Cultural Holidays To India: Visit Pink City, Jaipur

Jaipur, the pink city of India in Rajasthan is the perfect spot if you wish to have an Indian Holiday that is immersed in culture. The beautiful cultural and historic sites coupled with the amazing people in Rajasthan make for a great India tour. If you have been planning your holiday for a while to India, but have not been able to pick a spot, this is definitely the one you should go with if you wish to get an insight into the opulent world of the Rajasthan royalty.

Sprinkled all over the city are remnants of an era gone by. From palaces to monuments that hosted large gathering for the royal folk of Rajasthan, there is so much to witness. Jaipur is also popularly renowned for the beautiful handicrafts that are created and sold on the streets by the local folk there. It is imperative that you rummage through the local bazaars to take back with you some culture that resides in Jaipur through these artefacts.

A few places that you should have on your itinerary include:
The Hawa Mahal: This is definitely the most popular monument in the pink city. It was built by a Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. This beautiful piece of Rajput architecture boasts of having 152 windows with small hanging balconies that are a treat for anyone who lays their eye on them. Initially the windows were used by ladies who used to peek out of the window and watch processions go by, now the Hawa Mahal is a beautifully laid out museum that is an absolute must visit.

Jantar Mantar: The Jantar Mantar is an observatory that was used to study the movements of the constellations in the sky. It was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh the Second in the 18th Century. In fact till date the huge sun dial in the observatory gives you the right time.

Jal Mahal: This beautiful palace sits beautifully in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake. It is a little further away from Jaipur en route to Amer.

Jai Garh Fort: About 15 kms away from the city of Jaipur is the daunting Jai Garh Fort. It boats of housing the world"s largest cannon on wheels known as the Jai Ban. Standing on top of the fort you can look down up the beautiful city of Amer and the lovely palaces that have made their home there for centuries.

The Birla Planetarium and the Laxmi Narayan temple are a few other places that are a must visit in Jaipur. However, no India tour of Jaipur would be complete if you do not relish the beautiful Marwari cuisine that Jaipur is so famous for. So, soak in the culture to the fullest and enjoy every scene that plays itself before you, because in the pink city you have to pain the town red and enjoy yourself.

Make sure you travel to India and to Jaipur with an itinerary that allows you to get off track once in a while so that you can pursue some hidden treasures.