JEWELS IN THE CROWN OF JAIPUR

In no particular order these are some points about Jaipur anybody would consider as the Jewels in the Crown of Jaipur.

Everybody has to eat something some time. So let us list salient points related to food about Jaipur.

Jaipur is part of the desert state of Rajasthan & lack of adequate rainfall & transport saw to it that people ate ‘ana se ana’ as vegetables were scarce. Also because of the heat and the hard work the people put in the fields red chilies & Desi Ghee were used in abundance.

Ghewar

The delicacies one would consider as Jewels in the Crown of Jaipur would be

1. Gatte Ki Sabzi – A veg. curry made with gram flour dumplings
2. Ker Sangari- A veg curry made with fruit of Khejari tree & a berry.
3. Ker ka Aachar- An aachar made with a berry which grows in the wild.
4. Piyaz Ki Kachori – A Kachori made with a filling of onions & potatoes.
5. Mirchi Bare- Pakora made out of green chilie & allo based filling & gram flour.
6. Pheeni- can be had as a dessert or at breakfast with milk.
7. Gazak – Sweet made of Til & sugar or Gur
8. Mishri Mawa- Mawa based sweet
9. Mawa ki Kachori – a Kachori with mawa filling served with sugar syrup
10. Omlete by Sanjay
11. Khatto – A curry made with gram flour boiled in buttermilk.
12. Paneer ki Sabzee & Bejar Ki Roti  with rabri as dessert at Mahaveer Rabri Bhandar
13. Kulfi- traditional Ice Cream
14. Namkeens from the Sonthliwalon Ka Rasta
15. Choorma Daal Baati- It has to be tasted to be defined!
16. Raabri- A little atta cooked in boiling Chach.
17. A meal at Chokhi Dhani Ethnic Village
18. Rajasthani Thali at Natraj, LMB
19. Heeng ki kachori -Kachories made of asfoetida flavored masala.
20. Heeng ki sev- Sev made of asfoetida flavored gram flour.
21. Doodh Jalebi at Breakfast
22. Meethi Lassi on M.I. Road
23. Ghewar, a sweet, from LMB
24. Gulab Sakri Mawa based sweet flavored with kesar
25. Kangan – traditional sweet made more or less like a Jalebi
26. A late night snack at the Saras Snack counter on JLN Marg
27. Laal Maans – Mutton in red curry
28. Safed Maans- Mutton in white gravy
29. Paan – chewing betel leaf with slaked lime, Kattha & Supari.
30. Jalebi made in Desi Ghee
31. Mutton  Sule- Marinated boneless mutton cooked on coals
32. Shammi Kabab- Minced meat tikiya cooked on a tawa or deep fried in oil.
33. Mangori Curry- Lentil paste dried in small pieces and later on cooked as a curry.

As Rajasthan is a border state & the Princes in The Rajputana were at war more than they were at peace so you will find Forts & Palaces in which ever part of Rajasthan you might venture. But the monuments of Jaipur are special as they are not only in good condition but the administration takes pains to keep them in pristine condition.

