Jaipur News Desk One of the most famous historical and tourist places of Rajasthan is Jaipur City Palace. Jaipur City Palace is a palace complex. The City Palace in the heart of the city is a popular heritage site. This magnificent palace was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh Madho, who founded Jaipur. Many buildings, spacious courtyards and attractive gardens are part of this beautiful complex, which is a testament to its royal history. Important buildings like ‘Chandra Mahal’ and ‘Mubarak Mahal’ are also in this complex. A small part of this palace has been converted into a museum and art gallery. Thousands of tourists from all over the world come to the City Palace to see the beauty of the palace.
There are only two City Palaces in Rajasthan, one of which is located in Jaipur and the other is located in Udaipur. The City Palace of Udaipur is quite different from the City Palace located in Jaipur, this palace was built much earlier than the palace located in Jaipur. But in today’s article we will talk about City Palace of Jaipur.
History of City Palace Jaipur
The throne of the Maharaja of Jaipur of the Kachhwaha Rajput dynasty is in the City Palace. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who ruled Amer from 1699 to 1744, initiated the construction of this palace complex. He shifted from Amer to Jaipur in 1727 due to water problem and increase in population. The Jaipur City Palace complex is spread over several acres. He had earlier ordered the construction of the outer wall of this complex. He entrusted the architectural design of the City Palace to chief architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. This palace complex was completely completed in the year 1732 while its work started in the year 1729 and it took three years to complete. The royal costumes worn by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh (1750 – 1768) are also kept in this museum which can be seen by the general public.
City Palace Architecture
It has been constructed in such a place that the City Palace is not in the middle of the city, but the city is around the City Palace. The building style of City Palace is an incredible blend of Rajput, Mughal and European styles. The intricate stone carvings and paintings on the walls of the City Palace, built of red and pink sandstone, fascinate the mind. The Kachwaha rulers had no dearth of wealth. Therefore Maharaja Jai Singh II wanted to establish a fully planned, safe, beautiful and prosperous city. In this sequence, Jaipur city was the first planned city built in the eighteenth century. Apart from this, its splendor was excellent and astonishing. Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Mukut Mahal, Maharani Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and City Palace Museum are among the most famous heritage sites inside the complex.
One of the most interesting objects in the City Palace are two sterling silver jars which are officially recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records and are one of the largest pure silver jars in the world.
City Palace Information
Presently the building has been converted into a museum dedicated to King Sawai Madho Singh II of Jaipur. Many royal costumes including Banarasi sarees and Pashmina shawls have been displayed in this museum. The City Palace complex also houses the Maharani Palace or the Queen’s Palace which houses several ancient Rajput weapons. Ivory swords, chain weapons, guns, pistols, cannons, poison tipped blades and gun powder pouches are also on display in the museum here. Among all these, Scissor-Action is the most notable weapon. Some of these weapons are from around the 15th century. The biggest feature of this complex is its lavishly decorated doors. There are three main entrances to enter this complex which are Virendra Pol, Uday Pol and Tripolia Gate. Entry for spectators is through Udaya Pol and Virendra Pol while members of the royal family use the Tripolia Gate.
The establishment of Jaipur was completely based on Vaastu, the way the planets revolve around the Sun. Similarly, the Sun of Jaipur is Chandramahal i.e. City Palace. Just as the Sun is the lord of all the planets, similarly the city of Jaipur was also centered on the blessings of the City Palace. On the lines of nine planets, Jaipur was settled in nine blocks. These blocks are clearly visible from Nahargarh. Out of these nine blocks, City Palace was established in two and Jaipur city i.e. Parkota was established in the remaining seven. Thus, the City Palace, which covered a large part of the city, included many buildings. These include Chandramahal, Surajmahal, Talkatora, Hawamahal, Chandni Chowk, Jantarmantar, Jaleb Chowk and Chaugan Stadium. Presently the royal family resides in Chandramahal. The remaining parts have been incorporated into the city and parts of the City Palace have been converted into museums.
happy palace
The two-storey Mubarak Mahal is a wonder created by a combination of Islamic, Rajput and European construction styles; it was actually built as a reception centre. It is also known as Swagat Mahal and was built by Maharaja Madho Singh II in the late 19th century.
Chandra Mahal
The seven-storey Chandra Mahal, also known as Chandra Niwas, is situated amidst beautiful gardens and a lake at the western end of the complex. Every floor of this building has been given a name like Pritam Niwas, Rang Mandir, Sukh Niwas, Shri Niwas, Mukut Mahal and Chaabi Niwas. The walls of this building are decorated with exclusive paintings, magnificent RC work and flowers. However, visitors can only visit the ground floor where manuscripts, carpets and some other items of the royal treasury are kept.
Pritam Niwas Check
You pass through a small courtyard while going towards Chandra Mahal which is Pritam Niwas Chowk. This Chowk has four entrance gates which are called Riddhi Siddhi Pol and have their own beauty and specialty. The four doors symbolize the four seasons and are dedicated to Hindu gods and goddesses.
Sarvatobhadra or Diwan-e-Kha
‘Sarvatobhadra’ i.e. ‘Private Audience Hall’ is also known as ‘Diwan-e-Khas’. Two big silver pitchers kept in Sarvatobhadra are a subject of curiosity. Maharaja Madho Singh filled them with Ganga water and took them to England. That is why they are called ‘Gangajali’. Gangajalis holds the world record in the Guinness Book of Records in the category of giant containers of precious metal. There is a small gate to the east of Sarvatobhadra itself, which leads to the ‘Sabhaniwas’ i.e. ‘Diwan-e-Aam’. This is a grand hall built for the visiting tourists.
Interesting facts about City Palace –
The City Palace was designed by two famous architects of that time, Vidyadhar Bhattacharya and Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob.
The main attractions of the City Palace are two silver jars which have made their place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest silver jars in the world.
One part of the City Palace Jaipur houses the museum while the other part houses the residence of the descendants of the former rulers of Jaipur.
The most impressive part of the City Palace are the four small gates in the third courtyard that represent the four seasons of the year.
How to reach City Palace Jaipur –
City Palace is located in Jaipur city, the capital of Rajasthan, so after coming to this city, you can reach City Palace very easily. There are options to reach here by train, bus and air transport from major cities of the country. You can also tour by private vehicle.
Travel time –
The months of October – March are the best time to travel here. If you want to see only the inside parts of the City Palace then you can visit here any time of the year but if you want to visit the entire complex of the City Palace then winter season would be the best. The City Palace is open for tourists from 9 am to 5 pm. To visit this, Indians have to pay an entry fee of Rs 75 and foreigners have to pay Rs 300.
