The City Palace of Jaipur

Depicting the traditional Mughal and Rajputana art and architecture in its best way, the City Palace of Jaipur is one of the most magnificent palatial structure of the country. Known worldwide for its architectural valour and opulence, the City Palace complex draws maximum number of tourists coming to visit Jaipur, one of the hottest tourist spot and best called as the Pink City of India.

Built by Raja Sawai Jay Singh, and located in the heart of Old Jaipur, the City Palace with its architectural grandeur is one of the most striking example of Mughal and Rajputana art and architectural style. Besides being of greater architectural and historical significance, the City Palace is also a perfect reminder of royal past, enjoyed by Rajput rulers of Rajasthan.

The large area of City Palace, divided into line of courtyards, gardens and palaces, is now turned into museum, though some parts of the palace still act as residence of royal family. Complex, such as Chandra Mahal and Mubarak Palace are of greater significance due to their architectural elegance. The museum of the palace combines the biggest attraction for tourists as its galleries have abundant of Persian, Rajasthani and Mughal rare paintings, miniatures, Hindu manuscripts and artifacts.

Must See and Do!

See the unique architectural work: Marbled gate, carved pillars and grand courtyard along with the whole complex are stunning in their architectural beauty. Visiting City Palace will make you quite familiar with the perfect and rich lend of Mughal and Rajputana art and architecture.

Visit the royal armoury: One of the important place to visit in the complex is the royal armoury having large number of arsenals, which were used by rulers during wars and wildlife hunting. Interestingly, some of the arms date back to 15th century.

Glue to the art gallery: The most significant place, an art lover will love to glue to is, of course, the art gallery of the palace. Best watch at the gallery are many of the Persian, Mughal and Rajasthani paintings, hand written Hindu manuscripts and sterling silver vessels.

Worship at the temple: The Govind Temple lying in the centre of Chandra Mahal and Badal Mahal is of greater importance for the whole city. Do visit and worship at this beautiful temple, which is an innate part of the City Palace.

Leela Goa Beach Resort

Finding its pleasure pad amidst 75 acres of manicured gardens and emerald lagoons, the Leela Goa Beach Resort caresses are a total of 151 stylish rooms and opulent suites. Enjoy a pleasant stay in the spacious and elegantly furnished alcoves furnished with all modern amenities an international traveller should ask for. As an add on, the Presidential Suite, Royal Villas and 6 Club Suites are endowed with a personal plunge pool as a royal salute. Relish your morning tea at the carved balconies complimented with each guest room. All rooms have a lagoon view except the royal villas and presidential suite, which face the azure ocean overlooking the lush golf course. The silent Mobor Beach is a short walk from the villas, so all guests can have the pleasure to mess with the silvery Goan sand and the ebullient waters of the Arabian Sea.

Start your day with a superb breakfast at the 'Cafe', an impeccable fusion of Western, Asian and local specialities that are served throughout the day. Overlooking an ersatz pool with its cascading waterfall, this picturesque place is a handsome place to dine. If you want to savour a sumptuous Indian cuisine, reserve a seat at the 'Jamavar', the resort's signature restaurant, situated next to the lobby. Enjoy a casual and convenient dining option soaked up amidst a regal aura, a lavish setting augmented with intricate wooden screens and decorative Jamavar shawls! After you have satisfied your appetite for fun on the pristine sands, fill your culinary thirst at the most elegant Seafood Grill Beach Restaurant in Goa, the 'Susegado'. The name itself signifies how cool the place is! Isn't it? A 42 seater with harmonic live & recorded music, cordial service and a perfect holiday ambience, the restaurant affords an not-to-be-missed array of serves grilled and tandoor seafood and meats, fresh salads and frozen cocktails! Bang your heads over your favourite drinks at Aqua, the entertainment lounge situated just below the lobby level. Portraying a state-of-the art audio visual equipment, this semi-private lounge is one of the favoured places to chill out for young couples and holidayers. Believe us, after a few whips of tequila shots, it is hard to impede your footsteps that automatically starts bouncing on the rhythms of our resident DJ playing the latest techno to everything of your choice.

