Construction on India’s magnificent Amber Fort began in 1592 by Maharaja Man Singh, a commander in the army of the Mughal emperor Akbar. It was built so the Mughal ruler could spread his power to cover the kingdoms of Udaipur and Jodhpur. So when Maharaja Bishan Singh (1672-99) later took the throne, he was the first ruler of Amer to take over without any status in the Mughal nobility. Bishan didn’t care since his lineage was traced back to the Rajput clan who came to power in the C12th. In any case, the Jaipur kings had always preferred diplomacy over arms in dealing with the Mughals, since their kingdom was located too close to the Mughal power centres of Delhi and Agra.
Furthermore Bishan knew that his son Jai Singh would reach greatness if the lad was well educated, trained by the best Indian scholars in art, science, philosophy and military affairs. Note that Maharaja Jai Singh II (1688-1744) was a young lad when he came to power, after his very young father Bishan died in 1699.
Jaigarh Fort
In time Jai Singh became a great leader and Jaipur city got its name from the new Maharaja. When Jai Singh was 15, Jaipur City started to acquire architectural wonders. Jaigarh Fort was designed and perfectly created in 1726, its huge structure being a true reflection of a glorious royal era. Naturally the fort was adorned in royal beauty, adding to the city’s rich culture. The red sandstone was already starting to be a predominant material used in Rajput and Mughal forts.
The might of the Mughal Empire was then at its peak. So Jai Singh II formed a tough front against the Mughals by aligning with other Rajput states. Peace reigned, the kingdom prospered and its borders expanded. It housed some of the country's most ornate royal palaces, structures designed in early C18th that still impress today.
However city expansion tested the limited water sources, and credit for Jaipur’s growth success went to the chief architect from Bengal. With Jai Singh’s approval, they grew the city on strong scientific principles, laid out according to the Shastra-ancient architectural manual. Conceived as a commercial centre of Rajasthan State, it was ground-breaking due its careful city planning.
After Jai Singh’s death in 1744, his sons struggled for power. Without a monarch, the kingdom was open to invasion; neighbouring Rajput states and the Marathas tried to grab large areas of the kingdom. So Jaipur remained surrounded by a city wall and defensive forts. The city's influential sites continued in a Rajasthani architectural style, combining the complex construction of Hindu Rajput building techniques with the visible symmetry of Mughal design.
However city expansion tested the limited water sources, and credit for Jaipur’s growth success went to the chief architect from Bengal. With Jai Singh’s approval, they grew the city on strong scientific principles, laid out according to the Shastra-ancient architectural manual. Conceived as a commercial centre of Rajasthan State, it was ground-breaking due its careful city planning.
After Jai Singh’s death in 1744, his sons struggled for power. Without a monarch, the kingdom was open to invasion; neighbouring Rajput states and the Marathas tried to grab large areas of the kingdom. So Jaipur remained surrounded by a city wall and defensive forts. The city's influential sites continued in a Rajasthani architectural style, combining the complex construction of Hindu Rajput building techniques with the visible symmetry of Mughal design.
Later one red sandstone palace became very popular: historic Hawa Mahal in 1799 as an extension of City Palace by the then King of Jaipur, Maharaja Sawai Singh; see the building’s straight facade and hundreds of windows.
City Palace
Like the Mughals, Jaipur maintained good relations with the British and in the 1857 War of Independence, remained loyal to the Raj. Yet the British gradually undermined the independence of the state and exercised greater control over its administration. So when Prince Albert was soon to make his first visit to India in 1875, the Maharaja thought it was a great opportunity to decorate Jaipur as a welcoming gesture to impress Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert in India. The maharaja really wanted the Prince to visit Jaipur, to build strong relations with the U.K. The Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II’s favourite wife loved the old pink colour scheme and convinced her husband to pass a law making it illegal for buildings to be painted any other colour than Jaipur Pink. This 1877 law helped transform the dirty city into a totally lovely city. And still so remains today.
Colonial rule helped this Maharaja of Jaipur (reigned 1835-80) who was one of the richest and most powerful men in India, an Indian man who impressed the British court like no other. This Maharaja had the whole city painted pink terracotta, the colour of hospitality. And he also had the lavish Albert Concert Hall built in 1876, designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob after London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and named in Prince Albert’s honour. It stood in the lovely Ram Niwas Public gardens. During Prince Albert’s long 17 weeks visit in 1876, they conducted royal duties across the Indian sub-continent, plenty of Indian rulers gave Albert expensive gifts to show their hospitality. Only when Albert visited Jaipur and saw its gorgeous pink sites, he called it Pink City and the nickname remained.
Albert Hall
Jaipur City grew rapidly! Maharaja Ram Singh (ruled 1835-1880) built Ramgarh lake to further supply water to the big city, when the city’s population was spreading beyond its walls. In 1922 Jaipur’s Maharaja Man Singh II (reigned 1922-47) ascended the throne and built civic buildings like schools, secretariat, hospitals etc. After independence, Jaipur merged with the states of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer to become the greater Rajasthan union. Man Singh II was given charge of the new province but in 1956, Jaipur became the capital of the state of Rajasthan.
Jaipur became a World Heritage site when UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay, in Albert Hall Jaipur in 2020, presented the documentation to Minister of Urban Development. From forts to palaces, streets to festivals, Jaipur’s charm in all its shades of pink still provide mesmerising heritage and architecture. Its population is now over 3 million people.
Mahal Water Palace
Map of Jaipur in India
ontheworldmap