Friday 24 April 2015

9 Things About Amer Palace That You Should Know ....

 
1.  Like Rome, Amer was not built in a day” ...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The construction of this great palace started in 1592 A.D. by Raja Man Singh and then the fort underwent improvements and additions by successive rulers for next 135 years. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.  The Palace has 4 sections each having its courtyard and grand entrance. The  grand gates are :
(1)    Ganesh Pol
(2)    Tripolia gate (Tripolia pol)
(3)    Lion gate
(4)    Sun Gate (Sooraj Pol)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

3. The word ‘Amber’, or ‘Amer’, is derived from the word 'Amba', the Mother Goddess who was the protector of the world.
 
4. The Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace) is one of the most beautiful parts of Amber Palace. The amazing thing about this hall is that if someone burns a single candle, then the reflection converts that small light into hundreds of stars.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


5.  Diwan-e-Aam or the ‘Hall of Public Audience’ was the place where king used to address public grievances.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


6. Diwan-Khas or ‘Hall of private audience’ , which has delicate mosaic work in glass, was the hall where King used to meet special guests from other states & his ministers.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

7.  The symbol of Royal Architecture , Amer palace, had whooping 2 Million Visitors during the year 2014.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


8.  In 2013, Amer Fort, along with five other forts of Rajasthan, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the group Hill Forts of Rajasthan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9.  Undoubtedly, Amer Palace, a reminiscent of royal history of India, is one of the most beautiful palaces in the entire world!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Friday 3 April 2015

Restaurant Review | "On The House", C Scheme, Jaipur




Location:  E 145, Ramesh Marg, Behind Talwalkars, C Scheme, Jaipur

Types of Cuisines: Mexican, Italian, French, Bakery






"A must visit place for all food lovers in Jaipur! You will surely love every bit of experience here."

Located in the prime setting, on the ground floor of a bungalow near 22 Godam Circle, a wide parking area, looks less crowded; these are some of the initial positive signs before you enter this beautiful place to discover a nice European styled interior with a very soothing Ambiance.





Food:  The assorted menu covers a wide variety of delicious Mexican, Italian & French cuisines. From Waffles to maples (Syrup) & from pastas to pizzas everything is scrumptious. It seems that the owners know their business well. 








Service:  Staff is very quick and courteous. However, may not be very attentive when the place is bit overcrowded.



Ambiance:  Wonderful soothing ambiance. The place has 3 sections: Al fresco (outside sitting arrangement with chair & tables covered by umbrellas), a wide corridor to sit inside & a separate bakery section. The place is quite famous among young & old gentry alike hence give a cheerful as well as peaceful experience.



Tips:

  • What to order: One of the best chocolate cake makers in the town.





Thin crust pizzas, delicious potato crumbs & pastas are worth trying.




                                          

  • A perfect place for romantic evening.
Score :

Food: 5/5
Service: 4/5 
Ambiance: 5/5


Over All Rating:    4.5/5

"A beautiful, comfortable place with delicious food. 
Strongly recommended."

What do you think about this place?




Thursday 19 March 2015

7 Superhit Bollywood Movies that were Shot in Jaipur

"Lights, Camera  ... Action"
Hawa Mahal, Amer Palace, Nahargarh fort , City Palace, Jaigarh Fort , Birla Mandir... Jaipur has list of perfect historical and picturesque landmarks that  provide perfect backdrop  for Bollywood & Hollywood movies as well as TV serials. 
Jaipur's scenic and charming beauty has acted in more than 100 Bollywood movies , here is a list of  Super hit Bollywood movies that showed Jaipur as their backcloth :

1. Rang De Basanti :

This list cannot start without mentioning the 'Beer Game' scene shot at Nahargarh fort where Amir & Sharman Joshi challenge each other to finish the beer bottle standing on the edge of a water tank. 

