Jaipur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jaipur
Rajasthan, India |
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 Jaipur
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| District(s) | Jaipur District |
| Coordinates | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
200.4 km² (77 mi²) • 431 m (1,414 ft) |
| Population • Density |
2,324,319 (2005) • 11,598/km² |
| Mayor | Ashok Parnami |
| Codes • Postal • Telephone • UN/locode • Vehicle |
• 3020 xx • +0141 • INJAI • RJ-14 |
Jaipur pronunciation (Hindi: जयपुर, Urdu: جے پور), also popularly known as the Pink City, historically sometimes rendered as Jeypore, is the capital of Rajasthan state, India. Jaipur is also the capital of Jaipur District. Jaipur is the former capital of the princely state of Jaipur. Founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, Jaipur was the first planned city in India and in 2003, after only 276 years, the population reached approximately 2.7 million.
Built of pink stucco in imitation of sandstone, the city is remarkable among pre-modern Indian cities for the width and regularity of its streets which are laid out into six quarters separated by broad streets 111 ft (34 m) 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 a sprawling palace complex (the Hawa Mahal, or palace of winds), formal gardens, and a small lake. Nahargarh Fort crowns the hill in the northwest corner of the old city. Another noteworthy building is Sawai Jai Singh's observatory, Jantar Mantar. Jaipur, with its rich and colourful past, resplendent with tales of valour and bravery is now one of the most important heritage cities in India, and is a must-see for tourists coming to India.
Jaipur is considered by many urbanists to be one of the best planned cities. Almost all Northern Indian towns of that period presented a chaotic picture of narrow twisting lanes, a confusion of run-down forts/temples/palaces and temporary shacks that bore no resemblance at all to the principles set out in Hindu architectural manuals, which calls for strict geometric planning. Thus, for Sawai Jai Singh II and the Bengali Guru Vidyadhar (who was a'Shaspati' - Hindu Priest Architect), the founding of Jaipur was also a ritual and a golden opportunity to plan a whole town according to the principles of Hindu architectural theory. The town of Jaipur is in fact, built in the form of a nine-part Mandala known as the 'Pithapada'. Nine in-fact signifies the nine planets of the ancient astrological zodiac. It is also known that Sawai Jai Singh II was a great astronomer and a town planner and hence the 'Pithapada'. Also, the commercial shops designed are multiples of nine(27) and then having one cross street for a planet.
In the 19th century the city grew rapidly and became prosperous and the city's wide boulevards were paved and lit with gas, it had a population of 160,000 in 1900. The city had several hospitals, its chief industries were in metals and marble, which are fostered by a school of art founded in 1868, the city also had three colleges, including a Sanskrit college (1865) and a Girl school (1867) initiated under the reign of the enigmatic Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II. There was also a wealthy and enterprising community of native bankers, particularly the Jains and the Marwaris.
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[edit] History
During the British Raj, Jaipur was the capital of a Princely state of the same name. Jaipur state, which existed from the twelfth century until Indian Independence in 1947, took its name from the city. It had a total area of 15,579 square miles (40,349 km²) in 1900. The maharajas of Jaipur belonged to the Kachwaha clan of Rajputs, claiming descent from Rama, king of Ayodhya. The state is said to have been founded about eleventh century or 1097 by Dūlaha Rāya, who hailed from Gwalior; he and his Kachwaha kinsmen are said to have absorbed or driven out the local Meenas and Bargujar Rajput chiefs. In which the Meenas were to become a key ally of the Kachwahas. Their original capital in the Dhundhar region was Dausa, then Jamwa Ramgarh then Amber before the shift to Jaipur. The ruling dynasty of Jaipur provided the Mughal Empire with some of their most distinguished generals. Among them were Raja Man Singh I, who fought and governed from Kabul to Orissa and Assam; Jai Singh I, commonly known by his imperial title of Mirza Raja, whose name appears in all the wars of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb; and Jai Singh II, or Sawai Jai Singh, the famous mathematician and astronomer, and the founder of Jaipur city. "Sawai" was a title bestowed upon him by Aurangzeb which meant "one and a quarter times superior to his contemporaries". Throughout the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, the armies of Jaipur were in a constant state of warfare. Towards the end of the 18th century, the Jats of Bharatpur and the chief of Alwar (Also a Kachwaha) declared themselves independent from Jaipur and each annexed the eastern portion of Jaipur's territory. This period of Jaipur's history is characterized by internal power-struggles and constant military conflicts with the Marathas, Jats, other Rajput states, as well as the British and the Pindaris (Jaipur's former mercenary allies).
