Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II (1699 -1744 AD). Maharaja had shifted his capital from Amber (11 km from Jaipur) in order to meet accommodation of the increased population and growing scarcity of water. Under the architectural guidance of Vidyadar Bhattacharya, an accounts-clerk in the Amber treasury and later promoted to the office of Chief Architect). The capital came into existence on the classical basis of principles of Vastu Shastra and other classical treatise.

Maharaja was keen on the security aspect of the city after several battles with the Marathas besides his special interest in Astronomy, Mathematics and Astrophysics. Jai Singh sought advices from Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, a Brahmin scholar of Bengal, to assist him for designing many other buildings including the Royal Palace in the center of the city.

Jaipur town is built in the form of eight-part (i.e. Mandala known as the 'Pithapada'). Nine signifies the nine planets of the ancient astrological zodiac. It is also known that Sawai Jai Singh II was a great astronomer and a town planner, and hence the 'Pithapada'. Also, the commercial shops are designed in multiples of nine (27), having one cross street for a planet. The construction of the city started in 1727 and took 4 years to complete the major palaces, roads and square. The city was built following the principles of Shilpa Shastra, the science of Indian Architecture. The city was divided into nine blocks, of which two consist the state buildings and palaces, with the remaining seven allotted to the public. Huge fortification walls were built along with seven strong gates.

Climate

Jaipur (Sanganer) climate chart

[Source: Indian weather on web]

Jaipur has a hot semi-arid climate receiving over 650 mm (26 in) of rainfall annually but most rains occur in the monsoon months between June and September. Temperatures remain relatively high throughout the year, with the summer months of April to early July having average daily temperatures of around 30 °C (86 °F). During the monsoon there are frequent, heavy rains and thunderstorms, but flooding is not observed. The winter months of November to February are mild and pleasant, with average temperatures ranging from 15-18 °C (59-64 °F) and with little or no humidity. There are however occasional cold waves that lead to temperatures near freezing.

Road

The city of Jaipur is the capital of the state of Rajasthan and is centrally located. National Highway No.8 links Delhi to Mumbai, and National Highway No.11 links Bikaner to Agra, passing through Jaipur district with a total length of 366 km. The total length of different types of roads in the district was approximately 4,102 km in March 2000. Jaipur BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit System) serving the city has been recently launched successfully.

There is an excellent bus service between Jaipur to Delhi by Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation with buses approximately every half an hour both sides. There are several types of buses including Deluxe, AC and the superior AC Volvo buses. From Delhi you can board the bus from Bikaner House on Pandara Road next to India Gate. From Jaipur you can board the bus from Narayan Singh Circle or the main Sindhi Camp bus stand. You can also book tickets up to 6 days in advance from both these places.These buses typically take 6 hours (by Volvo) or 6-7 hours by other deluxe buses. There are also some private bus operators active in the city but you should avoid them as most of them do not have permits and drive rashly. Also note that if you plan to leave from Delhi airport, you can get off the bus at Dhaula Kuan and get an autorickshaw or perhaps a taxi from there. You do not need to enter congested Delhi.

Transport within the city: The taxis in Jaipur are very convenient and comfortable. Most of the vehicles are Maruti Omni Vans or Tata Indica cars, which are much safer than Auto rickshaws, and the drivers are polite. If you are alone or going to an unknown destination, you are strongly advised to choose this option, even though the rates will be double that of an auto. you must call for a taxi, as it is nearly impossible to hail one unless you are at a major point like the airport. When you call, you should negotiate a fare (or agree on using the meter) and get the taxi's 'number'. The taxi will come pick you up, and call you when they are close. Taxis generally have yellow license plates with black letters. Some taxis are painted with yellow & black color scheme on their body which helps to uniquely identify from the private cars.

Rail

Jaipur Railway station is the headquarters of the North Western Railway zone of the Indian Railways. It has direct trains on the broad gauge network to all major cities in Rajasthan and India as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Gandhinagar,  Pune,  Indore,  Bhopal,  Gwalior,  Jabalpur,  Nagpur,  Raipur,  Lucknow,  Kanpur,   Varanasi,  Patna,  Trivendrum, etc., and metre gauge network to Sri Ganganagar, Churu and Sikar. One of India's most famous and luxurious trains The Palace on Wheels, also makes a scheduled stop in Jaipur.

Air

Jaipur International Airport is situated in its satellite town of Sanganer and offers sporadic service to Muscat, Sharjah, Bangkok and Dubai, London via Muscat, London via Sharjah, London via Delhi  by Jet and Air India. Major European cities like Frankfurt, Paris, Zurich, Moscow by connection through Jet Airways or Air India. Jaipur also has well connected domestic air links with Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Delhi, Hyderabad,  Kolkata,  Goa,  Chennai,  Ahmedabad,  Indore,  Bangalore,  Mumbai, Surat, Bhopal, Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Jabalpur.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 26 October 2010 00:42