Jaipur

A Rajasthani proverb asks, "Je na dekhyo Jaipario, To kal men akar kya kario?" ("What have I accomplished in my life, if I have not seen Jaipur?").

Surrounded on three sides by the rugged Aravali Hills, and celebrated for the striking, if somewhat run-down pink buildings in the old part of the city, Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan, and a fine starting point for a trip through the region. The city is also known for being one of the few planned cities in the world.

Jaipur takes its name from Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, an avid scientist, architect, and astronomer, and is said to epitomize the dreams of the ruler and the creative ideas of his talented designer and builder, Vidhydar. Jaipur was founded in 1727, when Sawai Jai Singh moved down from Amer (commonly misrendered as Amber), the ancient rockbound stronghold of his ancestors. Rectangular in shape, the city is divided into nine blocks based on the principles of the ancient architectural treatise Shilp Shastra. Every aspect of Jaipur—streets, sidewalks, building height, and number and division of blocks—was based on geometric harmony, environmental and climatic considerations, and the intended use of each zone. Part of the city is still enclosed in 20-foot-high fortified walls, surrounded by eight gates.

Timelessly appealing bazaars full of colorful textiles and trinkets—lac bangles (imitation fashion jewelry), steel utensils, copper ornaments—and mehendi (henna) artists form an integral part of the city center and its outlying villages. Another cultural highlight of Jaipur is its mouthwatering cuisine, particularly desserts: ghevar (lentil paste), pheeni (strawlike sweets), jalebis (fried, twisty orange sweets), malpua (deep-fried wheat flour rolls), and churmas (tasty wheat-flour dumplings). The sensory whirl and jumble of colorful ghagharas (skirts), complex turbans, and sturdy jutis (pointed shoes), of sidewalk shops overflowing with pottery and dyed or sequinned fabric, and of streets packed with camel carts, cycle-rickshaws, and wandering cows make Jaipur a dazzling, spirited city like no other.