The Rajput Kings ruled over Jaipur for more than three centuries. So, one can see many stately buildings and royal mansions in this princely state. Jaipur is one of the ancient cities that were built with neat and accurate plans. It was a well planned city with straight and broad roads, the best of its kind in Asia during those times.

The founder of Jaipur was Maharaja Jai Singh II. When he ascended the throne he was just 11 years old. He belonged to the lineage of the Kucchwaha Rajputs. He accepted the throne of the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb and worked under him. It was during this time that he was bestowed on the title of Sawai which remained with every king that came after him in his line. Sawai means more than one and it was a word that denoted his bravery and valor meaning that he was more than one man.

Jai Singh II had Amber as his capital. However as he had to face frequent threats from Marathas and Mughals, he wanted to build a new city and for this purpose he selected the place 11 km from Amber. Another reason for shifting his capital was water scarcity. With the help of the learned scholar of Bengal, Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya, he was able to build a fantastic infrastructure with fortification walls on all the sides to protect him and his people from the attacks of his enemies. The construction of the city of Jaipur was started in 1727 and continued for 4 years.

Jaipur was so planned that it contained nine blocks totally among which two were allotted for palaces and royal houses and the remaining seven blocks for the public. The fortification had seven gates, the east gate called as Suraj Pol meaning Sun Gate, the west gate called as Chand Pol meaning Moon Gate and the one facing their ancestral capital Amber situated on the northern side was named as Zorawar Singh gate. The whole structure was planned based on Shilpa Shashtra which was the ancient Vasthu Shashtra.

After Sawai Jai Singh II passed away, Sawai Pratap Singh ascended the throne in 1778. He was only 14 at that time but was an efficient ruler and took the city in the line of advancement. He reigned over for twenty five years. Sawai Ram Singh II ruled Jaipur from 1835 to 1880. He was a strong follower of Vaishnavism. However he was a benevolent king and took measures to abolish slavery, child infanticide and sati. He established many colleges, schools of arts and crafts, medical college and water works. He remained loyal to the British East India Company and they exercised their domination over the place.

If you see the Jaipur photos and Jaipur videos, you will see the buildings of the city in pink color. When Prince of Wales visited Jaipur in 1853, the whole city was painted in pink to welcome him, the tradition followed even now. So, it is also called as Pink City.

Ram Singh died without an heir to the kingdom but had an adopted son Madao Singh II who came to rule in 1880. He also established universities, hospitals, secretariat and the residential colonies. He too did not have an heir and so he adopted his nephew Kanwar Mormukat Singh who became the king of Jaipur when he died in 1922. The new ruler was popularly known as Sawai Man Singh II. He ruled over the place from 1922 to 1949 and when India got independence the status of Rajpramukh was bestowed on him. However when the states were reorganized in 1956, he lost his title and Jaipur was made as the capital of Rajasthan.

Article Posted By : Sumazla  On February 08, 2012lView All Articles

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