Corporations and Businesses nearby
Tourism is a major driver of the city's economy. However, the city has seen a surge in corporate activity in recent years.
- Jaipur’s economy is lead by Tourism followed by gems, jewelry, IT, ITES, crude oil, pharma, telecom, banking, ball bearings, edible oil, electronic items, general engineering and manufacturing and ready-made garments (clothing).
- In the area of arts and crafts, Jaipur leads with gems and jewelry but is also known for its fine range of ceramics, pottery, durries, dyeing and printing, hand-made paper, handicraft items, brass and lacquer work, enamel work, woolen and silk carpets.
- Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan state and attracts visits on account of government related work.
- Jaipur is also a popular destination for conferences and conventions, which take place primarily at the Birla Auditorium (3.5 kms from the hotel)
Restaurants and Shopping in Jaipur
While it’s easy to find a hot meal right inside the hotel, there are many good eateries in the city as well. Here are a few:
Restaurant: Dasaprakash (8 kms)
Cuisine: South Indian – pure vegetarian
Phone: 0141-2371313
Restaurant: Venom Lounge (1 km)
Cuisine: Multi-cuisine/ Bar/ Discotheque
Phone: 9982222450
Restaurant: Chokhi Dhani (16 kms)
Cuisine: Traditional Rajasthani – pure vegetarian
Phone: 0141-32541141
Restaurant: Niros (8 kms)
Cuisine: Multi-cuisine/ Bar
Phone: 0141-2218520
Malls
- Crystal Mall, Bani Park (10 kms)
- Metropolitan Mall, Bhawani Singh Road (6 kms)
- Metro Mall, Chitranjan Marg (7 kms)
- Gaurav Tower, Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg (1 km)
Jaipur as a Destination
Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan State, is also popularly known as the Pink City, because of the ochre-pink hue of its old buildings and city walls. Jaipur is the former capital of the princely state of Jaipur. It was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, the ruler of Amber.
History: Jaipur is the largest city in Rajasthan and was built in the eighteenth century by Sawai Jai Singh as India's first planned city. Although Jaipur serves mainly as a stepping stone for travelers heading to the desert cities of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, it is not without its own attractions, such as several massive Rajput forts. Jaipur is listed in most tourist books as one of the three cities that make India's Golden Triangle - the other two are Delhi and Agra. The old city of Jaipur is enclosed within seven gates, the most important of which are Chandpol, Jaipuri and Sanganeri.
Local Attractions
Forts and palaces and several other attractions, make Jaipur a favorite holiday destination:
- Amber Fort - 20 kms
- Hawa Mahal - 8 kms
- City Palace - 8 kms
- Nahargarh Fort - 18 kms
Nearby Cities
- Delhi -- 281 kms
- Udaipur - 527 kms
- Jodhpur - 250 kms
- Jaisalmer - 621 kms
- Bikaner - 330 kms
- Ajmer - 138 kms
- Agra - 235 kms
Amber Fort: This massive fort-palace complex built in a hybrid Hindu-Muslim style dates back to Raja Man Singh and was the royal palace of the Kachwahas from c. 1600 to 1727. The fort is named after the town of Amber, in turn named after the goddess Amba. The main sights within the fort include the Sheesh Mahal, adorned with thousands of mirror tiles on the walls and ceiling.
Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing: A beautiful museum dedicated to the traditional art of hand block printing textiles, this museum is housed in a recently restored heritage haveli tucked into the back streets of old Amber. Small cafe, clean toilets, small shop, friendly staff and a printer and block carver demonstrating their crafts every day.
Central Museum: This dusty but memorable collection is housed in the spectacular Albert Hall, south of the old city, and displays a finely exhibited, array of tribalware, decorative arts, costumes, drawings and musical instruments.
City Palace: The City Palace is an imposing blend of traditional Rajput and Mughal architecture. It is a vast palace complex occupying nearly one-seventh of the Pink City. It was originally built by Maharaja Jai Singh II. The complex is divided into a series of courtyards, sprawling gardens and buildings. It is home to several palatial structures like the Chandra Mahal (home to the present Maharajah of Jaipur), Mubarak Mahal (housing a textile museum), Diwan-e-Khas (or Hall of private audience), the Diwan-e-Aam (or Hall of public audience) and the gateway - Ridhi Sidhi Pol (with four small doorways decorated with motifs depicting the four seasons). Another integral part of the palace complex is the Hawa Mahal, standing away from the main complex.
Hawa Mahal: Jaipur's most distinctive landmark, Hawa Mahal is a remarkable, delicately honey-combed pink-sandstone structure. The five-storey building was constructed in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh to enable ladies of the royal household to watch the life and processions of the city. It was an extension of the ‘zenana’ (women’s) chamber. Its purpose was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen. It is a five storey high red sandstone structure complete with over 950 windows.
Jantar Mantar: The biggest of five astronomical observatories built by Maharaja Jai Singh during the period 1727-1734 in north India, it is located very close to the City Palace. The observatory consists of fourteen major geometric devices (or yantra in Hindi) for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars in their orbits, ascertaining the declinations of planets, and determining the celestial altitudes etc. Guides provide fascinating explanations of how each of the instruments work, and how through watching, recording and meticulous calculation, Jai Singh measured time by the place the sun's shadow fell on the huge sundials and charted the annual progress through the zodiac. Each construction has a specific purpose, such as calculating eclipses. The most striking instrument is the sundial, with its 27m-high gnomon; the shadow this casts moves upto 4m per hour.
