As they say every country in the world and indeed every city in the world have a few interesting facts that make you want to visit them and savour in their fascinating “wow” factors. And when we get to visit Jaipur, the saying seems true. Enveloped in a regal aura, Jaipur is one of northern India’s most interesting cities. Getting to know Jaipur is a must as this royal destination possesses something unique and wonderful that makes it worthy of worldwide recognition. Jaipur has so many interesting facts to know, that it would be unfair and probably unrealistic to condense Jaipur facts into a few. But we’ll give it a try. Here are 15 Interesting Facts about Jaipur.
1. It has a second name ‘Pink City’
We all know that Jaipur is also known by the name Pink City but have you ever wondered why? Yes, it is named pink city because most of the buildings in the old quarter are painted pink. But did you know why it was given the rosy hue? Not everyone knows that Jaipur was coloured pink on orders of Maharaja Ram Singh to honour and welcome Edward, the Prince of Wales. This happened in 1876 when the Prince of Wales, along with Queen Victoria, visited India.
But why Pink? Pink is traditionally the colour associated with hospitality and vibrancy. So to welcome the prince in the best possible way the city was given this rosy hue and from then has been known as the Pink City. Even today, the colour code is followed like a law in the walled city of Jaipur.
Moreover, the Pink colour gives the city a distinct and romantic charm that attracts every traveller. Another reason Jaipur is called the Pink City is that during that phase most of the buildings and monuments were built with pink terracotta stone which truly justifies the name given to this city.
2. First planned city in India
It is Jaipur, not Chandigarh! As many of us have heard that Chandigarh is the first-ever planned city in India, but facts prove it wrong. Jaipur was founded during the reign of Maharaja Jai Singh on November 18, 1727, and took about four years to get completed. Chandigarh was constructed much later in the 20th century.
Due to the increasing population and growing water scarcity, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh thought of shifting his capital from Amer to Jaipur. He employed proficient architects in planning the city of Jaipur. The construction of Jaipur city started in the year 1726 under the architectural guidance of Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. It was built as per the laws of the principles of Vastu Shastra and Shilpa Shastra and was the only planned city of its time.
3. Houses two Unesco world heritage sites
The city of Jaipur possesses two historical monuments that are a UNESCO world heritage site. Jantar Mantar is one of the sites, with the other being the Amer Fort. Jantar Mantar is an architectural wonder of the world built in 1734 by the king of Jaipur, Sawai Jai Singh II, who had a keen interest in learning about the sky. It is a collection of 19 architectural astronomical instruments made to observe the solar system’s position with naked eyes.
4. Biggest circular park in Asia
The locals of Jaipur claim that Jawahar Circle is the biggest circular park in Asia created on a highway traffic circle. The diameter of the Jawahar Circle is 452 m, and its circumference is 1420 m. This park was fully developed by JDA (Jaipur Development Authority) and is one of Jaipur’s popular leisure destinations. It has several attractive features like musical fountains, modern play equipment, jogging tracks, walkways and a food court. The main attraction of Jawahar Circle is Patrika Gate, a beautiful gate inspired by Hawa mahal. Jawahar Circle has eye-pleasing views of the greenery and natural surroundings having manicured rose gardens, lawns, trees and flowering shrubs in the park. It is also one of the greenest spaces of Jaipur.
5. Part of Golden tourism triangle
The golden tourism triangle covers the places that are the most visited in India. Jaipur, Delhi, and Agra form a triangle. Hence, Jaipur is one of the cities that gets a lot of tourists throughout the year and is a part of the golden tourism triangle of the country.
6. Hosts the world’s largest free literary fest
There is no book lover who hasn’t heard about the literature festival of Jaipur. Every year Jaipur hosts the world’s largest literary festival named Jaipur Literature Festival. The first Literary Festival in Jaipur was held in 2006. Popularly known as JLF, this is the largest and free Literary Festival in the world. Hosted during January, the festival opens the gates to a world of literature and is attended by poets, authors, artists, literary giants from all over the world. Thousands of people every year witness this greatest literary fest of Jaipur.
7. Biggest Emerald market
Since ancient times, Jaipur has been a prominent center of the gemstone industry. Jaipur kings vastly used gems, especially emeralds, in their thrones and attire. Even today, Jaipur is the hub of gemstone manufacturing, cutting trading, and jewellery. Kings of Jaipur greatly encouraged artisan and skilled jewellers in their kingdom. You will find ornaments, jewellery, made of gemstones in many places in Jaipur.
8. Jaipur’s Maharaja is also a Polo player
Many people still think that having a maharaja of a city is a thing of the past. But Jaipur proves the thing wrong. This city still has a Maharaja. The Maharaja of Jaipur is Padmanabh Singh, eldest son of Diya Kumari. He was crowned at a very young age of 13. Although you won’t see him battling on the ground, he still carries the grace of kings of the bygone era. You will find him being a charm on a fashion magazine cover or flaunting a royal pose on Instagram in the imperial interiors of Jaipur City Palace, and playing polo. Yes, he excels in it and has been playing this sport from a very young age. He has even represented our country in many championships of Polo Internationally. Not just this, he is also a member of the Guards Polo Club in England.