Entrance To The Palaces Of Amber

1. Amber Fort- Built in the 16^th century on a hillock it is a majestic Fort.
2. The Palaces at The Amber Fort are amazing.
3. The imposing & artistic entrance to the Palaces of the Amber Fort.
4. Elephant ride at up the Amber Fort Hillock
5. Jaigarh Fort about 15km from Jaipur is located on a hill known as Cheel ka Teela & was built in the 16^th century by Raja Man Singh & Sawai Jai singh II.
6. Jaibaan was built in 1720 and is said to be the biggest cannon on wheels in the world.
7. Cannon Foundry at Jaigarh- Jaibaan was cast here.
8. Water Tanks at the Jaigarh Fort- Still in use these tanks can store 60,00,000 liters of fresh rain water. Find out about the system thru which they collected this huge amount of water.
9. Nahargarh Fort was used for the guests of the Maharajas.
10. Stepwell at the Nahargarh Fort- This step-well was made famous by the film Rang De Basanti.
11. Man Sagar Lake This Lake is sustained by recycled water & a popular spot for birding. A birding fair is held here, every year.
12. Jal Mahal Palace- Recently restored to its former glory this palace is in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake.
13. Sisodia Raani ka Baagh- Built in 1728 by Sawai Jai Singh for his Sisodia Queen, it is a terraced garden.
14. Galta Ji- A pilgrimage site it was built by Rao Kriparam, the Sun is worshipped here.
15. Vidhyadhar ji Ka Baagh- This garden is named for the Architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya who designed the city of Jaipur.
16. Kanak Vridavan Garden- Near the Man Sagar Lake this garden was the adobe of Govind Dev ji before the idol was moved to the City Palace Complex.
17. Kos Minar at the VT Road circle was a pillar situated by the roadside, it was used to measure distances in the Mughal times.
18. Peacock Garden- On the JLN Marg near the RCDF offices this garden was decorated with sandstone chatris & fiber Peacocks made by an eminent artist.
19. Central Park is a most popular place for a morning walk, a date or for birding.
20. French Sculptures in the Central Park & the Man Sagar Lake- Made by a French artist these sculptures are a thing of beauty.
21. Isar Laat was constructed to celebrate the victory of the Jaipur forces under Sawai Ishwari Singh Ji in 1749.
22. Jantar Mantar– An astronomical observatory having with huge Sundials etc made out of marble & masonry.
23. City Palace-Residence of the ruling family of Jaipur. Some parts are open to public & some parts have been made into museums.
24. Hawa Mahal Palace- Built in 1799 by Sawai Pratap Singh ji for the royal women to watch the religious processions etc. & still be in purdha.
25. The façade of Hawamahal- It has 5 stories & 953 windows & is painted terracotta pink.
26. The various gates of the walled city- As Jaipur was built according to Vastu Shastra it had 9 gates.
27. Maharanion ki chatriyans- This is the funeral grounds of the Maharanis of Jaipur.
28. Gaitore- Cenotaphs of the past Maharajas are here.
29. Sawai Jai Singh Statue Circle- Almost all circles of Jaipur have statues installed on them but only one circle is known popularly as The Statue Circle. A statue of Sawai Jai Singh stand tall here.
30. Birla Planetarium-Plan a visit to be updated about the universe.
31. Conference venue at the Birla Institute of Scientific Research (BISR)
32. Rambagh Palace Hotel- One of the best hotels in the world today.
33. Silver urns- Huge utensils cast in silver used to ferry Gangajal to UK for the use of  Sawai Madho Singh II.
34. Light & Sound Show at Amber Fort
35. Light & Sound Show at Amar Jawan Jyoti in remembrance of Kargil War Martyrs.
36. The pillarless hall at the Govind Dev ji Temple is Jaipur’s contribution to the Guinness Book of World records. It is the world’s widest RCC flat roof construction with a single span of 119 feet.
37. Rajmandir-A single screen theatre, offering bollywood song & dance movies.
38. Science Park in Shastri Nagar. A huge statue of a T-Rex roars here.
39. National Flag In The Central Park

There are so many ancient Temples in Jaipur that it is also called Choti Kaashi.

1. Thikana Govind Dev ji – The rulers of Jaipur claimed to be His Deewans & ruled in his name.
2. Shilla Mata in the Amber Fort. It has doors made of silver with  9 roops of Goddess Durga & 10 roops of Goddess Saraswati engraved on it.
3. Laxmi Narayan Temple- A poetry in white marble made by the Birlas.
4. Ganesh Temple, Moti Doongri, Jaipur ke pratham poojya!
5. Hanuman Temple, Moti Doongri, Another ancient temple
6. Kala Hanuman Temple near the old Ram Prakash Cinema Hall.
7. Garh Ganesh on a hill near Gaitore
8. Nahar ke Ganesh ji- This Temple is about 175 years old.
9. Jagat Shiromani Temple-Dedicated to the Lord Krishna His likeness in a black stone idol is worshipped here.
10. Akshardham Temple-Located in Vaishali Nagar this temple is dedicated to the 18^th century saint Swaminarayana.
11. Ram Krishna Mission is in the C-scheme colony.
12. Sanghi ji Jain Temple-A 1000 year old Digambar Jain temple at Sanganer.
13. Choolgiri near Jaipur on a hillock is a Jain Temple.
14. Padampura Jain Temple is about 30 km from Jaipur on the Tonk road.

Clubs of Jaipur-These are the best options for eating, drinking, staying, exercising or meeting people of Jaipur. They have rules about allowing non-members to use their facilities.

1. Jaipur Club on Jacob Road
2. Ashok Club on Janpath
3. Polo Club on Bhawani Singh Road
4. Golf Club on Bhawani Singh Road.