Moti Dungri Fort: This small fort is closed to the public. At its foot is the modern Birla Lakshmi Narayan Temple, with splendid marble carvings. Next to the temple there's a small museum, which houses everyday objects from the industrially renowned Birla family.
Museum of Indology: This is an extraordinary private collection of folk-art objects - there's everything from a manuscript written by Aurangzeb to a glass bed (for a short queen).
Nahargarh Fort: Built in 1734 and extended in 1868, sturdy Nahargarh is notable primarily for excellent views over Man Sagar lake and the vast sprawl of Jaipur. The fort also houses the (relatively) compact Madhavendra Bhawan palace. Portions of the movie Rang De Basanti were shot at this fort. There are some interesting furnished rooms in the fort and glorious views - it's a popular picnic spot on weekends, and the perfect place to catch the sunset.
Gaitor: The site of the royal cenotaphs, just outside the city walls, is an appropriately restful place to visit, and still feels remarkably undiscovered. Surrounded by a straggling village, the monuments bear much beautiful, intricate carving. The marble cenotaph of Maharaja Jai Singh II is particularly impressive.
Jaigarh Fort: Never conquered in battle, this was considered the strongest of the three forts in the area. It is best known as the site of the world's largest cannon, the Jaivana, which was test-fired only once and according to legend, despite using only half the designed amount of gunpowder, the cannonball flew 35 km! A better reason to visit the fort, though, are the scenic gardens at the other end and the spectacular views over Amber Fort and the hills around.
Jal Mahal: The “Palace on Water” is on the way to Sisodia Rani Garden. A Rajput style palace, it sits in the center of the Man Sagar Lake. The lake is often dry in the summer but winter monsoons frequently turn it into a beautiful lake filled with water hyacinths.
Indian Music: Nad Sadhna, Jaipur, is an institution, which has tried to unfold this beauty and treasure of music before its worshippers. Nad Sadhna provides a platform to learn Indian music (vocal, instrumental and dance). Here you will acquire not only the knowledge of the subject but also the skill to implement it, the power to understand the depth of the music and above all a musical way to step into the world of meditation, a perfect peace and joy, enough to turn anyone's life into utopia.
Chokhi Dhani: A 5 star ethnic resort, it is located on the Jaipur-Tonk highway, around 18 kms from city center. There are lodging facilities available but the real attractions are the evening fun-fares. One can watch live folk dances, listen to live folk music, enjoy elephant, camel and bullock-cart rides and eat a traditional eat-as-much-as-you-can meal on a single ticket.
Temples
Lakshmi Narayan Temple: Also called Birla temple, this is a modern temple made of white marble with beautiful carvings.
Galtaji: Galtaji is an ancient Hindu pilgrimage site situated 10 km from Jaipur on the Jaipur-Agra highway, near Sisodia Rani Garden. The main temple here is the temple of Galtaji constructed in pink stone. The temple has a number of pavilions with rounded roofs, exquisitely carved pillars and painted walls. The temple is surrounded by natural springs and reservoirs that are considered holy.
Fairs and Festivals
Kite Festival: A festival with a difference - brightly colored kites take to the sky all over Jaipur. In the evening, kites with lights in them and fireworks brighten the skies above. 14th January is the official day for flying kites in Jaipur.
Elephant Festival: This coincides with Holi - the festival of colors - which is held in March. It is a great occasion for the visitor to watch several elephant sports and also play Holi.
Gangaur Fair: A festival devoted to Goddess Parvati. It is time for young girls to dress up in their finery and pray for grooms of their choice while the married women pray for the well-being of their husbands.
Teej Festival: A festival to mark the advent of monsoon, it is celebrated in the month of shravan (July–August). Essentially a lfestival celebrated by ladies, it is interesting to watch them enjoying in groups and at various bazaars where they turn up to shop in all their finery.
Pushkar Fair: Pushkar, the abode of Lord Brahma - the creator of the universe, one of the most holy cities in India - is 131 kms away from Jaipur. The Pushkar cattle and camel fair is a grand event in which around 2 lakh people participate. The fair is held in the month of October or November and continues for around five days. The fair at Pushkar involves not only livestock trading but also pilgrimage and festivities. It is also the time when Hindu devotees come here to take a dip in the holy waters of the sacred Pushkar Lake, to wash away their sins. Pushkar is also very close to another very important religious place for the muslims – Ajmer.
Ajmer Urs: Ajmer has the distinction of holding the largest Muslim fair in India, where more than five lakh devotees from different communities come to pay homage to the ‘Khwaja’ on his Urs (death anniversary). Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chisti was a sufi saint who had came from Persia and established the “Chistia” order of “fakirs” in India. The remains of the Khwaja lie buried in “Dargah Sharif” in Ajmer and are held in great reverence by devotees of all communities. Outside the holy place of the Dargah, professional singers called 'qawwals' sit in groups and sing hymns in the praises of the saint in their characteristic high-pitched voice. There are colorful and fragrant markets near the dargah, which sell rosaries, textiles, flowers, prayer mats, and general merchandise as well. Ajmer is approximately 131 kms from Jaipur.
