City Palace, Jaipur
The City Palace of Jaipur is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthani and Mughal art and architecture. The City Palace complex houses several palatial structures. In the heart of the old Jaipur city, the Palace occupies a large area divided into a series of courtyards, gardens and buildings. Jai Singh built the outer wall but other additions were made much later, some right up to the start of this century. The former Maharaja still lives in part of the palace. The City Palace sprawls over one-seventh of the area of the walled city. It houses the Chandra Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum. The first building in it, is Mubarak Mahal, built by Maharaja Madho Singh. It has a beautifully carved marble gate with heavy brass doors on either side of this gate. Beyond this gate, lies the 'Diwan-E-Khas' or the 'Hall Of Private Audience' with a marble paved gallery. Across a paved square lies the 'Diwan-E-Am' or the 'Hall Of Public Audience', with its intricate decorations and manuscripts in Persian and Sanskrit. There is also a clock tower and the newer Mubarak Mahal.
Amer Palace
Amer Palace - JaipurRaja Man Singh erected Amer Palace in 16th century. It is a mesmerizing amalgamation of Hindu and Mughal architecture. Rajputs made use of this Amber Fort from the 16th century up to the foundation of Jaipur in 1727 both for defense reasons as well as the residential reasons. Thus within its powerful walls, one finds charismatic gardens and magnificent palaces made from marble and precious stones, richly festooned with intricate stonemason works and paintings, which corresponded to royal splendor and luxury.
Situated at Jaipur, the mirror image of Amber Fort in the lake below looks almost divine. It is not at all surprising to know that this grandiose and stately fort was once the Capital of Minas. Amer Fort accommodates Jai Mandir, a famous temple which has Sheesh Mahal, a delightful hall of mirrors that are so artistically set that even a tiny ray of light gets replicated in the mirrors and illumines the hall flamboyantly. Sheesh Mahal is famed all over the world as one of the most sought-after tourist attraction. Other places of interest in this fort are Sukh Niwas and Ganesh Pole.
City Palace
A combination of conventional Rajasthani and Mughal architecture, City Palace complex has more than a few palatial structures. Maharaja Jai Singh built the external wall but there have been many additions since then. It stretches across one-seventh of the area of the walled city and is in part of the palace still serves as imperial residence. The tourist attractions of the palace are Chandra Mahal, Badal Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.
The first courtyard of the palace accomodates the 'Mubarak Mahal' or the Fortunate Palace, built by Maharaja Madho Singh II contains the textile section of the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum. 'Chandra Mahal', or the Moon Palace, is a gigantic seven storeyed structure. It is also the present-day residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur and providing awe-inspiring views of both the gardens and the city. It is ornamented in a traditional style by floral decorations, paintings, mirror walls and ceilings.
Shila Mata Temple : Entry into Shila Mata Temple is through Singh Pol. The temple is devoted to Shila Mata ( Goddess Kali), the goddess of victory and houses a black marble idol of the goddess which was brought here from Jessore by Raja Man Sigh in 1604. You would find nine images of Goddess Durga (strength) and ten forms of Goddess Saraswati ( knowledge) which are carved on the silver gates of the temple. The mandap of this temple is made up of white marble contrasting the colours of the idols.
Ganesh Pol & Suhaag Mandir : Ganesh Pol forms another attractions in Amber fort and is an imposing gateway which lies south of Diwan-i-am. The gateway has been painted beautifully and endorse typical Rajasthani motifs. From Ganesh Pol, you can move to beautiful garden or Charbagh, which is based on the Mughal patten of gardens.
Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience), Sukh Niwas, Jai Mandir & Jas Mandir : Diwan-i-Khas show cases a rich amalgam of Rajput and Mughal architecture. The architecture is showcased in the fascinating Diwan-i-khas, Sukh Niwas, Jai Mandir and Jas Mandir. Decorated with beautiful mirror work, Diwan -I - Khas has wonderful carvings on the walls and the ceilings. The major attractions of these halls are miniature murals made of coloured glasses which depicts Radha and Krishna.
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