9. Hawa Mahal, a building with no foundation
One of the most iconic and Instagram-able spots in the city, Hawa Mahal is built without foundation. Hawa Mahal is another architectural wonder of Jaipur which is a 5-story building that comprises 953 windows! The windows better known as Jharokhas gave the place its name as ‘Hawa Mahal’ or the ‘The Palace of Winds’. Resembling the shape of Lord Krishna’s crown, the Hawa Mahal was constructed in the late 18th century by the king Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh for the royal ladies. It was built to enable the ladies of the royal family to observe the sight of everyday street life without being seen.
10. Jaipur hosts world’s largest literary festival on earth
Since its inception in 2006, Jaipur Literature Festival has gained a noteworthy fame all over the globe. It has made jaipur famous worldwide by inviting artists from all fields of art to this literary fest. The love for JLF went so high that it is now lauded as the largest free literary festivals of the world. Jaipur Literature Festival is held every year attracting novelists, poets, and literary giants from the world over. Jaipur comes alive with scores of artists participating and interacting in debates, ideas, discussions, books, music, art, dance and whatnot.
11. It has a Palace submerged in water
Jal Mahal of Jaipur is a major landmark and one of the top tourist attractions that require no introduction. But many of the tourists are unaware of the fact that this Jal mahal Palace located in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake is more than half-submerged in water. At the first glimpse, it gives you the illusion of almost floating atop the lake. Though the palace has five floors, only one of them is observable, with the rest being submerged in water. The lake has a depth of 15 feet with its low lying areas having a depth of 4.9 feet. Jal Mahal earlier used to be the shooting lodge for Jaipur’s Maharaja, now is a hot tourist destination of Jaipur that takes your breath away with mere its one sight.
12. Has a real Egyptian Mummy
When talking about the real mummy, there are only 6 Egyptian mummies in museums across India. Of them, one is placed in the Albert Hall Museum of Jaipur. Yes, this is a real mummy of a teenage girl named Tutu. The mummy is 2500 years old. Albert Hall Museum, a spectacular architectural building of Jaipur that has many other exhibits like age-old pottery, armoury, paintings, sculptures, jewellery, woodwork, etc
13. It has the world’s most expensive suite
Did you know Jaipur is home to one of the most expensive hotel suites in the entire world! Jaipur is a royal city that has a number of lavish and luxurious hotels. Many of the hotels in Jaipur are famous all over the world for their regal past and architectural beauty. Of all the famous hotels The Raj Palace Hotel is the one that’s the talk of the town for its most pricey suite. Do you believe that the Raj Palace Hotel of Jaipur has a presidential suite that costs US $50,000 that is about INR 1,125,000 per night? Right from the entrance of this Presidential Suite to the rooftop terrace, you will be surrounded by the most luxurious furnishings you can think of.
This five-star suite has 4 floors of lavish luxury with 24-carat gold fittings, walls painted with gold leaf, massive crystal vintage chandeliers, hand-painted frescoes, coloured mirror work, brocades, stucco, antiques, art deco swimming pools. Also, there are personal lawns, a private staircase, a Jacuzzi, luxurious bathrooms, library, home theatre, dining room and many more things that will entice you to stay in the Presidential Suite of Raj Mahal Palace. Isn’t it fascinating? Well, not everyone can afford such a luxurious experience.
14. A Treasure hunt was launched which is still undiscovered
Jaigarh fort of Jaipur is one of the top tourist attractions having long walls that were erected on hills. Earlier, the kings used to hide their royal wealth in secret areas inside this Jaigarh Fort. But, till today nobody could disclose these treasures. Even the former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi even made a desperate search attempt to discover the treasures inside Jaigarh Fort. Nobody knows the finding of this search and the treasure hunt launched then remained undiscovered till now. This makes Jaigarh Fort even more mysterious than other forts of Jaipur making it one of the top forts of Jaipur.
15. Houses the Biggest canon of the world
In its time, Jaivana was the world’s heaviest and biggest cannon on wheels. That was way back in 1720 when the Jaivana cannon was made in Jaigarh Fort. The weirdest thing about the Jaivana Cannon was that it was only tested once in its entire lifetime and has never seen a single battle.
There are strange stories linked with this massive cannon that are still a mystery whether they are just a myth or reality. One of the tales says that the cannonball which was fired from Jaivana Cannon resulted in the formation of a pond in Chaksu village. Also, there are rumours that the cannon had such a terrible noise that many women had miscarriages on hearing its severe boom.
If you are a jaipurite, these facts will give you ample reasons to be a proud resident and if you are an outsider these facts will surely increase your interest compelling you to pack your bags for travel to Jaipur. Are you too wanting to leave for Jaipur as soon as possible? Don’t wait too long!
