Introducing Jaipur
Jaipur, the City of Victory, is chaotic and congested, though it still has a habit of tickling travellers pink. Stunning hilltop forts and glorious palaces fit like footprints from a rich royal past, candyfloss-bright turbans blaze a trail through brilliant bargain-filled bazaars, and fluttering saris catch the eye like butterflies.
Advertisement
As the gateway to the desert state of Rajasthan, however, it’s also a city permanently under siege. Package tourists are captivated by (and offloaded on) the bustling bazaars, world-class hotels and clammy sophistication, while camel carts and cows waddle through diesel-soaked streets, rampaging rickshaw drivers hustle and burn past businessmen and tourists, and scores of street children beg outside huge jewellery shops and palatial hotels.
Jaipur beams boldest at dusk – when it’s well worth walking to Amber – and, much like its founder, Jai Singh II, the Pink City is both proud and resilient.
There’s the Elephant Festival in March, Gangaur is celebrated in March/April and Teej celebrations occur in August.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Tips & articles
-
The world’s greatest guilty pleasures
16 January 2012
Everyone needs to indulge their vices every now and then. In this extract from Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2012,...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
-
RE: Side trip from Delhi
by ansh_jain_97 14 September 2011
If you're also visiting Jaipur, then those 3 places in 8 days is quite full already, so if I was you I wouldn't add a new place. The…
-
Side trip from Delhi
by voyager123 13 September 2011
Hello! I have about 8 days at the beginning of October and I'm heading to Delhi for a few days and then to see the Taj. I'm not sure…
-
RE: Varanasi to Delhi
by uselessbaba 13 September 2011
Definitely try and squeeze in Orcha, if you ditch Jaipur, you could do Orcha and Gwalior en-route to Agra. I personally think you would…