Travel to Mount Abu

Travel to Mount Abu, that has been a haven for saints and sages, from the time one can trace it. Legend has it that all the 330 million gods and goddesses of the Hindu mythology used to visit this holy hill. It is also the place where the great saint Vashishth performed a yagna (sacrificial worship on a fire pit) to create four Agnikula (four clans of fire) to protect the earth from Parasurama. Believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Parasurama, wiped out the kshatriya (warrior) caste 21 times to avenge the death of his father. The yagna was supposed to have been performed near a natural spring, which emerged from a rock shaped like a cow's head.


According to another legend, once sage Vashishth's cow Nandini fell in lake. The sage appealed to Lord Shiva for assistance. The Lord then sent the youngest son of Himalaya, the king of mountains to save her. This he did with the assistance of Arbud, the celestial cobra, who brought a huge rock on his hood. The spot where the rock was dropped came to be known as Mount Arbud and was later changed to its present form - Mount Abu, the famous hill station of Rajasthan.
Fruits of Jain Architecture

The pièce de résistance is apparantly the stunning array of Dilwara Jain Temples from the 11th-13th centuries and dedicated to the Jain Tirthankaras. The hallmark of these Jain Temples (beside being one of the important pilgrimage destinations) is the cloudless translucent shell-like treatment of marble, the elegance and beauty of which can only be felt after seeing them. The architecture is marked by carvings that are not just ethereally beautiful in form but are often presented in a highly poetic context. For instance, look at one of those marble nayikas (maidens), carved on the walls of the sanctum, depicted as having just emerged from her bath. Droplets falling from her long hair are shown being drunk by a swan sitting at her feet. Mesmerizing, isn't it? Surely indeed these places of worship has given a new birth to marble architecture in Indian history. Each nook and corner of the Dilwara temples are so magnificently carved that it's a wonder that the effigy was created out of a single plain stone.

Palace on wheel in Jaipur

The Palace on Wheels", which snares the sumptuous 10th position among the eminent luxurious trains in the world. One of the world's most exotic odysseys, the Palace on Wheels is famous as much for the regal ambiance of the train and the comforts bestowed on board, as for the sovereign holiday destinations in Rajasthan, it embraces everyday. And what a train it is! It may not be historic, but it wears the blanket of history sublimely, with inspiration clearly drawn from past. Book yourself on the most famous luxury train that brilliantly exhibits a savour of palace comforts, with its splendidly carved interiors, opulently crafted lights and superb table settings.


Turbaned staff, in red Rajput-style 'sherwanis' (overcoats) are always present by your side to take care of everything - dining, lodging, sightseeing as well as organized shopping, there is nothing much to do, but sit aback, soaked in the colours of Rajasthan and enjoy the luxury in a grand maharajah style. Take a tour of Palace of Wheels to enjoy the memorable itinerary that starts from the Delhi Cantonment station and returns back to the capital after snaking through Jaipur - Chittaurgarh - Udaipur - Ranthambhore - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Bharatpur and Agra, in order. Travelling in the Palace on Wheels is a life-time experience indeed and is the finest channel to enjoy a much awaited holiday vacation in Rajasthan.

Jantar Mantar - A Primera Vista

Looking for some palce out outing in Jaipur, Jantar Mantar can be an ideal plce for you. In Jaipur, the capital and gateway to Rajasthan, you will find one of the most precious and culturally non aligned pieces of architecture in the world. A perfect amalgamation of religion and science, the observatory, still in its own unsecularized integrity, is comparable only with the witnesses in stone of the archaic cultures. Jantar Mantar is a famous astronomical monument.

