Sightseeing in Jaipur: Jaigarh Fort

So here we are at the last Fort on our list for Jaipur.

Jaigarh Fort is situated on the promontory called the Cheel ka Teela (Hill of Eagles) of the Aravalli range; it overlooks the Amer Fort and the Maota Lake, near Amer in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. The fort was built by Jai Singh II in 1726 to protect the Amer Fort and its palace complex and was named after him.

The fort, rugged and similar in structural design to the Amber Fort, is also known as Victory Fort. It has a length of 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) along the north–south direction and a width of 1 kilometre (0.62 mi). The fort features a cannon named "Jaivana", which was manufactured in the fort precincts and was then the world's largest cannon on wheels. The palace complex (Laxmi Vilas, Lalit Mandir, Vilas Mandir and Aram Mandir) located ), an armoury and a museum. Jaigarh Fort and Amer Fort are connected by subterranean passages and considered as one complex.

Sightseeing in Jaipur: Nahargarh Fort

So it's our final day in The Pink City and we decided to see the two largest forts in the city starting with Nahargarh Fort.

Nahargarh Fort stands on the edge of the Aravalli Hills, overlooking the city of Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is open from 10 AM not 8:00 am. Along with Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh once formed a strong defense ring for the city. The fort was originally named Sudarshangarh, but it became known as Nahargarh, which means 'abode of tigers'. The popular belief is that Nahar here stands for Nahar Singh Bhomia,[1] whose spirit haunted the place and obstructed construction of the fort. Nahar's spirit was pacified by building a temple in his memory within the fort, which thus became known by his name.

Sightseeing in Jaipur: Chokhi Dhani

Chokhi Dhani is a concept capturing the vibrant spirit of Rajasthan and ensuring a perfect Rajasthani experience.  Inbound and native tourists have a desire to experience the unique Rajasthani culture. The real Rajasthan, the villages, the paintings, Bani Thani art, the wall decorations, Dipak wall, the fresh air, the evening performances, the enthusiasm, the 'manuhar' (a delicate request to eat till your heart’s desire), the traditions, the costumes and at last but not least the Feelings.

At Chokhi Dhani we bring that all for you. Our aim is to preserve and encourage the village art and culture, to get today's generation closer to the roots and the globetrekkers to see Indian village life.

The place is just away from the hustle of the city center where nature is alive, natural scenic views are ready to serve you and where you can feel the fresh air of Indian rustic villages. A place which is not too far to reach, situated on a national highway booming with peace and quiet. A place where you and your family love to come again and again...

You will instantly notice the friendliness and smiles; Chokhi Dhani reception, we have the best cooks from royal palaces and artisans from all over Rajasthan. Our master architect visited nearby villages, haveli and palaces before starting. We collect artifacts from various parts of Rajasthan but mainly tried to make our own, so that you get the unique. We use purely hand crafted material for decoration and merged it with all modern amenities for your comfort. (source: chokhidhani.com)

Sightseeing in Jaipur: Amer Fort & Jal Mahal

Amer Fort (also called Amber Fort) is a fort located in Amer, Rajasthan, India. Amer is a town with an area of 4 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi) located 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Located high on a hill, it is the principal tourist attraction in the Jaipur area. The town of Amer was originally built by Meenas, and later it was ruled by Raja Man Singh I (December 21, 1550 – July 6, 1614).

Amer Fort is known for its artistic Hindu style elements. With its large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths, the fort overlooks Maota Lake, which is the main source of water for the Amer Palace.

Constructed of red sandstone and marble, the attractive, opulent palace is laid out on four levels, each with a courtyard. It consists of the Diwan-i-Aam, or "Hall of Public Audience", the Diwan-i-Khas, or "Hall of Private Audience", the Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace), or Jai Mandir, and the Sukh Niwas where a cool climate is artificially created by winds that blow over a water cascade within the palace. Hence, the Amer Fort is also popularly known as the Amer Palace. The palace was the residence of the Rajput Maharajas and their families. At the entrance to the palace near the fort's Ganesh Gate, there is a temple dedicated to Shila Devi, a goddess of the Chaitanya cult, which was given to Raja Man Singh when he defeated the Raja of Jessore, Bengal in 1604. (Jessore is now in Bangladesh).

This palace, along with Jaigarh Fort, is located immediately above on the Cheel ka Teela (Hill of Eagles) of the same Aravalli range of hills. The palace and Jaigarh Fort are considered one complex, as the two are connected by a subterranean passage. This passage was meant as an escape route in times of war to enable the royal family members and others in the Amer Fort to shift to the more redoubtable Jaigarh Fort.

Annual tourist visitation to the Amer Palace was reported by the Superintendent of the Department of Archaeology and Museums as 5000 visitors a day, with 1.4 million visitors during 2007.

At the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2013, Amer Fort, along with five other forts of Rajasthan, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the group Hill Forts of Rajasthan.

 Jal Mahal (meaning "Water Palace") is a palace located in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur city, the capital of the state of Rajasthan, India. The palace and the lake around it were renovated and enlarged in the 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber.

 We came back to Amber Fort in the evening to watch the Son et lumière. It's a spectacular show that tells you the history of Amer.

Sightseeing in Jaipur: Jantar Mantar

After seeing the City Palace, we headed to The Jantar Mantar.

The Jantar Mantar is an equinoctial sundial, consisting a gigantic triangular gnomon with the hypotenuse parallel to the Earth's axis. On either side of the gnomon is a quadrant of a circle, parallel to the plane of the equator. The instrument is intended to measure the time of day, correct to half a second and declination of the Sun and the other heavenly bodies.

There are five Jantar Mantar monuments in India, of which the largest is in Jaipur which features many instruments along with the world's largest stone sundial. The Vrihat Samrat yantra is a sundial that can give the local time to an accuracy of 2 seconds. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Onwards now to Amber Fort as we approach one of the many Gates to the Pink City.