This tank is actually the Bawari outside Nahargarh fort gate. 
This point has become quite famous since the movie became a blockbuster. 
The movie also shows tortuous roads between Jaigarh & Nahargarh where Amir loses a bike race to Madhvan.


 







2. Mughal-E-Azam

The greatest & grandest romantic movie of Indian Cinema , Mugal-e-Azam was shot in forts of Jaipur. Any Jaipurite can identify Diwan-e- Aam of Amer Palace where Prithvi Raj Kapoor conversing with Ajit or different sections of palace in backdrop of the scenes where Dilip Kumar romances Madhubala.


3.Jodha Akbar

Ashutosh Govarikar's , Hritik -Aishwarya Starer 'Jodha Akbar' was based on the romance between Amer's princess Jodha and Mughal Emperor Akbar. Amer was not only used as the background in the movie but actually was part of the story. Hence the entire movie was shot in Rajasthan including many scenes which were shot in Amer palace and other forts of Jaipur. The production team paid a fee of approx 10 Lakh INR for a period of shooting of 5 days in Amer palace.


4.Bhool Bhulaiya

Shot Extensively for a 41-Day schedule at Jaipur. The movie shows Chomu palace, Amer & many other small forts and palaces of Jaipur.



5.Sabse Bada Khiladi

The entire song "Bholi bhali ladki" was shot in Jaipur. Whenever a Jaipurite watches this song , it brings a big smile on his/her face. The song captures the beauty of Jaipur, shot at Hawa Mahal , Birla Mandir, Amer & City Palace.



6.Beta

Another Song "Koyal si teri Boli" from the movie Beta reminds everyone of the picturesque beauty of Jaipur. The Entire song was shot at HawaMahal in 1992.


7. Shudh Desi Romance

The Entire story of the movie was based on Jaipur, with Protagonist playing the role of a tourist guide in Jaipur. 
Though some part of the movie was also shot in the forts of Jodhpur but most of the movie was shot at Jaipur's landmark locations .The prime locations of the city which were  covered in the movie are Amer Fort, Raj Madnir Cinema, Jaigarh-Nahargarh fort, Birla Mandir & Hawa Mahal.





The other famous movies which portrayed Jaipur's ancient beauty are :

Lamhe (1991)




Rudaali (1993)








Bade Miya Chhote Miya (1998) 













Gadar (2001)












Paheli (2005)
















Eklavya(2007)











Gulal (2009)














Delhi 6 (2009)















Veer(2010)
















&  Bol Bachchan (2012) 







Sunday 1 March 2015

5 interesting things that make Statue Circle unique


Statue circle, a historical landmark and reminiscent of rich architecture of Jaipur, is situated in the middle of the city. Almost half of the Jaipur passes by it daily.
It may be just a circle to some but there are few things which are noteworthy of this beautiful tourist spot:

1.  A combination of Imperial past and modern culture 

The circle has a full size statue of Sawai Man Singh who was the founder of Jaipur City. The circle is also a favourite picnic spot for Jaipurites and tourists.




2. Situated Near most famous tourist spots of Jaipur

Nearest to the circle are Birla Mandir and Ganesh Moti Doongri Mandir. Besides that, one can visit the Albert Hall Museum, City Palace and Jantar Mantar in the pink city which are near to Statue circle. Birla Auditorium, when decorated on national festivals, gives eye catching and awe inspiring views.



3. Dedicated to the Founder of Jaipur

The Statue Circle got its name from the majestic statue of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II that it holds. Sawai Man Singh II founded Jaipur in 1727.The statue is made of white marble and illustrates the Maharaja holding an astrological diagram depicting Maharaja’s love for astrology.



4. Favourite place for Joggers and Evening walkers

Central Park, the largest park of Jaipur, is situated near statue circle. The park has whooping 5KM long walking track.  The park also has 206 feet high monumental National Flag which is 28 feet wide and 72 feet in length.



