Jaipur

This article is about the municipality in Rajasthan, India. For its namesake district, see Jaipur district. For other uses, see Jaipur (disambiguation).
Jaipur
जयपुर

Nickname(s): The Pink City
Jaipur
Coordinates: 26°54′N 75°48′E / 26.9°N 75.8°ECoordinates: 26°54′N 75°48′E / 26.9°N 75.8°E
Country India India
State Rajasthan
District Jaipur
Settled 18 November 1727
Founded by Jai Singh II
Named for Jai Singh II
Government
 • Type Democratic
 • Mayor Nirmal Nahta (BJP)
 • Police commissioner Janga Srinivas Rao
Area
 • City 645 km2 (249.2 sq mi)
Elevation 431 m (1,414 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
 • City 6,663,971(10th India)
 • Metro 3,073,350
 • Metro rank 10th IN
Languages
 • Official Hindi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Pincode(s) 302 0xx
Area code(s) +91-141-XXX-XXXX
Vehicle registration RJ-14 (Jaipur South), RJ-45 (Jaipur North), RJ-52 (Shahpura, Jaipur), RJ-41 (Chomu, Jaipur), RJ-47 (Dudu, Jaipur), RJ-32 (Kotputli, Jaipur)
Primary Airport Jaipur International Airport (Major/International)
Website www.jaipur.rajasthan.gov.in

Jaipur i/ˈdʒaɪpʊər/[2][3] is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan in Northern India. It was founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, after whom the city is named. The city today has a population of 3.1 million. Jaipur is known as the Pink City of India.

The city is unusual among pre-modern Indian cities in the regularity of its streets, and the division of the city into six sectors by broad streets 34 m (111 ft) wide. The urban quarters are further divided by networks of gridded streets. Five quarters wrap around the east, south, and west sides of a central palace quarter, with a sixth quarter immediately to the east. The Palace quarter encloses the Hawa Mahal palace complex, formal gardens, and a small lake. Nahargarh Fort, which was the residence of the King Sawai Jai Singh II, crowns the hill in the northwest corner of the old city. The observatory, Jantar Mantar, is one of the World Heritage Sites.[4] Included on the Golden Triangle tourist circuit, along with Delhi and Agra, Jaipur is an extremely popular tourist destination in Rajasthan and India.

History

Main articles: History of Jaipur and Kachwaha
Jai Singh II, the founder of the city of Jaipur.

The city of Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Jai Singh II, the Raja of Amer who ruled from 1688 to 1743. Initially, his capital was Dausa, which lies 51 km from Jaipur. He felt the need of shifting his capital city with the increase in population and growing scarcity of water. The King consulted several books on architecture and architects before making the layout of Jaipur. Finally, under the architectural guidance of Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, (initially an accounts-clerk in the Amber treasury, later promoted to the office of Chief Architect by the King) Jaipur came into existence on the classical principles of Vastu Shastra and similar classical treatises.

After waging battles with the Marathas, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II wanted to improve the security aspects of the city. Being a lover of astronomy, mathematics and astrophysics, Jai Singh sought advice from Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, a Brahmin scholar of Bengal, to aid him in designing many buildings, including the Royal Palace in the centre of the city.

The construction of the city began in 1727. It took around four years to complete the major palaces, roads and square. The city was built following the principles of Shilpa Shastra, the science of Indian Architecture. The city was divided into nine blocks, two of which contain the state buildings and palaces, with the remaining seven allotted to the public. Huge ramparts were built, pierced by seven fortified gates. For a time, during the rule of Sawai Ram Singh, the whole city was painted pink to welcome Edward, Prince of Wales. Today, avenues remain painted in pink, giving Jaipur a distinctive appearance.[5] In the 19th century, the city grew rapidly; by 1900 it had a population of 160,000. The wide boulevards were paved and the city had several hospitals. Its chief industries were the working of metals and marble, fostered by a school of art (named Madarsa Hunree) founded in 1868. The city had three colleges, including a Sanskrit college (1865) and a girls' school (1867) opened during the reign of the enigmatic Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II. There was a wealthy and enterprising community of native bankers, the Marwaris; and the administrators Rawana rajput.

