My last day in this beautiful city and I decided to stray from Wind View café for my Hawa Mahal refuel. I headed straight to City Palace because I knew there was a café and a restaurant inside. I saw a bunch of uncles outside Baradari restaurant in suit and Raybans, so I changed my direction and headed straight to the outdoor Palace Café. Nothing against them but I was just not ready to have my first meal in a huge place with suited men around me while I lounged in my sweatpants and ate pyaaz kachoris (deep fried onion snack). Hell I didn’t even know if the restaurant served pyaaz kachoris. Palace Café was my haven and luckily there was nobody when I arrived, which meant I could eat without aunties looking at me and wondering what was a girl doing here all by herself.
The main entrance is pretty humongous which has a wide street in front of it. City Palace constitutes to one seventh of the walled city of Jaipur and there are multiple gates but only two gates are for public entry, namely Virendra Pol near Jantar Mantar and Udai Pol near Jaleb Chowk. I got my ticket to visit the grounds for about INR 200 once I entered through Udai Pol. There were various other guided tours like Royal Grandeur and Royal Splendour costing between INR 1000 to INR 3000. These guided tours will give you a private tour of private areas of the palace which the royal family uses to entertain and celebrate festivals till date. Some guides rush you so I didn’t get a guide or a royal tour that day but I got myself an audio guide. They ask for your identity card when they hand over the device to you, I was skeptical about that bit but went ahead with it anyways.
I headed towards Mubarak Mahal which is converted into a museum and textile gallery with its office on the top. Photography is not allowed in most parts of the palace so the guard will check your ticket and ask you to switch off your phone. The guards are pretty alert and strict here but helpful at the same time. My audio guide confused me a lot during the museum tour and I had to ask the guards to direct me which they did. Inside there are costumes belonging to the then Maharajas and the royal family members, a room full of polo history of the royal family comprising pictures, clubs and uniforms and a small souvenir shop called Palace Atelier.
I headed towards the painting and photography gallery consisting of Rajputana paintings, thousands of photographs from the 18th and 19th century Jaipur amongst which are the photographs taken by Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II who was an ardent photographer. I took my own sweet time here going through the details of each picture and painting. Next up was Sileh Khana (Arms and Armoury galler) which looked small in size because of the number of weapons inside it. You will see knifes, swords, shields, helmets and everything you never imagined could be a weapon. This was my least favourite part of the entire tour so I didn’t bother getting into details and just admired a few beautiful pieces before stepping out. I stepped into the second courtyard where lies the Sarvato Bhadra (Diwan-i-khas) which is the hall of private audience where the king held court for his ministers and nobles. This architectural wonder with its royal arches and columns houses the Guinness World Record holding largest silver vessels called Gangajalis. Maharaja Sawai Madho singh II carried these two vessels filled with Ganges water while travelling to England in 1901 for Edward VII’s coronation ceremony. I wasn’t very fascinated by these until I read the complete story about them in 'The House Of Jaipur' written by John Zubrzycki which is my favourite book at the moment.
Sabha Niwas (Diwan-i-aam) had a guard outside who will tick the place off your ticket and check your phone before letting you in to this public hall of audience. It has a photo gallery with pictures and paintings of the kings who ruled Jaipur along with a throne room set up with two thrones surrounded by seats in rectangular order for the courtiers as per the rank. This was my most favourite part of the palace because of the lighting and grandeur of the room. The many chandeliers will make you forget the time of the day or night because of the light it fills the entire room with and the high ceiling will make you feel small yet important, for you are in a beautiful place surrounded by rich culture and history.
The third and last courtyard was the Pritam Niwas chowk which gives access to the main palace where the royal family resides, the seven storeyed Chandra Mahal. This courtyard has four gates called Riddhi Siddhi Pol that represent the four seasons and Hindu Gods. The intricately designed gates reflect Rajputana and Mughal architecture with vivid colours and detail which is a treat to the eyes from all the Jaipur pink you see everywhere. I easily spent 4 hours just exploring the three courtyards so I think it would have taken a few more hours to explore the royal tour at my pace.
I tried to sneak into the school inside the ground but the guard told me I can’t. So I hailed a cab and headed to Albert Hall Museum. This 18th century museum is no less than a mahal in itself with its marble corridors and picturesque architecture but this is not an extension of what you see at City Palace. It has collectibles from every part of the world and not just restricted to Jaipur or India. The collection comprises of paintings, photographs, arms, textile, carpets, sculptures and much more. It will easily take two hours of your time or more if you enjoy the nitty gritties. My last stop in this magical city was Baapu Bazaar where you can shop heaps of Jaipur textiles and artifects. The most popular things to pick up here are the Bandhej sarees/dupattas, juttis (shoes), block printed bedsheets and blue pottery amongst many more. I shopped alone and it was a treat because the market was very crowded and the items were dirt cheap. Some of the earrings I got were for INR 30. So if you are a shopaholic like me, you wouldn’t want to miss this place.
I had my dinner at hostel and got down to some serious business of packing my over flowing luggage. The only thing I hate about traveling is packing. I had an early morning train to Delhi which made me groggy but the scenic view of the foggy farms outside my window made it worth it. I couldn’t thank Jaipur enough for making me happy and content, for being the only city I missed more when I got home. I was glad to be home after a long journey but I realized I will always long for Jaipur and that’s why I find myself writing the Jaipur travel stories here after eleven months with the same thrill and love I felt when I was in Jaipur. See you next Wednesday!
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