Jaipur Weekend Tours

Resembling Krishna’s crown, Hawa Mahal is an elaborate monument in Jaipur. Standing right in the middle of the old market of Jaipur, the structure made of red and pink sandstone keeps the name of the Pink City very proudly.Lal Chand Ustad has put a lot of effort in designing the back of the palace to blend in the city, which is now also confused as the front by people. Also known as ‘The Palace of Winds’, the Hawa Mahal is a part of the City Palace. There is no entrance from the main road to the mahal, so you have to seek for the gate which let you enter. Inside are five floors designed very carefully.There are 953 ‘jharokhas’ made to allow the winds to pass into the palace and keep it fresh and breezy in sweltering summers.Being surrounded by the traditional market of Jaipur, you will find all the authentic pieces of souvenirs related to the culture and the history of Jaipur. Hence, you can club shopping while visiting the palace. Make sure to spend your entire evening shopping traditional souvenirs and then wait for dusk to draw upon only to see the colourfully lit Hawa Mahal standing amidst the bustling market.History of Hawa Mahal Jaipur - Hawa Mahal was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh who was the grandson of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh. The story of the birth of the palace started when Pratap visited Jhunjhunu and saw Khetri Mahal.Maharaj was impressed by the unique design of the Khetri Mahal, and that was when he decided to create a better version of it. Lal Chand Ustad designed this palace and ended up making one of the best monuments history has ever created.The primary purpose for creating this palace was to give royal women a separate place. From Hawa Mahal, they could enjoy the everyday lives and celebrations of the festival through the windows without being seen as they weren’t allowed to go out in public without a veil. The Hawa Mahal was a part of the main City Palace, and the royal family used to come here to escape the scorching heat as this palace was always cold and breezy due to the windows it has.From then on, it has been preserved to keep the glory and grace alive for the generations to come.Architecture of Hawa Mahal Jaipur - Hawa Mahal is an excellent example of Hindu Rajput architecture finely blended with Islamic Mughal architecture giving it the face it is famous for. It is made with red and pink sandstone along with white marble inside the palace. The look of the palace observed from the street looks extremely beautiful, and people mistake it with the entrance of the palace. Actually, it is the backside of the palace as it is an extended part of the main City Palace. It has five floors adorned with 953 jharokhas and latticework.The technology of Venturi effect is utilised well to make the air coming inside the palace cool. This effect always helped the Hawa Mahal stay serene and pleasant, so royal women never had a problem staying here in hot temperatures.At several times, the entire royal family used to get together here and escape the summers together.This honeycomb-like monument is a proud heritage left by the bygone era, which is an integral part of the history as well as architecture.

Standing tall overlooking the city of Jaipur, Nahargarh Fort is a monumental edifice built by Sawai Madho Singh in the eighteenth century. The fort is situated on Cheel ka Teela (Hill of Eagles) and Nahargarh means “abode of tigers”. Nahargarh fort along with Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort once formed a strong defense around the city of Jaipur. However, Nahargarh fort was also used as a summer retreat by the Jaipur kings considering that there are several palaces, temples and landscaped gardens within its complex. There is an extended wall at Nahargarh Fort which connects it to Jaigarh Fort.The Madhavendra Palace is the hotspot attraction at the fort which has an opulent suite for the king and nine suites for his concubines. The Madhavendra palace looks spellbindingly magnificent and the walls of the suites are intricately designed with delicate fresco paintings.Within the fort lies the famous Nahargarh Biological Park and a zoo that gives tourists a sneak peek into the wilderness of the regions like Asiatic lions and Bengal tigers. Another huge attraction is the Sculpture Park that has astounding pieces of sculpture on display at the Madhavendra Palace. The fort complex even has two restaurants that offer breathtaking views of the city below and serves zesty Indian cuisine.History of Nahargarh Fort Nahargarh Fort was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh in the year 1734. Interestingly, the fort was never attacked during the entire history. But, historical events in the eighteenth century like the signing of treaties with Maratha forces happened at the fort.The fort also has another intriguing history attached to it. During the construction of the fort, something things strange used to happen every single day; whatever was built during the day used to collapse at night. The King believed that the construction work was hindered by the restless spirit of Rathore prince, Nahar Singh Bhomia. So, based on the advice of astrologers, the king decided to build a temple devoted to him and also name the fort on his name to honor him. After doing so, the construction works of the fort went unhindered.The architecture of Nahargarh FortThe imposing Nahargarh Fort has been built in the Indo-European style of architecture and is decked up with scalloped archways, domed ceilings, and sprawling gardens. The tall exterior walls of the fort run for several kilometres and the main entrance of the fort, Padi Gate stands as a testimony to the magnificent architecture. The most prominent structure within the Nahargarh Fort is Madhavendra Bhawan aka Madhavendra Palace. This two-story palace was built by King Sawai Madho Singh for himself and his nine queens. The palace features one majestic suite for the king himself and nine identical suites for his nine wives. The suites are lavish with bedrooms, lobby, kitchen, and a store. An open-air corridor connects all the suites. Interestingly, the suites are built in such a way that the king can visit one of his nine wives without the knowledge of the other eight wives. Another amazing structure is the Diwan-i-Aam, which is a sprawling hall where the king addressed the grievances of his subjects. There are also two temples within Nahargarh Fort - one for the deity of Jaipur rulers and another one for Rathore prince, Nahar Singh Bhomia.