Maharaja Rishabh Bhawani Singh, a member of the erstwhile Maharaja family of Jaipur, died on 17 April 2011 at a private hospital in Gurgaon following multiple organ failure.

Geography and climate

Climate

Jaipur (Sanganer)
Climate chart (explanation)
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
8
 
 
19
4
 
 
12
 
 
22
7
 
 
6
 
 
29
12
 
 
4
 
 
34
17
 
 
16
 
 
38
21
 
 
66
 
 
38
23
 
 
216
 
 
31
22
 
 
231
 
 
29
20
 
 
80
 
 
30
19
 
 
23
 
 
30
15
 
 
3
 
 
25
9
 
 
3
 
 
20
5
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: India Weather On Web

Jaipur has a semiarid climate under the Köppen climate classification, receiving over 650 millimetres (26 in) of rainfall annually but most rains occur in the monsoon months between June and September. Temperatures remain relatively high throughout the year, with the summer months of April to early July having average daily temperatures of around 30 °C (86 °F). During the monsoon there are frequent, heavy rains and thunderstorms, but flooding is not common. The winter months of November to February are mild and pleasant, with average temperatures ranging from 15–18 °C (59–64 °F) and with little or no humidity though occasional cold waves lead to temperatures near freezing.[6]

Climate data for Jaipur (Jaipur Airport)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 31.7
(89.1)		 36.7
(98.1)		 42.8
(109)		 44.9
(112.8)		 48.5
(119.3)		 47.2
(117)		 46.7
(116.1)		 41.7
(107.1)		 41.7
(107.1)		 40.0
(104)		 36.1
(97)		 31.3
(88.3)		 48.5
(119.3)
Average high °C (°F) 22.4
(72.3)		 25.0
(77)		 31.0
(87.8)		 37.1
(98.8)		 40.3
(104.5)		 39.3
(102.7)		 34.1
(93.4)		 32.4
(90.3)		 33.8
(92.8)		 33.6
(92.5)		 29.2
(84.6)		 24.4
(75.9)		 31.9
(89.4)
Average low °C (°F) 8.4
(47.1)		 10.8
(51.4)		 16.0
(60.8)		 21.8
(71.2)		 25.9
(78.6)		 27.4
(81.3)		 25.8
(78.4)		 24.7
(76.5)		 23.2
(73.8)		 19.4
(66.9)		 13.8
(56.8)		 9.2
(48.6)		 18.8
(65.8)
Record low °C (°F) −2.2
(28)		 −2.2
(28)		 3.3
(37.9)		 9.4
(48.9)		 15.6
(60.1)		 19.1
(66.4)		 20.6
(69.1)		 18.9
(66)		 15.0
(59)		 11.1
(52)		 3.3
(37.9)		 0.0
(32)		 −2.2
(28)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 7.0
(0.276)		 10.6
(0.417)		 3.1
(0.122)		 4.9
(0.193)		 17.9
(0.705)		 63.4
(2.496)		 223.3
(8.791)		 205.9
(8.106)		 66.3
(2.61)		 25.0
(0.984)		 3.9
(0.154)		 4.2
(0.165)		 635.4
(25.016)
Avg. rainy days 0.6 1.0 0.4 0.7 1.4 3.9 11.2 10.0 3.8 1.3 0.4 0.4 35.2
Source: India Meteorological Department (record high and low up to 2010)[7][8]

Distance

New Delhi (260 km Via NH8), Mumbai (1,167 km Via NH8), Jodhpur (348 km Via NH8), Jaisalmer (571 km via RJ SH 19 and NH15), Udaipur (421 km Via NH79), Agra (240 km Via NH11).

Demographics

As of 2011, Jaipur had a population of 3,073,350[10] The Population of the Jaipur Metropolitan area is 3,846,590.According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report of 2009, Jaipur ranks third highest in the list of 35 Indian cities with a population of more than 1 million (10 lakh) for crime rates.[11]

Architecture

The city was planned according to Indian Vastu Shastra (Vedic Planning for the comfort and prosperity of the citizens) by a Bengali Brahmin architect named Vidyadhar Bhattacharya in 1727. The directions of each street and market are East to West and North to South. The Eastern gate is called Suraj (Sun) Pol, while the Western gate is called Chand (Moon) Pol. There are three gates facing East, West, and North and a Northern gate (known as Zorawar Singh gate) which faces toward the ancestral capital of Amber, while many gates face South.

