Jaipur

File:JaipurIndia.jpg

Old city of Jaipur, India

Jaipur (जयपुर), also popularly known as the Pink City, historically sometimes rendered as Jeypore, is the capital of Rajasthan state, India. Jaipur is also the capital of Jaipur District. Jaipur is the former capital of a princely state of the same name. The city was founded in 1728 by Maharaja Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber. The population in 2003 was approximately 2.7 million.

The city was built of pink stucco in imitation of sandstone, and is remarkable among pre-modern Indian cities for the width and regularity of its streets. The city is laid out into six quarters, separated by broad streets 111 ft (34 m) wide. The urban quarters are further divided by networks of gridded streets. Five quarters wrap around the east, south, and west sides of a central palace quarter, with a sixth quarter immediately to the east. The Palace quarter encloses a sprawling palace complex (the Hawa Mahal, or palace of winds), formal gardens, and a small lake. A fort crowns the hill in the northwest corner of the old city. Another noteworthy building is Jai Singh's observatory, Jantar Mantar.

Hawa Mahal or "Hall of the Winds", Jaipur. Built in 1728

Amber Fort, with Jaigarh Fort in the background

Jaipur is considered by many urbanists to be one of the best planned cities. During the British Raj, Jaipur was the capital of a princely state of the same name, ruled by the Rajput Maharajas of the Kachwaha clan. In the 19th century the city grew rapidly and became prosperous, with a population of 160,000 in 1900, and the city's wide boulevards were paved and lit with gas. Its chief industries were in metals and marble, which are fostered by a school of art, founded in 1868. There was also a wealthy and enterprising community of native bankers. The city had three colleges and several hospitals.

Jaipur state which existed from the twelfth century until Indian Independence in 1947, took its name from the city. It had a total area of 15,579 square miles (40,349 km²) in 1900. The maharajas of Jaipur belonged to the Kachwaha clan of Rajputs, claiming descent from Rama, king of Ayodhya. The state is said to have been founded about 1128 by Dhula Rai, from Gwalior, who with his Kachwahas is said to have absorbed or driven out the petty chiefs. The original capital was Amber. The ruling dynasty of Jaipur provided the Mughal empire with some of their most distinguished generals. Among them were Man Singh, who fought in Orissa and Assam; Jai Singh, commonly known by his imperial title of Mirza Raja, whose name appears in all the wars of Aurangzeb in the Deccan; and Jai Singh II, or Sawai Jai Singh, the famous mathematician and astronomer, and the founder of Jaipur city. Towards the end of the 18th century the Jats of Bharatpur and the chief of Alwar each annexed a portion of the territory of Jaipur. By the end of the eighteenth century the state was in great confusion, distracted by internal broils and impoverished by the exactions of the Marathas. The disputes between the chiefs of Jaipur and Jodhpur had brought both states to the verge of ruin, and Amir Khan, an Afghan adventurer who was leader of the Pindari raiders, was exhausting the country. By a treaty in 1818 the protection of the British was extended to Jaipur and an annual tribute fixed. In 1835 there was a serious disturbance in the city, after which the British government intervened. The state later became well-governed and prosperous. During the Revolt of 1857, the maharaja assisted the British.

Location

The district is situated in the eastern part of Rajasthan. It is bound in the north by Sikar and Alwar, in South by Tonk, Ajmer and Sawai Madhopur. Nagaur, Sikar and Ajmer in the west and in east by Bharatpur and Dausa districts.

Distance from major cities

• Delhi-261 km
• Ahmedabad-625 km
• Chandigarh-510 km
• Mumbai-1,176 km
• Calcutta-1,472 km
• Agra-246 km

Climate and rainfall

The climate of the district is dry and healthy and is subject to extremeness of cold and heat at various places.

The minimum and maximum temperatures recorded in the district varies from 8 to 48 degrees Celsius.

Normal annual rainfall is 556 mm.