Jantar Mantar of Jaipur is an astronomical observatory built by Sawai Jai Singh II. Besides this one in Jaipur, India owns 4 more Jantar Mantar across different states. Featuring the world’s largest sundials, the astronomical observatory of Jaipur marks its prominence amongst UNESCO’s world heritage sites. Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar comprises of some astounding stone structures which once were used for locating the exact positions of the celestial bodies in space. There are around 19 instruments carved out from stone and brass. As it aids in calculating the local time, this massive structure attracts geographers, architects, and historians. Even time has failed before the brilliance of this engineering marvel. The observatory still holds its significance in the same manner as it did a thousand years ago. The main motive behind the existence of this structure was to gather and study information related to the universe, time and space. The instruments present refers here to those used in the Egyptian study of Ptolemaic astronomy. The observatory is known to work on the principles laid down by the classical celestial coordinates. They are a horizon-zenith local system, ecliptic system, and finally the equatorial system. These three systems aid the researchers and geographers to track the position of the heavenly bodies. Here at the Jantar Mantar Jaipur, you get to witness a hybrid mixture of different astronomical and architectural instruments. The 19 geometric devices present here to contribute towards understanding local time, ascertaining the declination of planetary systems, predicting eclipses, and tracking orbital stars. Besides, it also aids in the determination of celestial altitudes. The entire observatory covers a land stretch of 18700 metres.Samrat Yantra, Ram Yantra, Jai Prakash Yantra, Narivalya yantra, Karnti yantra, Raj yantra, Unnsynhsmsa yantra, Chakra yantra, Disha yantra, Dakshina yantra, and Rasayas yantra are some of the instruments found here.  History of Jantar Mantar Jaipur - Sawai Jai Singh II was a renowned scholar of his time. Once a while, Emperor Muhammad Shah assigned him a task to confirm and rectify the currently available data on the position and movement of celestial bodies. Sawai Jai Singh was desperate to refine the tables of ancient Islamic zij to determine the exact time. In short, he aimed to create a well-defined calendar. He was keen on making accurate astrological predictions for the benefit of mankind. To bring his dream to reality, he decided that he would construct Jantar Mantar in the year 1718. For the same, he set out on a mission to extensively study the cosmological principles as laid down by the philosophical findings of Hindu, Islamic, European, and Persian civilization. In this way, five different astronomical observatories were constructed across various states in India. The largest amongst all was built in Jaipur in between the period 1727 to 1733. After that, it underwent frequent renovations with the lapse of time. The available instruments have a broad range of cosmological applications. In the year 2010, this astronomical observatory got featured in the list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites. The architecture of Jantar Mantar Jaipur –The astronomical observatory of Jaipur – Jantar Mantar, is a collection of both astronomical and architectural instruments. In all, you may find around 19 major geometrical devices here. Each one of them has got its own specific application. These devices are used to measure time; ascertain the declination of the planets and the planetary system; prediction of the eclipses; determination of the celestial altitudes, and tracking of the orbital stars. Sheltering so many instruments, the entire observatory extends to a land stretch of 18700 metres. Interestingly, some of the instruments available here are amongst the largest in their own species. The instruments of this astronomical observatory were carved out purely from stone and marble as they have got a tremendous potential to withstand climatic changes. Some of them were designed by Raja Sawai Jai Singh II himself. A few of these instruments were carved out from copper and still are recognised for their undeniable accuracy. In terms of its dimensions, the Jantar Mantar at Jaipur is the largest of all its counterparts present elsewhere in India.