Economy

In 2008, Jaipur was ranked 31 among the 50 Emerging Global Outsourcing cities.[12] Deutsche Bank Group Jaipur, Genpact and Infosys BPO Ltd have their BPO and Infosys Ltd have their Software Development Centres in Jaipur. Mahindra SEZ located here is also one of the largest IT SEZ in India. Mahindra World City is a special economic zone that has the largest IT SEZ in the country. This is a joint venture of Rajasthan Govt's RIICO and Mahindra group. Other than IT SEZ, this SEZ also has Light engineering zone, textile and other industry zones. The total area of the SEZ is approx. 3000 acres. The SEZ is likely to be the largest job provider for Jaipur once fully developed. The World Trade Park will also give a major boost to the city's economy. There is Gaurav Tower situated near World Trade Park which is also a major economic activity centre in the city.

Civic administration

The Jaipur Municipal Corporation is responsible for the maintaining city's civic infrastructure as well as carrying out associated administrative duties. The administrative head of the Municipal Corporation is the CEO from Rajasthan Administrative Service(RAS).[13] There are 91 wards and each ward is represented by an elected member.

Tourism

Vidhan Sabha in Jaipur

Jaipur is a major tourist destination in India. In the 2008 Conde Nast Traveller Readers Choice Survey, Jaipur was ranked the 7th best place to visit in Asia.[14]

The Presidential Suite at the Raj Palace Hotel, billed at US$45,000 per night, was listed in second place on CNN's World's 15 most expensive hotel suites in 2012.[15]

Visitor attractions include the Hawa Mahal, Jal Mahal, City Palace, Amber Fort, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh Fort, Jaigarh Fort,Sri kali Temple, Sanganeri Gate and the Jaipur Zoo.

Culture

Jaipur has many important cultural sites. Cultural centres like Jawahar Kala Kendra and Ravindra Manch have helped promote the culture of the state of Rajasthan. Albert Hall Museum (Government Central Museum) hosts several arts and antiquities. There is a government museum at Hawa Mahal and an art gallery at Viratnagar. The Town Hall (Old Vidhan Sabha Bhawan) is proposed to be converted into a museum. There are statues depicting Rajasthani culture around the city.[16][17]

Traditional shops

Not just the monuments but Jaipur has strong cultural routes in its shopping habits as well. City offers perfect traditional shops to buy antiques, jewelery, handicrafts, gems, bangles, pottery, carpets, textiles, leather work and metalwork. Jhalaniyon ka Raasta, Thatheron ka Raasta, Khajanewalon ka Raasta, Nehru bazaar, Haldiyon ka Raasta, Mahiharon ka Raasta, Kishanpol bazaar, Tripolia bazaar, Sanganer bazaar, Ramganj bazar, MI road and Johari bazar are such traditional markets.

Arts and crafts

The prior rulers of Jaipur patronised a number of arts and crafts. They invited skilled artisans, artists and craftsmen from India and abroad. The communities settled in the city and made Jaipur their home. As a result, Jaipur is a major hub for arts and crafts. Some of the crafts include bandhani; block printing; stone carving and sculpture; tarkashi; zari, gota, kinari and zardozi; silver jewellery; gems, kundan, meenakari and jewellery; miniature paintings; blue pottery; ivory carving; shellac work; leatherware.

Cuisine

Typical dishes include Dal Baati Churma, Missi Roti. Sweet dishes include Ghevar, Feeni, Gajak, Chauguni ke laddu, Moong Thal.[18]

Sports

The main cricket stadium in the city, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, has a seating capacity of 30,000, and has hosted many national and international cricket matches; it also contains other sports facilities.