5. Coffee @ Statue circle

If it is raining or you are in a mood of a winter walk in chilly weather then hot coffee at statue circle is something that you should try. And in summer, sip of cold coffee with ice-cream and Chocó chips ...nothing can be more blissful than this.


Monday 23 February 2015

Glorious History Of Jaipur - A Glimpse in Just 11 Minutes


Jaipur: Food, Festivities, Chivalry, Amazing architecture, reminiscent of Kings and Kingdom, Bright Colours and... modern life. The largest city and capital of Rajasthan has its own story. The first planned city of India has one of the most rich and vast history in the county. 

Here we have tried to cover the most important aspects of Jaipur in just 11 points which affected the fate of this royal city and proved to be turning point in its history:


1. 1036 A.D.


The history of royal city Jaipur starts with Amer. 
Amer was conquered by Kachwahas in 1036 A.D. and it remained their Capital till 1727 when Jaipur city was founded.



2. Amer before Jaipur

Before Raja Kakil Dev (First Kachwaha King of Amber) , Amer was small town built by Meenas, where they built a temple of goddess Amba.  Hence the city was named after the temple. It is also said that, Raja Kakil Dev built the temple for Goddess Amba in his Jaigarh Fort.



3. The First Palace 
One of the most beautiful palaces of India, Amer Palace was built during the period 1592-1614 A.D. by Raja Man Singh.





4. Great Conquerer Raja Man Singh
Raja Mansingh, Son of Raja Bharmal, Brother of Jodha Bai , was most trusted general of Mughal Emperor Akbar. He fought and won a great number of battles of Akbar’s Mughal Empire and was one of Akbar’s Navaratna. His Conflicts with Maharana Pratap and historic battle in Kabul proved to be turning points in history of Mughals in India.





5. Kachwaha Rulers of Amer
The Kachwaha rulers who ruled amer and Jaipur for more than 900 years are actually descendants of Lord Ram’s son Kush hence named Kushwaha which later became Kachwaha. 



6. Coalition of Amer Rajputs with Mughals

Mughal general Majnu Khan Introduced Raja Bharmal to Mughal King Akbar in 1556 AD.
Raja Bharmal requested Akbar to marry his daughter Jodha and promised that Amer Rajputana will become a close ally with Mughal empire. Akbar accepted the offer and the alliance then continued for more than 200 years.



7. Treaty between Amer Rajputs and Mughals
The two parties agreed on condition that for every battle Rajputs will supply soldiers and leaders and Mughals will help with arms and ammunitions. And after every battle Rajputs will get the booty while Mughals will get the land to expand their empire.
To quote Sir Jadunath Sarkar, the famous historian: "The house of Kachchwahas supplied Akbar and his successors the cool penetrating brain power, the unfailing political insight, the great administrative skill and the inborn power of leadership of a Man Singh, a Mirza Raja Jai Singh and a Sawai Jai Singh.”




8. Sawai Jai Singh II and Foundation of Jaipur
Sawai Jai Singh II (1699-1744), who was a genius in mathematics, astronomy and architecture, wanted to secure his city from continues attacks of Marathas.  Also, increase in population and scarcity of water made him decide to lay the foundation of a well designed and planned city JAIPUR where he later shifted his capital.




9. Construction of Jaipur
The Construction of Jaipur started on 18th November 1727 which continued for 4 years. The city was divided into nine blocks, out of which two consist the state buildings and palaces, whereas the remaining seven blocks were allotted to the public. In order to ensure the security, huge fortification walls were made along with seven strong gates.


10. How the city got its Nickname
Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II (1835-1880) ordered entire city to be painted in Pink colour to welcome Prince of Wales (Edward VII) who visited Jaipur in 1878 with his wife. And after that Jaipur was given the nickname ‘The Pink City’.


11. Jaipur after Independence 
After India got independence, Jaipur merged with Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner to form the largest state of India (Area wise) with Jaipur as its capital.



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