City Palace, Jaipur - The Seat of Royal Power
if you have been to Jaipur then you should not miss the City Palace. We will introduces you to one of the most iconic symbols of Jaipur, the City Palace - a monument which is more than a building - one that is a testimony to the valor of rulers of the region. We have captured our first-hand experience of the place from one of our recent visits.
City Palace Jaipur
We were visiting Jaipur recently in our holidays as that is what our hometown is and it was obvious destination given we had been traveling quite a lot and hadn't had a chance to visit home. As we relaxed in the luxury and carefreeness of home, we discussed myriad of topics over steaming coffee and somehow tourist places of Jaipur figured in our discussion. As the discussion progressed, we found it surprising that I had not visited the most famous landmark of my own hometown – the City Palace. While there was some confusion as to if, I visited the place during my childhood but it was still strange that I had no memory of visit, which means there definitely was something wrong. Now that I was married recently, any visits pre-wedding is anyways nullified and hence it made sense for us to plan a quick trip to the monument. Hence, we planned a trip to the City Palace for the next day – wife, my brother and me.
Next morning, we took the car and proceeded to the palace. The city palace is located right in the city center – around all the major tourist attractions of the city. It took us about half an hour of a drive when we could see the palace and after spending another half an hour looking for the parking we finally stood there in front of the majestic entrance to the palace. We quickly bought our tickets and were about to enter when we realized it would be worthwhile to check if there is someone who could tell us about the history of the place. Hence, we engaged a guide to take us around the place. We generally tend to hire some local help for this purpose otherwise there are just buildings and walls without much sense into them.
As we entered the building – or more like a group of buildings – the guide began his story linking one point of stop to another and we were really fascinated by the history and the story behind this majestic palace. This was the seat of the power for the kingdom and the kings ruled from this place. It was here from where every aspect of the region was governed. This is a complex arrangement of courtyards, gardens, gates, and buildings. The foundation of this marvelous structure was laid by Raja Jai Singh but the fort palace was built of centuries. Rulers of each time had their contribution to what we see today and hence each part of the palace has its own story to tell. Identities of each king have left their own impressions on the part which was built under them. The Palace has been designed according to a 'grid style' and houses various structures such as, 'Chandra Mahal', 'Mubarak Mahal', 'Diwan-I-Khas' and the 'Govind Dev Ji Temple. The walls and gates are ornately designed to Mughal style, with various murals, lattice, and mirrors adorning them from sides.
Overall, it is a monument which is the pride of the city and has been standing tall telling a story of the rich history of courage and valor that the city has seen. We were wrong in neglecting this important piece of history for so long and now that we have been here, we are sure to recommend it to everyone we meet.
