Information Jaipur

Jaipur History

During the British Raj, Jaipur was the capital of a Princely state of the same name. 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 km˛) 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 eleventh century or 1097 by Dulaha Raya, who hailed from Gwalior; he and his Kachwaha kinsmen are said to have absorbed or driven out the local Meenas and Bargujar Rajput chiefs. In which the Meenas were to become a key ally of the Kachwahas. Their original capital in the Dhundhar region was Dausa, then Jamwa Ramgarh then Amber before the shift to Jaipur. The ruling dynasty of Jaipur provided the Mughal Empire with some of their most distinguished generals. Among them were Raja Man Singh I, who fought and governed from Kabul to Orissa and Assam; Jai Singh I, commonly known by his imperial title of Mirza Raja, whose name appears in all the wars of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb; and Jai Singh II, or Sawai Jai Singh, the famous mathematician and astronomer, and the founder of Jaipur city. “Sawai” was a title bestowed upon him by Aurangzeb which meant “one and a quarter times superior to his contemporaries”.

Throughout the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, the armies of Jaipur were in a constant state of warfare. Towards the end of the 18th century, the Jats of Bharatpur and the chief of Alwar (Also a Kachwaha) declared themselves independent from Jaipur and each annexed the eastern portion of Jaipur’s territory. This period of Jaipur’s history is characterized by internal power-struggles and constant military conflicts with the Marathas, Jats, other Rajput states, as well as the British and the Pindaris (Jaipur’s former mercenary allies). Nevertheless enough wealth remained in Jaipur for the patronage of fine temples/palaces, continuity of its courtly traditions and the well-being of its citizens and merchant communities. A treaty was initially made by Maharaja Sawai Jagat Singh and the British under Governor general Marquis Wellesley in 1803, however the treaty was dissolved shortly afterwards by Wellesley’s successor, Cornwallis. In this event, Jaipur’s Ambassador to Lord Lake observed that This was the first time, since the English government was established in India, that it had been known to make its faith subserveint to its convenience. It was later in 1818, that the Jaipur state entered into subsidiary alliance with the British. 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 when the British invoked the treaty to request assistance in the suppression of rebellious sepoys,the Maharaja opted to preserve his treaty, and thus sent in troops to subdue the uprisings in the area around Gurgaon and the out-skirts of Delhi. The Jaipur forces also secured and kept open the strategic Agra-Ajmer highway, and shelter was given to Europeans fleeing from the menace of the mutineers in the Nahargarh Fort. Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II (1922-1949), in 1948, shortly after India’s independence, acceded the state of Jaipur to the Government of India, and Jaipur became the capital of Rajasthan.

Generally liberal policies of the rulers permitted Jainism to flourish at Amber and later at Jaipur. It continues to be one of the most important centers of Jainism in India. It is here where the Bispanthi/Terapanthi divisions among the Jains emerged in 17th century[1]. In 17th century the Chittor seat of the Bhattarakas of Mula Sangh Saraswati gachchha moved from Champawati to Sanganer and then to Amber and finally to Jaipur where the last Bhattarka was present until 1965. The lineage is Narendrakirti (Samvat 1691, Sanganer)- Surendrakirti (Samvat 1722, Amber) - Jagatkirti - Devendrakirti - Mahendrakirti - Kshemendrakirti (Samvat 1815, Jaipur) - Surendrakirti - Sukhendrakirti - Nayankirti - Devendrakirti - Mahendrakirti - Chandrakirti.

Distance from major cities

Delhi-265 km Ahmedabad-625 km Chandigarh-510 km Mumbai-1,176 km Calcutta-1,472 km Agra-246 km

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.

Rail transport

Jaipur is very well connected by rail with all major cities and town in India. Jaipur is connected on the broad-gauge and meter gauge network of the Indian Railways. Jaipur has direct trains to cities like Agra, Delhi, Mumbai, Howrah, Chennai, Mysore, Bangalore, Lucknow, Kanpur etc. across the country and to cities like Ajmer, Sawai Madhopur, Kota, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Udaipur within Rajasthan. Jaipur is connected with Sri Ganganagar, and Sirohi. Jaipur is also connected with major centres of neighbouring states such as Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Delhi through the broad gauge network.

Air transport

Jaipur’s Jaipur Airport (IATA: JAI, ICAO: VIJP) is situated in its satellite town of Sanganer and offers sporadic service to London, Dublin, Singapore and Dubai. Jaipur also has well connected domestic air links with Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Goa, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Mumbai.

Places to Visit

Nahargarh Fort
Amber Palace

The Amber Palace complex overlooking the artificial lake south of the town of Amber is one of the most popular tourist sites in the city, famous for its mixture of Hindu and Muslim architecture, and offering elephant rides from the town up to the palace courtyard. Although the structure is today known as Amber Fort, the complex was initially a Palace Complex within the Fort of Amber which is today known as Jaigarh fort. Jaigarh Fort

The Jaigarh Fort on the hills above the Amber Palace complex offers stunning views of the foothills of the Aravalli range, as well as attractions such as immense underground water-storage tanks, a medieval canon foundry and an impressive collection of medieval cannons including the Jaivana which is reputed to be the world’s largest cannon on wheels. Historically this was the original Amber Fort, although it became known as Jaigarh from the time of Sawai Jai Singh II onwards. Jal Mahal is located in Jaipur India, which is the capital of the State of Rajasthan. It is on the way to Sisodia garden. The rajput style “Water Palace” sits in the center of the Man Sarobar lake. The lake is often dry in the summer but winter monsoons frequently turn it into a beautiful lake filled with water.

Jantar Mantar
Hawa Mahal
Galtaji
Govind Dev Ji temple
Albert Museum in Ramniwas Bagh
Jawahar Circle
Central Park
Birla Temple
Gaurav Towers