113Resplendent in pink, Jaipur, home to two UNESCO World
Heritage Sites, stands among the deserts of Rajasthan in
Western India. It is a city of contrasts, and a complete assault
on all the senses in the most pleasurable way possible. The
Thar desert around it might be arid, brown and bare, with
sand dunes and a vast expanse of scrubland, but Jaipur is full
of colour. Every building within the city walls in painted with
terracotta pink and protected by bye-laws. Pink is a sign of
welcoming and hospitality and was first used to welcome Prince
Albert in 1876 by Maharaja Ram Singh. The colour was a huge
hit and it has marked a unique identity for the city ever since.
It is home to the warrior class, the artisans, the nomadic
Banjara tribes, all living side by side. Modernity and tradition
also exist alongside each other, like nowhere else. It is an
amalgamation of architectural styles from Islamic and colonial
traditions seen elsewhere in India, in Lucknow, Agra and Delhi.
Rajasthan in general is deeply rooted in inherited customs
and rituals where women still cover their faces (purdah), and
family workshops carry on the tradition of making hand carved
wooden blocks, and ‘bandhani’ (tie and dye) silk and cotton
fabrics in the ‘leharia’ (waves) style. But it is also a growing
economy, part of the smart city initiative with shiny new malls,
and a huge eco-friendly and sustainable engineering college
campus. This contradiction and contrast makes for a heady mix
of sounds and smells, and an explosion of sensory experiences.
The capital of Rajasthan state in India, Jaipur was founded
in 1727 by Maharaj Jai Singh II, who moved the capital
from Amber (or Amer), a small city about 11km from Jaipur.
This was the first planned city in India, laid out on the
principles of Vastu Shastra, ancient traditional Hindu systems
of architecture. Originally the city was built with strong
fortifications and gates, although it has now expanded outside
the old city walls. The directions of each street and market
are east to west and north to south. The eastern gate is called
Suraj (Sun) Pol (gate), while the western gate is called Chand
(Moon) Pol. There are only three that face east, west, and north
including the northern gate (known as Zorawar Singh gate)
which faces toward the ancestral capital of Amber.
Jaipur was designed as an eight-part mandala known as the
Pithapada. The city was divided into nine blocks, of which
two consist the state buildings and palaces, with the remaining
seven allotted to the public. The grid iron planning of the city
was very advanced for its times and certainly recognised as one
of the best in the Indian subcontinent by many foreign travellers
in 18th and 19th centuries. Combining the best of Mughal and
Rajasthani architecture, the grandeur of the buildings can take
the breath away.
Jaipur is a city of ‘mohallas’ (neighbourhoods) and ‘havelis’
(large palatial houses), some of these now crumbling and
derelict, and some holding on to their faded glory. These are
the centre of the community, with a temple and a mosque
often existing together, artisan workshops and houses, the glue
holding the disparate social and cultural threads together in one
unified whole. The uniqueness of the city lies in the thriving
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THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
A 2011 British comedy-drama film directed
by John Madden, based on the novel These
Foolish Things, by Deborah Moggach, and filmed
extensively across Rajasthan, especially around
Amer Fort.2
KAMA SUTRA
Based on the ancient fourth-century
Sanskrit text, this film is an exoticised version by
the acclaimed Indian film-maker Mira Nair. Shot
primarily in Khajuraho, parts were filmed around
the Hawa Mahal and other havelis in Jaipur.3
THE FAR PAVILIONS
Considered a masterpiece in storytelling, this
mini-series was based on an epic novel of British-
Indian history by M. M. Kaye, published in 1978,
which tells the story of an English officer during the
British Raj. On shaky historical grounds, but with
spectacular scenes around the City Palace in Jaipur.4
HEAT AND DUST
A 1983 historical drama based on a novel
by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala which won the Booker
Prize in 1975. Directed by James Merchant, it was
shot in various locations around Jaipur such as
Sisodia Rani ka Bagh and Vidyadharji ka Bagh.THE PINK CITY
ON SCREEN