Jaipur is one the famous Indian cities known for its grand palaces like City Palace which consists of Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal and other beautiful monuments that give a glimpse of the Indian traditions. Known as the “pink city”, Jaipur is also the state capital of Rajasthan and visited by tourists of different cities and countries too. It is said that the King of Jaipur, who belongs to the Kachwaha Rajput tribe stays here. The City Palace is located at the northeast center of the city and is surrounded by beautiful gardens and courtyards that create a unique impression on the people. The palace is converted into a museum but it still serves to be the residence of the Maharaja. This mahal is built by Sawai Jai Singh II during 1729-1932. The initial structure was designed in front of him and later on changes were made by the successive rulers till 20th century. The new look of the city was planned by Sawai Jai Singh II and two other architects called the Vidyadar Bhattacharya and Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob. The architects combined the Indian and the European style perfectly to create a blend that would add to the tourism of the city.

History of City Palace

Sawai Jai Singh II was the ruler of Amer but later on he shifted to Jaipur so that he could handle the work of City Palace. It was in 1727 that he came to Jaipur and entrusted the task of building the palace to Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. The king and architect both designed the structure of the palace according to the Vaastushastra to curb the problems and enjoy a peaceful life in Jaipur.

Architecture

The City Palace is a perfect blend of three styles and it clearly reflects the Mughal, Indian and the European touch in it. Apart from the main entrance gate, you have other gates including Tripolia gate, Udai Pol, Virendra Pol and Jaleb Chowk. All the entrances are decorated in a lavish style with a number of important structures included in the palace. These structures are 'Diwan-I-Khas', Chandra Mahal, 'Govind Dev Ji Temple and Mubarak Mahal. All the gates are adorned with mirrors and murals that depict the true Mughal style architecture of that time.

Major Structures

The City Palace lies on the north eastern side of the city and is made of grid patterns that are really impressive. It also includes temples, gardens and pavilions that enhance the beauty of the palace. Some of the most visited areas of the City Palace are City Palace Museum, Chandra Mahal, Maharani's Palace, Mubarak Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and Mukut Mahal.

Entrance Gates

The three important gates to the City Palace are Jaleb Chowk, Udai Pol, Tripolia Gate and Virendra Pol. Special guests and royal families can enter through the Tripolia Gate while the general public is allowed to enter the palace through the Virendra Pol, and Atish Pol (Udai Pol). From the Virendra Pol, you can directly reach the Mubarak Mahal which is one of the important structures of the palaces. All these gates are excellently decorated and add to the beauty of the City Palace.

Mubarak Mahal

The Mubarak Mahal is designed in an exclusive style showcasing a perfect blend of European, Rajput and the Islamic architectural style. It was built by Maharaja Madho Singh II during the 19th century. Here you can explore a huge collection of textiles, royal costumes, Kashmiri pashminas, sanganeri block prints, silk stuff and lots more. One of the most spectacular features of this museum is the display of Sawai Madhosingh I clothes. He was about 1.2 meters wide and weighed around 250 kilograms and had 108 queens.

Chandra Mahal

One of the most visited areas of the City Palace is the Chandra Mahal. It is located at the western end of the monument and consists of seven floors. Every floor has a specific name like the Pitam-Niwas, Mukut Mahal, Sukh-Niwas, Shri-Niwas, Ranga-Mandir and Chabi-Niwas. Out of all the floors, only the ground floor is open for the public while the rest of it is used by the descendants of the earlier rules. The museum consists of various paintings, carpets, manuscripts and other important stuff that belonged to that time. The entrance of the mahal is in a shape of a beautiful peacock that catches the attention of the people. Through the balcony, you can enjoy the magnificent views of the entire city and also explore the garden as well as the beautiful lake that lies within the palace.

The Chandra Mahal also has a flag that represents the royalty and is unfurled when the Maharaja of Jaipur comes here. But in case the King is not present, the same is done by the queen.

The 'one and quarter flag' belongs to the Jaipur Maharaja and there is a small incident which is connected with it. When Aurangzeb came to be a part of the Jai Singh’s wedding, he blessed the couple and prayed for their happy married life. When Maharaja saw this, he immediately replied saying that shaking hands with him gave a feeling as if he has promised to protect his kingdom in times of need. The Emperor was so impressed by the remark of Jai Singh that he gave him the title of Sawai which means “one and quarter”. This is the reason that their names have this title and the same size of the flag is hoisted by them.

Apart from the above incident, you also have another story related to this place. It was at this place that son of Jai Singh killed himself by being bitten by a snake as he could bear the trauma of facing defeat when the Marathas were progressing towards their kingdom. His 21wives performed the old ritual of “sati” and died at that very moment.
Pitam Niwas Chowk

Through this courtyard you can find the way to the Chandra Mahal. It consists of four entrance gates that are decorated in different style and using themes that depict the four seasons and represent the Hindu Gods. The Northeastern gate (decorated with peacock motifs) depicts the season of autumn and is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the Northwestern gate symbolizes the green color thus representing the spring season and dedicated to Ganesha, the Southwestern gate, also known as Lotus gate represents the summer season and dedicated to Shiva-Parvati and the last one being the Rose gate that depicts the winter season and dedicated to Goddess Devi.

The Popular Tourist Attractions

• Government Central Museum
• Hawa Mahal
• Jantar Mantar
• Vidhyadhar's Garden
• Jal Mahal

The City Palace is one of the most visited monuments of Jaipur. Apart from the City Palace, you can also explore the other beautiful palaces which definitely grab the attention of the people. The monuments give the glimpse of the Indian heritage and the customs of that time. Thus the City Palace is definitely a must visited attraction that you should not miss.

How to Reach

Though the City Palace is located right at the center of the Jaipur City but it is slightly towards the northeastern end. But the tourists will not face any problem in reaching the destination as Jaipur has a well connected transportation system that offers you a comfortable experience. You can easily catch flights from the nearest airport or even find trains that directly connect to different routes. Buses also ply to several routes and connect smaller cities.

National Highway No.8 is the route that links Mumbai and Delhi while the route no 11 links Agra to Bikaner via Jaipur.

Jaipur is said to have both the broad gauge as well as the meter gauge railway line that connects the different cities of Rajasthan and the rest of the India. If you want to enjoy a lavish journey, you can also avail the facility of Palace on Wheels as Jaipur is the stoppage. Therefore you have both the options open before you.

The Sanganer International Airport is the nearest airport where you can catch flights to any destination you want. The domestic flights connect the various cities of Rajasthan like the Jodhpur, Delhi, Chennai, Surat, Lucknow, Kolkata, Gorakhpur, Udaipur, Goa, Ahmedabad and many more while the international flights can take you to countries like Dubai, Muscat, Bangkok, Sharjah and many more.

The visiting days and hours of the City Palace are from Monday to Sunday (10am to 5pm) but it remains closed on other occasions like Holi, Diwali and other holidays. For the Indian citizens the entry fee for the adults/child is Rs. 35/20 and for foreigners the fee is around Rs 150/80.