The city is represented in the IPL by the team - Rajasthan Royals, one of the leading teams which was the winner of inaugural edition of IPL in 2008. [19]

In Pro Kabaddi League, Jaipur is represented by Jaipur Pink Panthers which won the inaugural edition of the game.

Education

Jaipur contains many universities,Jaipuria institute of management including the National Institute of Agricultural Management, The LNM Institute of Information Technology Jaipur, University of Rajasthan, Baldev Ram Mirdha Institute of Technology Jaipur, Manipal University Jaipur, National Institute of Ayurveda, Indian Institute of Health Management Research and Malviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Subodh College, Amity University, Jaipur National University, IIS University, Swabhimaan ITI Jasinghpura, Near Bhankrota Ajmer Raod. It contains a large number of other colleges, institutes, schools and other facilities of tertiary education.

The engineering colleges have risen exponentially recently in Jaipur, and the affiliation is with Rajasthan Technical University (RTU), Kota. Some of the notable colleges are Anand International College Of Engineering(AICE),Swami Keshvanand Institute of Technology (SKIT), JECRC, Dr. Radhakrishnan Polytechnic College, Poornima College of Engineering, Gyan Vihar College, APEX Institute of Engineering and Technology, Kautilya Institute of Technology and Engineering, Arya Institute of Engineering and Technology, Arya College of Engineering & I.T. , etc.

The well-known schools of Jaipur are Army Public School, Jaipur Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Vidyashram, St. Anselm's North City School, Jaipur,Step By Step High School,St. Anselm's Sr. Sec. School,Mansarovar,MG English International School Bagru, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya, Maheshwari Public School, St. Xavier's School, Jaipur, Delhi Public School, Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' Public School, Rukmani Birla Modern High School, Neerja Modi School, India International School, Seedling Public School, Ryan International School and Cambridge Court High School.Tagore International School [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]

Media

The largest circulated daily newspapers in Jaipur are the Rajasthan Patrika, Dainik Bhaskar, Dainik Navajyoti and The Times of India though the city has numerous other daily newspapers. In Electronic Media in Jaipur are Sahara Samay, ETV News, [NBC News 24]. [29] [30] [31] The state-owned All India Radio Jaipur is broadcast both on the medium wave and FM band in the city. It competes with six private local FM stations—Radio Mirchi (98.3 MHz), Radio City (91.1 MHz), My FM(94.3 MHz), FM Tadka 95 FM (95.0 MHz), Red FM 93.5 (93.5 MHz). Gyan Vani (105.6 MHz). The city has a community FM channel in FM Radio 7 (90.4 MHz) by India International School Institutional Network. The public broadcaster Doordarshan (Prasar Bharati) provides a regional channel in addition to the mainstay channels.

Transportation

Roads

National Highway No.8 links Delhi to Mumbai, National Highway 12 links to Kota, Baran District and National Highway 11 links Bikaner to Agra, passing through Jaipur district with a total length of 366 km. RSRTC operates bus service to all the parts of Rajasthan, New Delhi, Uttar pradesh, Haryana, Madhya pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Gujarat.

City bus

City buses are operated by Jaipur City Transport Services Limited (JCTSL).[32] of RSRTC under JNNURM. The service operates more than 400 regular and low-floor buses. The three major bus depots are Vaishali Nagar, Vidyadhar Nagar and Sanganer.

Jaipur BRTS

Main article: Jaipur BRTS

Jaipur Bus Rapid Transit Service was approved by government in August 2006 for implementation.[33] The responsibility for managing Jaipur BRTS has been given to JCSTL, a special purpose vehicle formed by Jaipur Development Authority and Jaipur Nagar Nigam in a joint venture.[33] The BRTS is expected to cater to city's growing traffic for next 15–20 years. In Phase I, two corridors have been proposed: a "North-South Corridor" from Sikar Road to Tonk Road and an "East-West Corridor" from Ajmer Road to Delhi Road.[33] A section of the North-South Corridor from C-Zone Bypass near Harmada to Pani Pech became operational in 2010.[33] [34]

Rail

Jaipur is the Headquarter of North Western Zone of Indian Railways. [35] Jaipur is connected to Delhi and all main cities viz. Alwar, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Coimbatore, Chennai, Nagpur, Gurgaon, Chandigarh Agra Jodhpur etc. in India

Jaipur Metro

[36]

Main article: Jaipur Metro

A rapid transit rail project by the name Jaipur Metro is under progress. It began trial runs in September 2013 and is expected to start operating from March 2015.

