India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (284 page)

Amber, 11km (7 miles) north of Jaipur.
0141/253-0293.
Rs 100, Rs 150 with camera, Rs 250 video. Free lockers to store cameras. Daily 8am–5:30pm.

City Palace
Although the former ruling family still lives in the seven-story Chandra Mahal (Moon Palace) built by Sawai Jai Singh II, most of what you’ll experience here is the poorly managed
Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum
and an overwhelming number of overpriced shops (even here you won’t be free of India’s omnipresent hustling; most guides are keen observers of the commission system—you have been warned!). Depending on which entrance you use, the first courtyard is where you’ll find
Mubarak Mahal (Welcome Palace),
a “reception center” constructed by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II, grandfather of the present maharaja. Mubarak houses the textiles and costume museum, where a narrative of ritual adornments and regal costumes provide insight into the tremendous wealth and status that the family enjoyed, as well as the extraordinarily high level of craftsmanship available to them over the centuries. These include embroidery so fine it looks like printwork, some of the best
bandhani odhnis
(tie-dye scarves/veils) to come out of Sanganer, Kashmiri shawls, gossamer muslin from Bangladesh, and silk saris from Varanasi. There’s also insight into the lifestyles of Jaipur’s royals in the form of a specialized polo and billiards outfit (note the boots) worn by the king. The
Armoury,
with a selection of exquisitely crafted yet truly vicious-looking daggers and swords, is housed in the adjacent palace. If Mughal history, with all its valor and intrigue, has caught your imagination, ask one of the red turbaned attendants to point out the items belonging to the emperors Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan. The next courtyard reveals the raised
Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience),
built in sandstone and marble. Look for the sun emblems decorating the walls—like most Rajput princes, the Kachchwaha clan belonged to the warrior caste, who traced their origins back to the sun (see “Once Were Warriors: The History of the Rajput,” earlier in this chapter). To the west is
Pritam Niwas Chowk
(Peacock Courtyard),
with its four beautifully painted doorways—from here you can search for signs of life from the royal residence that towers above. Move on to
Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience),
which houses a simply fantastic collection of miniature paintings, carpets, manuscripts, and photographs. Unfortunately, the entire exhibition is poorly lit, and display cases make browsing very awkward, but do try to look for the self-portraits of eccentric and fashionably dressed Ram Singh II, who found expression for his vanity in a passion for photography. The
Friends of the Museum
section is a bazaar selling art and crafts by respected artisans; it’s a good place to pick up a quality miniature painting or Kundan jewelry, although prices are blatantly inflated. During our last visit we were also horrified to notice that not a single woman artist was represented.

Chokri Shahad, Old City. Entrance through Atish Gate or Nakkar Gate.
0141/260-8055.
www.royalfamilyjaipur.com
. Admission Rs 180 includes still camera; Rs 75 children aged 5–12; Rs 200 video. Daily 9am–5pm. Get here as soon as it opens or at least before 11am.

I’ll Take My Ganges Water to Go, Thanks

Inside Diwan-i-Khas are two huge silver urns, each weighing 345 kilograms (760 lb.). According to the Guinness Book of Records, these are the largest silver objects in the world. The Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II, a devout Hindu, had these made before attending the coronation of King Edward VII in England to ensure that he had a constant supply of Ganges water to drink and to purify himself from extended contact with the “outcastes.”

Jantar Mantar
Living proof of the genius and passion of Sawai Jai Singh, this medieval observatory is the largest of its kind in the world, and the best preserved of Jai Singh’s five observatories. There are 18 instruments in all, erected between 1728 and 1734—many of Jai Singh’s own invention. The observatory looks more like a modern sculpture exhibition or sci-fi set—hard to believe these instruments were constructed in the 18th century and remain functional. Some are still used to forecast how hot the summer will be, when the monsoon will arrive, and how long it will last. Whether or not you understand how the instruments are read (and for this, you should try to avoid coming on an overcast day—almost all the instruments require sunlight to function), the sheer sculptural shapes of the stone and marble objects and the monumental sizes of many (like the 23m-high/75-ft. Samrat Yantra, which forecasts crop prospects based on “the declination and hour of the heavenly bodies”) are worth the trip and make for great photographs (evidenced by the Indian visitors who like to pose atop many of them as if they were starring in some esoteric Bollywood blockbuster). After a major upgrade of the observatory in 2007, improvements now include more visitor-friendly explanations of how everything works; alternatively, hire a guide at the gate for Rs 100 to Rs 150, but you’ll do far better booking
Jaimini Shastri
(see “Guided Tours,” earlier in this chapter); be sure to book him well in advance.
Tip:
If you’d prefer a forecast of future events that are more focused on yourself, you could always call upon the renowned (and very important)
Dr. Vinod Shastri,
who practices palmistry, predictive dice-throwing
(ramal),
and computer-aided astrological predictions in an office just around the corner (Chandni Chowk, behind Tripolia Gate;
0141/261-3338
). A professor of astrology and palmistry at Rajasthan University, Dr. Shastri is available between noon and 7pm, but you should know that his asking fee ranges from Rs 600 to Rs 3,000 for a session lasting just 10 minutes.

Follow signs from city palace.
0141/261-0494.
Rs 10, Rs 50 still camera, Rs 100 video. Daily 9:30am–5pm.

WHERE TO STAY

Jaipur has a plethora of places to stay, from standard Holiday Inns to the usual backpacker hostels. But no one in their right mind comes to Rajasthan to overnight in a bland room in some nondescript hotel chain when you could be sleeping in the very room where a maharaja seduced his maharani, or in the royal apartments of the family guests—hence our focus on heritage hotels of which the following reviews represent the best in the city, in a variety of price categories. The exceptions to this are the good-value Shahpura House, K Country Villa—where you get to mingle with aristocratically connected locals—and the decadent Rajvilas, which not only imitates the heritage property concept, but in many ways improves upon it.