Nevertheless enough wealth remained in Jaipur for the patronage of fine temples/palaces, continuity of its courtly traditions and the well-being of its citizens and merchant communities. A treaty was initially made by Maharaja Sawai Jagat Singh and the British under Governor general Marquis Wellesley in 1803, however the treaty was dissolved shortly afterwards by Wellesley's successor, Cornwallis. In this event, Jaipur's Ambassador to Lord Lake observed that This was the first time, since the English government was established in India, that it had been known to make its faith subserveint to its convenience. It was later in 1818, that the Jaipur state entered into subsidiary alliance with the British. In 1835 there was a serious disturbance in the city, after which the British government intervened. The state later became well-governed and prosperous. During the Revolt of 1857 when the British invoked the treaty to request assistance in the suppression of rebellious sepoys,the Maharaja opted to preserve his treaty, and thus sent in troops to subdue the uprisings in the area around Gurgaon and the out-skirts of Delhi. The Jaipur forces also secured and kept open the strategic Agra-Ajmer highway, and shelter was given to Europeans fleeing from the menace of the mutineers in the Nahargarh Fort.
Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II (1922-1949), in 1948, shortly after India's independence, acceded the state of Jaipur to the Government of India, and Jaipur became the capital of Rajasthan. Jaipur's current (albeit titular) Maharaja is H.H. Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh Bahadur. He has no official powers, but is seen as a Father-figure by the people of Jaipur.
[edit] Geography
Jaipur is located at .[1] It has an average elevation of 432 metres (1417 feet).
[edit] Location
The district is situated in the eastern part of Rajasthan. It is bound in the north by Sikar and Alwar, in South by Tonk, Ajmer and Sawai Madhopur. Nagaur, Sikar and Ajmer in the west and in east by Bharatpur and Dausa districts.
Distance from major cities
- Delhi-265 km
- Ahmedabad-625 km
- Chandigarh-510 km
- Mumbai-1,176 km
- Calcutta-1,472 km
- Agra-246 km
[edit] Climate and rainfall
The climate of the district is dry and healthy and is subject to extremities of cold and heat during winter and summer respectively, due to proximity to the Thar Desert. The minimum and maximum temperatures recorded in the district varies from 3 to 48 degrees Celsius. Normal annual rainfall is 556 mm.
[edit] Infrastructure
Modern infrastructural facilities are currently fast developing, and in many cases surpass those of larger cities like Delhi and Calcutta. It is expanding very quickly and has become a hot spot for development in Rajasthan. Jaipur has an airport but is currently not equipped to handle heavy traffic including traffic from international locations (although flights to some international destinations are available).
[edit] Electricity
Jaipur district receives hydroelectric power from the Chambal Hydel system. 100% of the total of 2,131 villages in the district receive electricity as of March 2000.
[edit] Water
The major rivers passing through the Jaipur district are Banas and Banganga. Ground water resources to the extent of about 28.65 million cubic meter are available in the district. Although serious drought is rare, poor water management and exploitation of groundwater with extensive tube-well systems threatens agriculture in some areas.
[edit] Road transport
Jaipur city is the capital of the state and is centrally located. The National Highway No.8 links Delhi to Ahmedabad and No.11, linking Bikaner to Agra passes through Jaipur district to a total length of 366 km. The total length of different types of roads in the district was about 4,102 km as of March 2000.
[edit] Rail transport
Jaipur is very well connected by rail with all major cities and town in India. Jaipur is connected on the broad-gauge and meter gauge network of the Indian Railways. Jaipur has direct trains on the broad gauge network to cities like Agra, Delhi, Mumbai, Howrah, Chennai, Mysore, Bangalore, Lucknow, Kanpur etc. across the country and to cities like Ajmer, Sawai Madhopur, Kota, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Udaipur within Rajasthan.
Jaipur is connected with metre gauge rail route with Sri Ganganagar, and Sirohi.
Jaipur is also connected with major centres of neighbouring states such as Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Delhi through the broad gauge network.
[edit] Tourism
Travel options using Rail: Travel from Delhi is best planned ahead by reservation in a Shatabdi train for day travel which includes Indian food served onboard. Recently, the Indian railway websites allow E-tickets to be bought using a credit card and taking a printout of the same, along with a valid photo ID. For more info, see http://www.indianrail.gov.in and see http://www.irctc.co.in for online booking of tickets. For travelling via trains in India, see the excellent post on http://www.indiamike.com/india/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3164 . Work is in progress to put up ATM machines at Railway stations to allow purchase of E-tickets using credit/debit cards.There is Also a good site to guide the tour of Jaipur(India)- http://www.a1tourstravels.com
Note:- There are two railway stations in Jaipur a) Jaipur b)Durgapura. Most trains stop at Jaipur only. Some stop at both
[edit] Air transport
Jaipur's Jaipur Airport (IATA: JAI, ICAO: VIJP) is situated in its satellite town of Sanganer and offers sporadic service to London, Dublin, Singapore and Dubai. Jaipur also has well connected domestic air links with Jodhpur, Udaipur, Aurangabad, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Goa, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Mumbai.