It does not matter if you like festivals to disrupt the hum-drum day to day rhythm of life  or not they do leave you rejuvenated by their mere presence. These are some of the important festivals celebrated in Jaipur.

A Bazaar Decorated For Deepawali

1. Deepawali- The festival of lights is celebrated with much gusto in Jaipur. The whole city is bathed in colored lights to welcome the Goddess Laxmi.
2.  Makkar Sakranti – A day for giving. The young guns of Jaipur fly kites, this day.
3. Holi-Is the Festival of colors.
4. Elephant Festival around Holi- If you wish to see this huge animal in huge numbers in one place all beautified for the day, this festival is for you!
5. Gangaur – is a widely celebrated festival of Rajasthan where, Gauri, symbolizing Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiv, is worshipped as a symbol of virtue & fidelity. A big procession is taken out from the City Palace on 2 days.
6. Teej-The festival is celebrated to pray to goddess Parvati for a happy married life, well-being of husband and children. A procession is taken out from the City Palace.

Excursions

1. Samode is about 42 km from Jaipur Samode Palace is used as a heritage hotel & charges an entry fee for non residents to view the Sheesh Mahal & Darbar hall.
2. Abhaneri- About 95 km from Jaipur off Jaipur-Agra Highway it is a huge stepwell in the shape of an inverted Pyramid.
3. Bhangarh– Ruins of an ancient town said to be haunted .It is off Jaipur Agra highway.
4. Tonk- About 110km from Jaipur it is also known as the ‘Lucknow of Rajasthan’. Sunehri Kothi is a must visit place. It is famous for Namdahs.
5. Sambhar-About 65km from Jaipur it has the biggest salt lake in India. It is also a birders paradise around monsoons.
6. Bharatpur-About 175km from Jaipur. It has a rich bird life for the Nature Lover and The Lohagarh Fort for the history buff.
7. Ajmer- About 135 km from Jaipur. Holiest Muslim shrines of the world, Dargah Sharif is located here.
8. Pushkar– is about 145 km from Jaipur & is famous for the Brahma Temple and the Savitri Temple, Sarovar  & the yearly Camel Fair.
9. Pachewar-About 90km from Jaipur it has a 300 year old fort which has been coverted into a heritage hotel.
10. Sariska Tiger Reserve– About 107km from Jaipur this National Park is spread over 866 sq km.
11. Bairath or Viratnagar – About 86km from Jaipur. This town has been around since the times of Mahabharat. It was also a flourishing Buddhist centre during the reign of King Ashok.
12. Seel Maata ki Doongri- 35km from Jaipur near Chaksu. This temple is dedicated the the goddess of small pox. Sheetala Ashtami is her day.
13. Ranthambore- About 180km from Jaipur. This National Park has a rich natural life to be observed by the Nature Lover besides the Tiger.
14. Alwar-About 150km from Jaipur. Famous for its monuments & Alwar Ka Mawa.
15. Siliser-About 110 km from Jaipur near Alwar & Sariska. There is a palace hotel in the middle of the lake.
16. Shekhawati- Encompasses the Districts of Jhunjhunu & Sikar.It is most famous for frescos painted on Havelies.
17. Mehndipur Balaji off Jaipur-Agra Highway. The deity here is famous for exorcising evil spirits from a person.

Personalities

1. Sawai Jai Singh Ji II (1688-1743) A keen Astronomer he made the Jantar Mantars of Jaipur, Delhi etc and also founded the city of Jaipur.

2. Rajmata Gayatri Devi( 1919-2009) Voted as one of the World’s 10 most beautiful women by Vogue she was also an educationist & a philanthropist. She founded MGD School for girls & Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya. She also revived the art of Blue pottery.

3.Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt- Born in 1952 he won the Grammy award in 1994 & the Padam Shree in 2002 for taking Indian classical music to new heights.

