Jaipur Tourist Attraction

The Hawa Mahal, or the 'Palace of Winds' is arguably Jaipur's best-known monument. It is unlike any other Rajput monument - fort, palace or temple. The magical structure seems straight out of the Arabian Nights - an oriental fantasy in stone.

Situated in the heart of Jaipur, the City Palace covers one-seventh of the town, and the plan of the palace is similar to that of the city. The palace has a high wall or sarahad that surrounds it on all sides.

Jaigarh or the 'Fort of Victory' is perched atop Chilh ka Tola (Hill of Eagles), 400 feet above the Amber Fort. The walls of the fort are spread acrossr three kilometres. The biggest ever canon on wheels, Jaivan, is the crowning glory of Jaigarh.

Jantar Mantar, built between 1728 and 1734, literally means the 'instruments for measuring the harmony of the heavens'. Jai Singh, the brain behind the grand project, chose to build the monument in stone with marble facing. This was the biggest of all his observatories and the only one built out of stone.

Also pronounced Amer, Amber served as the capital of Jaipur State in its heydays. It was here that the Kachhawaha Rajputs of Jaipur established them way back in the 11th century before moving on to the Pink City of Jaipur in 1728. Amber (Jaipur) was also the most prosperous and powerful of all the Rajput states of Rajasthan.

In 1734, seven years after his new capital was built, Jai Singh II began to build this small fort, which is also known as Tiger Fort (Nahar: tiger, Garh: fort). It stands tall on a steep rocky face with massive walls and bastions. The fort provides a bird's-eye view of the Pink City, sprawled all around it. Jai Singh II named it Sudarshangarh (sudarshan chakra was Lord Krishna's discus).