Whether it is your first time in Jaipur or you are revisiting, there is one part in Jaipur you cannot miss – The old city. This is the place that will give you the true essence of the ‘Pink City’. With its entrance marked by a huge gate, this truly is a marvelous spectacle and an extraordinary experience.
Everyone knows Jaipur as the ‘Pink City’, but does anybody know the history behind it or why is it called so? As you plan your trip to Jaipur and look through the rates of Jaipur to Delhi taxi prices online, there are some things you need to know about the city before you actually visit it. Know the history of the city for a better understanding of your tour.
The moment you step in the soils of Jaipur city, you will notice there is nothing pink about the city. You will find all houses and buildings painted in various colours and shopping malls in glass facades like any other city. So does the Pink City still exist? Yes. But it is only confined to Old Jaipur, for which you will travel rather far from the main city. Jaipur is called the Pink City because the city was fully painted in Pink in the year 1876 when the then Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria visited Jaipur. The Maharaja of Jaipur during that time felt that Pink is a welcoming and warm colour so he ordered each and every household, buildings and gates to be painted in a shade of light pink. The tradition had since been followed, but with modernization, today the newer side of Jaipur has ditched this tradition and people paint their houses as they please.
But not all parts of Jaipur have stopped practicing this tradition. In fact, anyone staying in Old Jaipur or having a shop there is compelled by law to paint their houses or shops at least once a year. Old Jaipur now just remains in a short stretch of Jaipur covering about 3 km in length all round. The entrance of the Old city is marked by a big entrance gate. The road in this part of Jaipur is small and cramped, only barely enough for two cars to pass by. Any commotion on the road will result in a long big traffic jam, which is why it is best advised to cab service only till the entrance gate and walk it there on.
The moment you enter the entrance you will be in the presence of the true Pink City! The sight is truly magnificent as you see rows buildings all painted in the same shade of pink. The buildings are mostly ancient which adds more to the charm of the place. The place remains sprawling with various vendors and hawkers walking about selling random items and shops selling perfumes, jewellery, traditional garments and local handicrafts. There are bazaars after bazaars lined up in this place. You will not find any fancy places to eat and shop and the level extravagance that peaks this place is street items. You need to bargain hard for almost everything as the prices quoted by the shopkeepers are often double the rate of the actual commodity.
There are a couple of temples and schools in this part, but no major monuments. But if you think about it, the whole area is a complete walking, sightseeing wonder which you can hardly take your eyes off! So on your next visit, make sure you make a stop at the true ‘Pink City’.