Shopping

1. Silk/Woolen Carpets, Rugs & Durries made in Jaipur are world famous.
2. Mojari-Traditional leather shoes.
3. Lac Work – Bangles made of lac are a must for any auspicious occasion.
4. Laheriya- A saree dyed in diagonal stripes of different pastel colors usually worn during the monsoons.
5. Bandhej is the process of tying & dying a saree etc.
6. Thewa-This process of fusing 23 carat gold with colored glass was developed about 350 years ago in Pratapgarh, Rajasthan.
7. Jewelry made with silver has much favour with the rural folk.
8. Kundan- is the process of inserting gold foil between the stones and its mount, commonly used to make necklaces, believed to have originated in Rajasthan and Gujarat. It is the oldest method of making 24 carat gold jewelry in India.
9. Meenakari is the art of fusing metal like gold, silver or copper with different lacquers of colors like blue, red or green.
10. Miniature Paintings are a fine rendering in water color of the court life etc over the years.
11. Brass decorative items are a must buy on a Jaipur visit.
12. Hand made paper of Sanganer– Paper made out of waste materials. One brand even adds a ratio of elephant dung to the formula. A variety of paper is made of Akda plant, commonly found in Rajasthan growing by the roadsides.
13. Jaipur Blue or Blue pottery a collectors item.
14. Jaipuri Razaai-A sheer delight to use, made according to a centuries old formula, a must buy on Jaipur visit.
15. Bagru Hand Block Printed clothes & furnishings
16. Sanganeri Hand Block Printed clothes & furnishings
17. Turbans-Headgear of men in Rajasthan. Every region had its own style of tying a turban. They were made of different colorful materials & designs all with its own significance.
18. Heritage Liquor- Traditional liquor made by Ganganagar Sugar Mills as per recipes provided by the former Royal houses.
19. Itra- locally made traditional perfumes
20. Supari/Churan- A huge variety can be found at Link Road near Sarawagi Mansion.
21. Gota- Lace made of metal or plastic used to trim traditional clothes of women.
22. Batik print- A variation of Bandhej tie & dye process.
23. Terracotta stuff- The best terracotta articles come from Baswa village.

Miscellaneous

1. Jaipur Bus – A fleet of Lo-Floor Buses are plying the streets the city every day & connecting the far flung areas of Jaipur.
2. Musical Fountain, Jawahar Circle, JLN Marg performs everyday from 7-7.30 pm in winters. They even show music videos on a wall of spray.
3. Sanganer Airport – Recently renovated one of the top air-ports of India.
4. Akshay Paatra- Providing free mid-day meals to the school going children.
5. Gaalibaazi- An irreverent Kavi Sammelan at Holi, a tradition almost as old as the city.
6. Hella Khayal Sangeet Dangal have been held in Lalsot on the 2^nd day of Gangaur  for more than 257 years now. Through this platform the artists inform the public about current affairs and issues, put forth problems to government officers, or comment on social, political and economic issues.
7. Jaipuri Weddings– you have got to attend one to know the difference.
8. Sculptures at the Circles– part of the drive to beautify Jaipur, this is priceless art commissioned for the city of Jaipur.
9. Mandana-are the rangoli done in white & red colored lime on the floor & walls of a house on an auspicious occasion to welcome the gods.
10. Bandarwal- door hangings tied at the entrance of a house on an auspicious occasion.
11. Shorgar-They make traditional crackers by hand in earthen pots to be used at weddings etc.
12. Neelgar- They dye clothes.
13. Mehendi is used in all important occasions in life. A woman’s Shringar is incomplete without some mehndi on her hands & feet.

Educational Institutions

1. St. Xavier’s School on Bhagwan Das Road
2. MGD Girls School, off M.I. Road.
3. St. Xavier’s College in C-Scheme.
4. Rajasthan University on JLN Marg
5. Rajasthan School of Art in Kishan pole Bazaar.

Music

1. Maand-The local singers sung praises of the Rajput folk heros like Tejaji, Gogaji and Ramdeoji in this style of folk singing.
2. Pabu ji ki Phad-The heroic stories of the folk hero Pabuji sung as folk songs.
3. Kathputli- Folk songs which accompany the antics of the puppets on stage.
4. Ravanhattha is a two-string stick fiddle used by bhopa community to narrate the epic tales of Pabuji.
5. Panihari- songs sung by the local women, narrating the scarcity of water etc.

Dance

1. Ghoomar – A dance performed mostly by Rajput women in groups or singly.
2. Kaalbelia- Dance done by the snake charmer community.
3. Therah Taali- This dance is performed in praise of folk-deity Baba Ramdeo by the Kamad community of Pokaran & Deedwana.
4. Kacchi Ghodi- An important dance form of Rajasthan. It is performed with the help of a dummy horse and elaborate costumes.