[edit] Communication facilities
Post offices 599 Telegraph offices 143 Telecom centres 9 PCOs 859 Telephone exchanges 150
[edit] Places to see
- Amber Palace The Amber Palace complex overlooking the artificial lake south of the town of Amber is one of the most popular tourist sites in the city, famous for its mixture of Hindu and Muslim architecture, and offering elephant rides from the town up to the palace courtyard. Although the structure is today known as Amber Fort, the complex was initially a Palace Complex within the Fort of Amber which is today known as Jaigarh fort.
- Jaigarh Fort The Jaigarh Fort on the hills above the Amber Palace complex offers stunning views of the foothills of the Aravalli range, as well as attractions such as immense underground water-storage tanks, a medieval canon foundry and an impressive collection of medieval cannons including the Jaivana which is reputed to be the world's largest cannon on wheels. Historically this was the original Amber Fort, although it became known as Jaigarh from the time of Sawai Jai Singh II onwards.
- Jal Mahal is located in Jaipur India, which is the capital of the State of Rajasthan. It is on the way to Sisodia garden. The rajput style "Water Palace" sits in the center of the Man Sarobar lake. The lake is often dry in the summer but winter monsoons frequently turn it into a beautiful lake filled with water hyacinths.[2]
[edit] Educational institutions
University of Rajasthan (Maharaja College and Maharani College), 45 Colleges, 2 Agricultural colleges, Gyanvihar universe, The LNM Institute of Information Technology 5 higher technical college, 40 Engineering colleges, including the National Institute of Technology, 1 Management Institute [R A Podar Institute Of Management], 2 Polytechnical colleges (Khaitan Polytechnic), 1 Medical college, 4 hotel management colleges, 554 Secondary & higher secondary schools, 1,460 Higher primary schools, 2,905 Primary schools, 6 ITIs, 2 Agricultural research centre and 1 International Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship.
Adarsh Vidya Mandir run by Vidya Bharati, St. Edmund's School Jawahar Nagar, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Vidyashram ,Maheshwari Public School, St. Xavier School, MGD Girl's School, SMS Vidhyalaya, St. Edmund's School, Gyanvihar, St. Anselm's School, Seedling School Subodh Public school,tagore public school and emmanuel mission school are some of the major schools.
[edit] Industry
No. of large & medium scale running units: 48 No. of small scale units: 19,544 No. of industrial areas: 19
Bagru, Bassi, Bais Godam, Bindyaka, Dudu, Hirawala, Jetpura, Jhotwara, Kaladera, Kanakpura, Kartarpura, Malviya Nagar, Phulera, Renwal, Sanganeer, Shahpura, Sitapura, Sudarshanpur and Vishwakarma.
[edit] Main industrial products
Jaipur district is a centre for both the modern and traditional industries. The main industrial products include: acetylene gas, ACSR (Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced) cable, all-purpose flour (maida), atta flour, ball bearings, bottling of LPG, ceramics, pottery, cold roll strips, corrugated boxes, deoiled cakes, durries, dyeing and printing, edible oil, electronic items, engraving on brass items, ferrous and non-ferrous castings, gems and jewelry, general engineering and manufacturing, granite slabs and tiles, hand-made paper, handicraft items, halogen automobile headlamps, "hawai" chappals (sandals), household electrical appliances, HT steel strips, iodized salt, lamps, laminated springs for railways, marble statues, marble tiles & slabs, moulded plastic components for electronics, nitrochlorobenzene, oxygen gas, perfumes, pigment colours, plastic containers, P.P. multifilament yarn, PVC cables, PVC doors, PVC footwear, canvas shoes, Portland cement, readymade garments (clothing), re-roller products, semolina (suji), steel furniture, steel ingots, stone grits, synthetic leather, suits & shirts made of synthetic materials, tablets and capsules, two way radio and line, washing soap, wheat, woolen carpet, refined vegetable oil and vanaspati ghee.
[edit] Export items
Brass and lacquer work, enamel work, gems and jewelery, granite tiles, handloom, marble statues, printed cloth and textiles, readymade garments, woolen and silk carpets.
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001 India census,GRIndia Jaipur had a population of 2,324,319. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. In Jaipur, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] Literacy
Jaipur has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 59%.