Airport

Main article: Jaipur Airport

Jaipur International Airport is in the satellite town of Sanganer, 10 km from the city-centre, and offers sporadic service to major domestic and international locations. Terminal 1 was earlier used for international and domestic flights, while Terminal 2 was reserved for domestic carriers. Currently however, operations at Terminal 1 have been suspended for renovation reasons,and Terminal 2 is fully functional. The airport handled 255,704 international and 1,267,876 passengers in 2009–2010.[37] Jaipur Airport also provides air cargo services. The up-gradation of airport has offered improved connectivity and wider choice of services to air travelers, boosting international tourism and economic development of the region. Frequently, during winter, many flights for Indira Gandhi International Airport were diverted to Jaipur airport due to heavy fog in Delhi.[38] Jaipur is well connected to middle east destinations like Dubai, Abu dhabhi, Sharjah and Muscat. Every year a large number of people flock to Mecca and Medina for pilgrimage from Sanganer airport.

Gallery

See also

Jaipur – Wikipedia book

References

  1. ↑ "Census of India 2011" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  2. ↑ "Define Jaipur". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  3. ↑ "Definition of Jaipur". The Free Dictionary. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  4. ↑ "The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Whc.unesco.org. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  5. ↑ "History – British History in depth: Edward VII: The First ConstitutionaMonarch". BBC. 5 November 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  6. ↑ "World Weather Information Service". Retrieved 11 December 2009.
  7. ↑ "Jaipur Climatological Table Period: 1971–2000". India Meteorological Department. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Ever recorded Maximum and minimum temperatures up to 2010" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  9. ↑ "TABLE 7.2.11". mospi.gov.in. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
  10. ↑ "Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011; Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  11. ↑ "Crime Report 2009" (PDF). Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  12. ↑ Top 50 Emerging Global Outsourcing Cities, Global Services-Tholons Study, 2008
  13. ↑ "Jaipur MC". http://jaipurmc.org/''. Jaipur MC. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "Jaipur Seventh Best Tourist Destination in Asia – Conde Nast Traveller Survey". Bharatonline.com. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  15. ↑ Arnold, Helen "World's 15 most expensive hotel suites" CNN Go. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-11
  16. ↑ http://www.jaipur.org.uk/culture.html
  17. ↑ http://www.roseindia.net/travel/india/rajasthan/jaipur/culture-of-jaipur.shtml
  18. ↑ "Cuisine of Jaipur". Jaipur-pinkcity.webs.com. Retrieved 28 March 2011.I wonder if the British army slang for gravy (jipper) is a corruption of Jaipur
  19. ↑ 2008 Indian Premier League
  20. ↑ jecrcuniversity.edu.in/
  21. ↑ stanselmspinkcity.in/
  22. ↑ http://www.stanselmmansarovar.in/
  23. ↑ http://www.cambridgecourtgroup.com/School/Default.aspx
  24. ↑ http://www.sbshigh.net/
  25. ↑ http://www.jaipur.manipal.edu/
  26. ↑ mnit.ac.in/
  27. ↑ http://www.aryainstitutejpr.com/
  28. ↑ http://iisuniv.ac.in/
  29. ↑ http://www.bhaskar.com/rajasthan/jaipur/
  30. ↑ http://www.dainiknavajyoti.com/
  31. ↑ rajasthanpatrika.patrika.com/
  32. ↑ "JCSTL Website". Jaipurbus.com. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 "BRTS – JDA Website". Jaipurjda.org. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  34. ↑ http://praja.in/en/blog/nitinjhanwar/2008/11/13/traffic-diversion-and-flow-during-construction-brts
  35. ↑ Indian Railways
  36. ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Jaipur-Metro
  37. ↑ "Jaipur International Airport". Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  38. ↑ "Flights diverted to Jaipur". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.

Further reading

Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jaipur.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Jaipur.