to be revered and to revere. Today, the most revered sites within the complex are the Chandra Mahal and Mubarak Mahal palaces, as well as its magnificent gates. The Tripolia gate is still reserved for royal entrances and exits only, with guards still donning traditional Rajput uniforms.

The Maharani's Palace was the resident of royal queens, and today is a museum with stunning frescoes made from the dust of jewels. As you do. In amongst the jewel bedecked walls are some vicious weapons on display, just to remind you that royalty didn’t come without a fairly bloody heritage.

Jaipur’s most distinctive landmark, the Hawa Mahal is a slightly surreal construction. Again all pretty in pink, it is five storeys high and often described as honeycomb like in design. It was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 for the women of the royal household to peek out onto the real world and watch life going on below. With 953 windows, there were a lot of women looking out from behind lace curtains. Not literally; these windows are called jharokaas and each is decorated in an intricate way that almost resembles lace. The number of windows was also to create a natural form of air conditioning in the desert landscape, which is why this building is also known as the Palace of the Winds. This honeycomb Hawa is also believed to be the tallest building in the world without foundations. Perhaps it has some spiritual protection, given that it was designed to revere Krishna. Apparently its curved shape, designed to represent Lord Krishna’s crown, is the reason why it is still standing.

This fairytale fort is the main architectural attraction of Jaipur, although it is actually 11km from the city in the ancient town of Amer. The official name for the fort is actually Amer, which can lead to confusion. There is no confusion as to its greatness, however, this UNESCO World Heritage Site poised majestically on top of Cheel ka Teela hill in Rajasthan’s Aravalli range. It is one of six forts in Rajasthan that have been awarded UNESCO World Heritage Status for being fine examples of Rajput military hill architecture.