Mela

1. Pushkar- Camel Fair

2. Nagaur- Cattle Fair

3 Looniyawas, near Sanganer- Gadarbh (Donkey) Mela

Museums

1. Albert Hall -The central Museum of Jaipur. It has an Egyptian mummy here.
2. Sanjay Sharma Museum-A fine collection of rare manuscripts, art & shoes.
3. Alice Garg Sea Shell Museum- A huge collection of sea shells.
4. In the city Palace
5. At the Jai Garh Fort
6. Anokhi Museum- Hand Bloc printing museum
7. Dolls museum- A collection of dolls from all over the world.

Work-In-Progress

Jaipur Metro Is On Its Way

1. Jaipur Metro
2. Museum in the Old Town Hall in the City Palace complex.
3. Pet Show- usually held in Delhi going to be held in Jaipur this year.
4. The tunnel at Ghat ki Ghuni on Jaipur-Agra Road

Unique Eating Places of Jaipur

Rambagh Palace

1. Swarna Mahal, Dining Hall at the Rambagh Palace
2. Steam, Lounge & Bar in the Bogies of a defunct train & a Steam Engine
3. Polobar, Bar at the Rambagh Palace
4. Neelmahal, Restaurant for snacks at the Rambagh Palace
5. Durg Cafetaria at the Nahargarh Fort.
6. India Coffee House(ICH) on M.I. Road
7. Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) Branch Of India Coffee House
8. 1135, on the ramparts of Amber Fort.
9. Restaurant at the Jaigarh Fort
10. Palace Café, Café at the City Palace.
11. Cave In Natraj Restaurant
12. Revolving Restaurant at Hotel Om Tower
13. Pink Pepper A restaurant on a moving Bus.
14. Tapri – A tea stall, much frequented by the youngsters.
15. Niros- If Delhi has Moti Mahal Jaipur has Niros.

Adventure

1. Skywaltz- A firm providing Hot-Air Balloon rides in & around Jaipur
2. Vintage Car Rally- An annual fixture in Jaipur’s List of yearly events.

Culture

1. Rabindramanch– The 1^st venue of Jaipur where plays were held over the years.
2. Open Air Theatre Behind Rabindra Manch
3. Open Air Theatre near Simriti Ban
4. JKK- A hotbed of cultural activity in Jaipur
5. Open Air Theatre at JKK
6. Jaipur Lit Fest – A trend setting congregation of the elusive faces behind the books we read. An annual affair.

Flowers

1. Rose Garden- Located at the Jawahar Circle. It is a sight to behold in the winters when the flowers are in full bloom.
2. Guldaudi Exhibition & Sale – Annual fixture. A very successful show & sale of Sevanti.

Bazaars

1. Bapu Bazaar & Nehru Bazaar-You can shop here to your hearts content for all the stuff Jaipur is famous for.
2. Johri Bazaar- You can buy all sorts of jewelry, women’s clothes & bangles etc here.
3. Thatheron Ka Raasta- A lane home to the utensil makers.
4. Maniharon Ka Raasta – For Lac jewelry & other stuff made of Lac
5. Khazanewalon Ka Rasta- Marble stone carvers lane.
6. Raja Park Market- A micro Punjab in Jaipur
7. Sonthliwala Ka Rasta- For all things Namkeen
8. Choti Chaupar- silver jewelry. Rosted Namkeen at Vijay Store. Mithai at Bhagat ji.
9. Bari Chaupar- Flowers, Bangles.
10. Rajasthali at Ajmeri gate. A state government (RTDC) showroom offering all goodies Rajasthan is proud of.

Birding At

1. Simriti Baan on JLN Marg
2. Chandlai Dam30 km from Jaipur ahead of Sanganer. Home to the Flamingoes visiting Jaipur.
3. Man Sagar Lake on Amber Road.
4. Central Park in C-Scheme

Zoo

1. Jaipur Zoo Ram Niwas Garden

2. Animal rescue centre at Nahargarh

3. Deer Park & Duck Pond are located in the C-Scheme. Nice place for a visit with children or a date.

Library

1. Maharaja Library 1^st public Library of Jaipur home to many rare manuscripts.
2. Radhakrishna Library Located off  JLN Marg. Popular among the students preparing for their exams.