Jantar means 'instrument' while Mantar (the same word as 'mantra') is usually translated as 'formula' but here it means 'calculation'. So, "Jantar Mantar" means something like ' instrument for calculation.' The observatory consists of elephantine stone observation devices, which get a good degree of accuracy due to their enormous dimensions. It is the biggest of the five observatories, which Jai Singh II had built. The majority of the devices are typical for big observatories in the Islamic world. But his instruments are unique as concerns precision, size and architectural perfection. At least, 120 years after the invention of the telescope, they still provide amazing results.

At first glance, this famous Astronomical monument of Jaipur appears to be a curious if somewhat compelling collection of sculptures. In fact, each construction has a specific purpose, for example measuring the positions of the stars, altitude and azimuth, and calculating eclipses. With these creations, Sawai Jai Singh II made studying astronomy and astrology easier. His observatories were used as laboratories, where one could test oneself on various calculations and check them by practical observations. Formerly, these observatories were used to accommodate academic seminars, conferences, discussions, and, especially, to prepare zodiac charts and almanacs.

As with all other observatories around the country built by Sawai Jai Singh, the one in Jaipur, is a lucid reflection of his belief in the importance of astronomy and passion for architecture. Whether or not you are interested in stars, this place is worth a visit for its pure architectural splendor. Often described as the most surreal and logical landscape in stone, this bewildering piece of art brings curves, corners, colors and the cosmos, all in one complex.

A pefect Holiday destination – City Palace

If you are loking for a perfect holiday destination in this summer, City Palace Jaipur is the best place to visit. A treasure trove of royal acquisitions, the City Palace, is situated at the heart of Jaipur. Each and every corner of this grandiose edifice enters through a person's eyes but descends directly to one's heart. Filled with interesting and enticing artifacts, the royal palace is both a repository of the culture and a family album of the long line of maharajas who ruled this Pink City for so many years. An impeccable blend of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture, the City Palace complex occupies a large area segregated into a series of voluminous courtyards, alluring gardens and magnificent buildings. A hybrid of magnum opera of different artists, a visit to the City Palace is a real joie de vivre.

The famous City Palace of Jaipur has tremendous attractions. Before the palace, proper lies the Mubarak Mahal (Welcome Palace), built in the late 19th century by Maharajah Sawai Madho Singh II as a reception for visiting dignitaries. The Mahal, now amended into a museum, contains a superb collection of royal costumes and exquisite shawl collections including Sanganeri block prints, Kashmiri Pashmina shawls, folk embroideries and Benares silk saris. Don't forget to see the spanned out pajamas and coat of Sawai Madho Singh I, a well-built man 6 ½ feet tall , over 4 feet wide and weighed 250 kg. Imagine how many artists had put their efforts to make this regalia.

Walk through the corridors and enjoy the vicarious feeling of grandeur clubbed together with true aristocratic taste. The hall is a magnificent arena of ardent portrays, untouched by the hands of time. The colossal life size paintings of the mighty kings, with lavish mustaches and copious beards are disturbingly real.

A must see among the City Palace attractions is the Maharani's palace, which houses an awe-inspiring collection of weaponry dating back to the 15th century. The ceiling of the hall is embellished with extraordinary frescoes, the colors of which are derived from semi-precious jewel dust. The covert is a nice playground for colors, which change themselves a thousand times during the day. The hall is also a hub of bewildering elements like the gruesome Rajput scissor-action daggers. When the dagger enters the body, the handles are released to spread the blades. The dagger is withdrawn virtually disemboweling the hapless victim. One of the displays is the katar, a two-sided blade with a grip handle that has an outer covering. It was hitched to the waistband worn by the men over their tunics. These ornamental daggers with their handles were worn on formal occasions with ceremonial costumes. Enjoy the endless battle between your heart and mind, the former willing to touch the bedazzling artifacts while the latter, going along with the age-old warning "Do not Touch". Enjoy the City Palace attractions in Jaipur.