Jaipur, The Pink City of Rajasthan

	Jaipur, The Pink City of Rajasthan
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A flamboyant showcase of Rajasthani architecture, the Pink City of Jaipur has long been established on tourist itineraries as the third corner of India's "Golden Triangle", just 300km southwest of Delhi and 200km west of Agra.

Though the "Pink City" label applies specifically to the old walled quarter of the state capital, in the northeast of town, exuberant eighteenth- and nineteenth-century palaces are scattered throughout the whole urban area.

These, and the salmon-colored facades of the city's ornately decorated vernacular buildings, form an appropriately exotic backdrop for the swirl of typically Rajasthani street life below. A vast storehouse of traditional crafts, the orderly bazaars of the old town rank among the most vibrant in Asia, renowned above all for hand-dyed and embroidered textiles, jewelry, and the best selection of precious stones and metals in India.

For all its color, however, Jaipur's heavy traffic, combined with the aggression of over-eager traders and touts, tends to reduce the appeal of a long stay. Few travelers find it easy to relax here, and most leave craving the fresher air and laid-back pace of Bharatpur or the Thar Desert towns. Lying on the bed of a long-dry lake, Jaipur sprawls to hills in the north, east

and west, and south across the open plains towards Bundi. Getting and keeping your bearings is simple; even if you can't see the high walls of the Pink City, the hills behind it in the northeast, topped by Nawalgarh Fort , are always conspicuous.

The Pink City houses the principal tourist attractions - the Palace of Winds or Hawa Mahal , and Jai Singh's City Palace and Jantar Mantar Observatory - while the Ram Niwas Garden, zoo , and Albert Hall (Central Museum) are a short way south of the walls, within easy walking distance of its gates.

Broad and widely spaced roads in the newer areas outside the walls accommodate the industries and businesses that underlie the economy of the modern city, as well as most of Jaipur's hotels. Mirza Ismail (MI) Road is the main route from west to east (south of the old city), on which you'll find the GPO, hotels and restaurants and some of the larger boutiques and jewelry shops.

Station Road runs from the railway station in the west, past the bus stand and on to Chand Pole, the westernmost gate of the old city . If you're anywhere near Jaipur in March, don't miss the Elephant Festival , one of India's most flamboyant parades, celebrated with full Rajput pomp during Holi (March).