Jaipur: Structure of the City Explained

Introduction

Jaipur, the Pink City, is the largest city of Rajasthan, India. With a 3.1 million population (as per census 2011) it is the tenth most populous city of India. It lies at a distance of 200 miles from the capital city of Delhi. It is called the pink city because the colour of more than half of the structures of Jaipur is pink. During the rule of Maharaja Ram Singh I, the entire city of Jaipur was painted in pink colour to welcome HRH Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. Hence, it was named the Pink City. Further, Dr C.V. Raman calls the city the ‘Island of Glory’. It is also called the Paris of India.

In this blog, we will have a look at the history of Pink City!

History of the City

The city of Jaipur was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, King of Amer in 1727. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh ruled Amer from 1699 to 1743. Water was scarce as well as the population was increasing, hence, Maharaja Jai Singh decided to shift his capital from Amer to Jaipur.

Maharaja Jai Singh started the construction in 1727. It took almost four years to build the palaces, roads, offices, other structures of the city. Jaipur was next divided into nine blocks. Two blocks were dedicated to palaces of the king and other state buildings. While the rest were allotted to the common people. It is said that the king consulted several architects and books while planning the structure of the city of Jaipur. The city was built based on Silpa Sastra and Vastu Sastra.

Structure of the city

Maharaja Jai Singh took the help of Vidyadhar Bhattacharya while planning the city structure. The latter planned it according to the Indian Vastu Sastra. The city has three gates facing the east, west, and north. The gate facing the east is called Suraj pol while that of the west is called Chand pol.

The city is further divided into six broad sections. Each section is separated by a 111 ft. wide street. This gives the entire city a unique look. The urban areas are additionally partitioned by gridded roads. Five-quarters fold over the eastern, western, and southern sides of a focal royal residence quarter, with a sixth quarter toward the eastern side. The Palace quarter covers the Hawa Mahal palace residence, a little lake, formal nurseries, etc. Nahargarh Fort, the home of Maharaja Jai Singh II, crowns the slope in the northwest corner of the old city.

Conclusion

The city of Jaipur is a well-planned city. It is not possible to cover the entire structure of the city bit by bit. Still, I have tried to give an overall structure of the entire city.

Do let us know if you want to know about any more cities. Mail us your concerns at info@roodland.com.