Activities

1. Morning Walk in the Central Park
2. Shopping
3. Clubbing
4. Golfing
5. watching Polo
6. Camel/Jeep/Horse Safari in the dunes
7. Attending A Conference
8. Fine Dining
9. Judicious Street Food Sampling
10. watching Bollywood Potboilers
11. Cycling
12. Photograph Monuments of Jaipur
13. Photograph the people of Jaipur
14. Sightseeing
15. Birding
16. Going on Excursions
17. Fly Kites
18. Learn to cook Indian cuisine
19. Learn a language like Hindi or Rajasthani
20. Write a journal about your Jaipur trip & share it on the Net
21. Bar hopping
22. Sampling Heritage liquor & learning its legends
23. Learn how to tie a turban & its history
24. Learn how to tie a saree
25. Learn how to wear a Dhoti
26. Go for a ride in a Cycle Rickshaw or a Horse drawn Tonga
27. Go for a ride in a Vintage Car.
28. Get Mehandi applied to your hands & feet
29. Learn Indian Classical music at Naad Sadhna www.nadsadhna.com

Interesting Facts to Know.

1. State Tree of Rajasthan – Khejari

2. State Flower of Rajasthan – Rohida

3. State Bird of Rajasthan – Godawan or Great Indian Bustard It is pretty rare now.

4. State Animal of Rajasthan – Chinkara (an antelope)

Got To Have Gota!

Recently my wife went shopping in the Johri Bazaar and came home with some spools & a couple of cards of  gota ribbons. When I asked her what she would do with them she said that they were for a saree. But she had no idea which saree she would use them on. Between you & me I doubt if she even has a saree that could be trimmed with gota ribbon. That is the appeal & the use of gota in Rajasthan.

To put it simply gota is lace made with silver or gold colored metal or plastic threads.

In Rajasthan, gota trimmed clothes for men, women & children are  used on all festive & ceremonial  occasions and marriages &  marriages proposals, celebration of the birth of the latest child of the family or even  the last journey to the funeral pyre of the lady of the house. Even the idols of our deity are dressed with costumes trimmed & decorated with various types of gota. Our holy books are treasured in swatches hemmed with gota. Gota work is even used in making enchanting wall hangings.

Gota work or lappe-ka-kaam has seen the days when pure silver & pure gold threads were used to make these ribbons to trim the clothes of Royalty & people of Rajasthan. These, gold & silver gota, ribbons were  in use till about as recently as 1970s. But due to the high prices these metals command now a days, plastic and other metal thread ribbons are in vogue today. The metals with which they are made may have changed but their use has not lessened or their demand decreased in these modern times among the Rajasthani women.

Places To Visit Near Jaipur-A list

When you are in Jaipur you see all the popular places ,monuments , gardens, palaces,forts which are in or very near Jaipur but miss the places a little out of town but surely worth a visit.This is an effort to list  such places.This list  should also be useful to the people of Jaipur looking for a weekend break near the city.

Sanganer

16 km from Jaipur off the Tonk road this  town is famous for the hand made paper and block printing with vegetable dyes.

Jaisinghpura Khor

12 km from Jaipur on the Amber road,a meena village,it has a fort,a stepwell and a jain temple.

Shahpura near Bhilwara

220 km from Jaipur this town is famous for Pabuji ki Phad paintings made till this day by the Joshi’s  and a stepwell and  Ramdwara temple.

Bagru

35 km from Jaipur on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway this village is famous for hand block printing with vegetable dyes ( Bagru Print) and a fort.

Jamwa  Ramgarh

32 km from Jaipur this village was known for an artificial lake once spread over an area of 20 km.It used to be  a very popular picnic spot during the rainy season.

Samode

40 km from Jaipur this village has a fort which has been converted into a Palace hotel.This palaces is well worth a visit with lunch at the fort.  M.M.Kaye’s Far Pavilions was shot here extensively.

Bhandarej

Bhangarh

Abhaneri

Mehndipur Balaji

lalsot

Sikandra

Kuchaman

142 km from Jaipur this village had the distinction of being on the silk route.Sambhar is 60 km from here.It has a famous fort on a hillock.

Sambhar

94 km from Jaipur it has the biggest inland salt lake and the holy Devyani tank and the palace.

Pushkar

Sawaimadhopur

The Ranthambore National Park covering 329 km  comes under Project Tiger.

Bharatpur

176 km from jaipur- a Jat kingdom-is an ancient city and was part of the Matsy kingdom around 1500 B.C.The impressive Lohagarh fort was built around 18th century by Raja Surajmal  and definitely worth a visit.

