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City Palace

About Galta Ji Temple
Vital Information for Visitors
Address:

City Palace, Jaleb Chowk, Tripolia Bazar, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Open & Close:

Open on all days: 09:30 AM to 05:00 PM

Entry Fees:

INR 75 – for Indians

INR 300 – for Foreigners

INR 40 – for Children

Fee:

INR 40/-

Fee:

INR 150/-

Duration:

Approx 2 hours

Protected By:

Government

Maintained By:

Royal family of Jaipur

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The City Palace of Jaipur, a vast palatial complex founded by Jai Singh II in the first half of 18th century, is now transformed into a museum. In fact, City Palace is part of a complex that includes the buildings of the administration of Rajasthan, the Palace of the Winds, the observatory, shops, private dwellings and small temples.

City Palace is the core of the city, claiming almost one-seventh of the original city area, with several gates to approach it. It houses one of the best museums in India displaying arms, paintings, textiles and other objects of arts from the erstwhile royal collection.

The Tripoiria Gate with its graceful and majestic facade leads to the palace proper. Inside, the first building, to draw attention is the Mubarak Mahal, built by Maharaja Madho Singh—a superb specimen of Hindu architecture embellished with intricately carved screens, balconies and arches. This was once the seat of the Maharaja's council.

The two buildings which come next are the Diwan-i-Khas and the Diwan-i-Am. Then comes the Chandra Mahal, a seven-storeyed, cream and white building. Its uppermost story is known as the Mukut Mahal or the Crown Mansion, presenting a panoramic view of the whole city and overlooking Amber.

To the north of Chandra Mahal is the temple of Shri Govind Dev ji. The idol was brought from Mathura to save it from Aurangzeb's fanatic hatred & fury. There are extensive gardens between the Chandra Mahal and the Badal Mahal.

Silekhana, inside the palace, has perhaps the finest collection of old arms in India—including daggers and swards of rare workmanship.

City Palace Complex of Jaipur is cluster of several palaces. The main palace can be reached by traversing seven tunnel gates and several courtyards along a circutious route. The main palace, called Chandra Mahal, is seven floors high and is the tallest structure in the city, Sawai Jai Singh had utilized the sarhad (boundary)of the hunting grounds with the baghichas (pleasure gardens) of his forefather, as the locale of his residential quarters, hence the location of the buildings and gardens had to follow a pre-defined pattern. It was the greatness of Sawai Jai Singh that he was able to create such a well planned comfortable palace under the circumstances. The palace complex was so large that it was possible to establish all the minor industries connected with it in the most comfortable manner. Sawai Jai Singh was also able to make exceptionally large structures within, which were completely hidden from the onlooker’s eye from without the palace walls. One of the earliest description of the City Palace made by an outsider was by Bishop Heber in 1825. Bishop Herber described City Palace as an extremely high front of seven or eight stories, diminishing in the centre to something like a pediment, and flanked by two towers of equal height topped with open cupolas. This is a fairly accurate description of the Mukat Mahal and proves that it already was complete and in its present shape in 1825, much before the times of Sawai Ram Singh II who according to popular lore is attributed to have constructed this top floor. Sawai Jai Singh constructed the Jai Niwas Garden and Nichla Bagh in the tradition of the Mughal gardens. His Diwan-i-am and Diwan-i-khas were like their Mughl counterparts, only he named them Sabha Niwas and Sarvotbhadra to provide the Hindu element.

The palace complex consists of a series of gates or pols, spacious squares, pleasing structures like the Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-i-Khas, but the most impressive building in the royal sector is the Chandra Mahal, the seven storeyed palace. The main rectangle is in five storeys of differerent heights, the first three defined by cornices and mouldings, their plain facades being relieved by a pleasing arrangement of the arched windows and a variety of detail. In the fourth and fifth storeys, the terraces, protected by graceful-hand- rails, lend an air of openness to the whole structure. The sixth storey of the palace is substantially smaller, while the seventh is an arcaded marble pavillion with curvilinear roof, flanked by two cupolas. The principal facade is on the northern side facing a large ornamental garden with water channels, fountains, parterers, and paved pathways which extend down below the Govind Dev Ji’s temple up to Badal Mahal.'’ The refined taste of its builder is visible every where ; in the structural and artistic features of the palace as well as in the picturesque settings.

Being an heritage architecture, it is protected by the government. Since, still, the royal family lives in it, City Palace of Jaipur is maintained by them.

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