Stared Down
by keeweechic
On the opposite side of the lake, I wandered further up the road. This is where the cows and water buffalo connected with the underpassage to the lake. Don’t ever take these beasts to be placid. On two occasions within minutes apart I was stared down by one of these beasts, so much so that I knew instinctively to keep moving. The last one was enroute underneath the road out to the lake area with a baby in tow. She stopped, looked up at me and made me grateful that I was on a level that I was, and she couldn’t get to me.
Laxmi Misthan Bhandar (LMB)
by TomorrowsAngel
The Johri Bazaar has the best sweet shop in Jaipur, looks to be true if you count the number of locals in the shop.
The cool cavernous shop is filled with a huge selection of sweets (and some savoury snack items) displayed behind glass counters.
The paneer ghewar (honeycomb soaked in treacle) is claimed to be the best in India, but I reckon the rasmalai was the best.
There is a restaurant leading off the sweet shop (see my restaurant tip section for the lowdown).
Getting Around
by keeweechic
You can take a metred Auto-rickshaws to get around easily in Jaipur. You might need to ensure the meter is in fact turned on or at least agree to a price beforehand. The un-metred cycle-rickshaws are cheaper but slower. Taxi’s are unmetred in Jaipur, so agree on a price also.
The Walled city
by PCuk
Jaipur is a large city of around 2million people,however the main points of interest are in and around the walled city.You will enter by one of the 7 gates,the main one being the Tripolia Gate,which was used by the royal entourage.Crowds would line the gate sides and watch the maharaja and his family with their elephants and horses pass through on the way to the palace.Today it still only used by the royal family.
Jantar Mantar
by mallyak
Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the Rajput ruler of Amber and the founder of Jaipur was a learned man and an astronomer who was deeply interested in the workings of the celestial bodies and so built the Observatory, known as Jantar Mantar. The name 'Jantar Mantar' comes from Sanskrit's 'Yantra Mantra' meaning instruments and formulae.
Sawai Jai Singh II was commissioned by Emperor Muhammad Shah, to make corrections in the astronomical tables and to confirm the data, already available on the planetary positions. Sawai Jai Singh II took seven years to finish the task. He built the first stone observatory in 1724 in Delhi. The Jaipur observatory was built in 1728. There is actually a fascinating story in relation to the construction of the Observatory. According to the story, Sawai Jai Singh II sent his envoys to various parts of the world. The emissaries came back with manuals and astronomical tables besides tons of data on the advances made in the fields of astronomy. La Hire's "Tables" was one of these manuals, and impressed by it, Sawai Jai Sing II ordered the observatory to be constructed according to the data available in this manual. Amazingly, after Jantar Mantar was built, it was discovered that the Observatory was more accurate than the Table itself.
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Textile and Costume Museum
Entrance to the private quarters of City Palace
A courtyard within Albert Hall
The viewpoint on Amber