Keoladeo Ghana National Park once a hunting preserve of the royalty was declared a sanctuary in 1956 and a national preserve in 1982.Now it is  a world heritage sight.over 400 species of birds have been sighted here.Open all year round from 6 am to 6 pm.Mode of transport inside the sanctuary are bi-cycle,boat and cycle rickshaws.

Bairath (Viratnagar)

86 km from Jaipur on Alwar-Shahpura road in this ancient village relics from Mauryan, Mughal and Rajput periods have been found.Remains of  Budhist monastraies built by the Emperor Ashok have been excavated here.Parswanath a Jain temple is nearby.Legend has it that Pandavas  spent a year here.

Pachewar

90 km from Jaipur on Malpura Road in Tonk District is this 300 year old fort of Khangarot-Kachawa rajputs.

Pachar

85 km from Jaipur via Renwal is the village of Pachar.Famous for its fort and Jain Mandir.

Salasar Balaji

Khatu Shyam Ji

Kota

249 km from Jaipur settled  on the banks of river Chambal ,famous for Kota Stone and Kota Doria Saris.

Mahaveer ji

The temple  to Mahaveerji was built at the spot where a statue of shri Mahaveerji was discovered by a cow herds man.A big fair is held every year in the month of March.

Neemrana

Almost midway on the Jaipur-Delhi Highway in the lap of the ancient Aravali range lies the vanquished kingdom of Nimola Meo-who when defeated by the Chauhans took an oath from them to name the kingdom after him.Sensitively refurbished to its old glory the fort has been converted into a world famous non-hotels.Definitely worth your time.There is a stepwell nearby to sight see besides the fort.For activities they provide Zipping-flying  supported by cables.

Karauli

Founded some 500 years ago as Kalyanpuri ,Karauli is famous for an annual  cattle fair held in February,  and the temples of Kaila Devi and Madan Mohan Ji and  the Bhanwar Vilas Palace,now a heritage hotel,built in 1938 by Maharaja Ganesh Pal Dev Bahadur.There is also the Kaila Devi  game sanctuary.It is spread over 25 kms and is part of the Ranthambore Game Preserve.

Tonk

110 km from Jaipur on the NH 12 Nawab Ameer Khan settled the modern Tonk.Places of interest are the Sunehri Kothi,inlaid with magnificient mirror work (Closed on Sundays) and the Arabic and Persian Research Institute ( 01432-247389).Tonk also produces high quality Namdha.20 km from Tonk is   Natwara Fort of Karnot Rathores.

Kanota

15 km from Jaipur on Jaipur Agra High way Kanota Fort houses a Museum  and a library with rare books.

Rajmahal Palace in rajmahal village on the banks of the Banas river at the foot hills of the Aravalies was built by Rai Singh Sisodia some 350 years ago is being run by the Kanota family as a Palace Hotel.

Bundi

210 km from Jaipur Boondi was founded  in 1342 by  Rao Deva Hada    as the capital of his Hadoti kingdom.

Kota Doria Sarees

Genesis of Kota Doria Sarees is the stuff of legends. One version has it  that Maharao Kishore Singh ji , a Mughal General of note,on a campaign in south India,brought back with him master crafts men from Mysore who  skilfully omitted threads in the warp and weft of cotton fabric and produced such small checks that even a single  masur dal seed would not pass through.The fabric so produced was light as gossamer and very strong.These sarees are still called Masuria in Kota.But the rest of the world knows of them as Kota Doria Sarees.

Original Masuria is made on hand looms in the villages of Kaithun, Roteda, Bara and Mangraul.Each loom produces only 5 sarees a month.Now a days the mix of the fabric is 70% cotton from Coimbatore and 30% silk from Karnataka-so as to last longer through the day.Traditionally the color of the sarees was white but now a days many more colors have been introduced including vegetable dyes,Bagru and Sanganer block printing/screen printing and embroidery and mixing Zari from Surat.

Rajasthan Handloom Development Corporation (RHDC) is taking the lead in producing items other than sarees from the Kota Doria .They have helped produce lamp shades,curtains, skirts and salwar-kamiz.They have even helped make an all silk saree on Masuria handlooms.

There are many other varities of  Kota Doria Sarees made on power looms in Benaras, Surat and other cities.

Kota Doria Sarees are avilable at the RHDC showroom opposite Ajmeri Gate on M.I.Road(2371109).