Infrastructure

Electricity

Jaipur district is receiving the hydro-electric power, supplied by the Chambal Hydel System. Out of total 2,131 villages in the district, 2,131 were electrified as on March 2000.

Water

The major rivers passing through the Jaipur district are Banas and Banganga. The ground water resources to the extent of about 28.65 million cubic meter are available in the district.

Road transport

Jaipur city is the capital of the state and is centrally located. The National Highway No.8 links Delhi to Ahmedabad and No.11, linking Bikaner to Agra passes through Jaipur district to a total length of 366 km. The total length of different types of roads in the district was about 4,102 km as of March 2000.

Rail transport

Jaipur district is connected with meter gauge rail route with Sri Ganganagar, Ajmer, Udaipur and Sirohi. Jaipur is also connected with major centres of neighbouring states such as Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Delhi. Recently, Jaipur has got connected in broad gauge, enabling direct connections to cities like Sawai Madhopur, Kota, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Bombay, Howrah, Lucknow, Kanpur & Delhi.

Air transport

Jaipur is connected by air with Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Delhi, Bombay and outside the country with Paris, London & Dublin.

Communication facilities

Post offices 599 Telegraph offices 143 Telecom centres 9 PCOs 859 Telephone exchanges 150

Educational facilities/institutions

University- University of Rajasthan Colleges 45 Agricultural colleges 2 Engineering colleges 1 Polytechnical colleges 2 Medical colleges 1 Secondary & higher secondary schools 554 Higher primary schools 1,460 Primary schools 2,905 ITIs 6 Agricultural research centre 2

Industry

No. of large & medium scale running units: 48 No. of small scale units: 19,544 No. of industrial areas: 19

Bagru, Bassi, Bais Godam, Bindyaka, Dudu, Hirawala, Jetpura, Jhotwara, Kaladera, Kanakpura, Kartarpura, Malviya Nagar, Phulera, Renwal, Sanganeer, Shahpura, Sitapura, Sudarshanpur and Vishwakarma.

Main industrial products

Acetylene gas, ACSR conductors, 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 jewellary, general engineering and manufacturing, granite slabs and tiles, hand made paper, handicraft items, halogen auto bulbs, hawai chappals, household electrical appliances, HT steel strips, lodized salt, lamps, laminated springs for railways, marble statues, marble tiles & slabs, moulded plastic components for electronics, perfumes, pigment colours, plastic containers, P.P. multifilament yarn, PVC cables, PVC doors, PVC footwear, canvas shoes, nitro chloro benzene, oxygen gas, port land cement, readymade garments, re-roller products, steel furniture, steel ingots, stone grits, synthetic leather, synthetic suiting & shirtings, tablets and capsules, two way radio and line, washing so ap, wheat maida, suji, atta, woollen carpet, re fined vegetable oil and vanaspati ghee.

Export items

Brass and lacquer work, enamel work, gems and jewellery, granite tiles, handloom, marble statues, printed cloth and textiles, readymade garments and woollen carpets.

Places to see

Nahargarh Fort Amber Fort The Amber fort greets one with regal architecture (and elephants giving rides to tourists!) derived from Hindu and Muslim styles. Jaigarh Fort The Jaigarh Fort holds the world's largest cannon, and offers stunning views.

==External links==

• Jaipur District website
• Jaipur at Wikitravel
• A Photographic Gallery of Jaipur
• Upchaar: health The largest health website in Rajasthan.
• University of Rajasthan The largest university in Rajasthan.
• Software Technology park, Jaipur Promoting information technology in Rajasthan
• Some Live By Fire A Traveller's Account Of The "Pink City" And The Culture Of Rajasthan With Some Beautiful Images
• Rajasthan Art : Rajasthan Art and Rajasthan Handicrafts Online Gallery of Rajasthan Art & crafts.
• inder nett reisen : Rajasthan Reisen german portal on Rajasthan reisen.

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