40

Things to Do in Jaipur

Known originally as Laxmi Narayan Mandir, Birla Mandir is located at the base of Moti Dungri Temple, Jaipur. The temple is a popular pilgrimage site among the Hindu devotees. Made of sparkling white marble, the structure looks incredibly marvelous.  Lush green gardens surround the temple on the sides and give the structure a truly dreamy touch.  Birla Mandir has a total of three domes, each one representing a different perspective of religion. The temple features stunning carvings and drawings all around its body. The walls of the structure are adorned with mythological quotes and holy charms from the Hindu holy book of Geeta. In addition, various mythological events and happenings are also carved on the shrine’s interior walls. The temple’s architectural beauty is totally admirable and appreciable.  The most important part of Birla Mandir is the beautiful monolithic figurine of Lakshmi Narayan. The temple also houses an idol of Shri Ganesha, which is equally stunning and appreciable. You will also find pictures and sculptures of various other Gods and Goddesses, which strike a religious charm in the air inside the temple. The temple even shelters the pictures of legendary personalities, such as Zarathustra, Jesus Christ, Gautam Buddha, Confucius, and Socrates. Birla Mandir is also home to a beautiful museum that stores and exhibits all the ancestral assets of the respected Birla family. All these elements combine to make Birla Mandir a perfect destination for spiritual seekers of every religion. The temple gets a lot of visitors all through the year and the crowd becomes even bigger during important festivals. History of Birla Mandir Jaipur - In accordance with the popular historical belief, Birla Mandir at Jaipur in Rajasthan is built on the land that was handed over to the country’s reputed Birla family by the respected Maharaja of that time in exchange for just INR 1. The construction of the temple began back in the year 1977 by the B.M. Industrial Foundation.  The structure was developed over a total time period of around eight years and the construction work finally ended in the year 1985.  In reference to historical facts, Mahatma Gandhi was invited to inaugurate Birla Mandir. However, Gandhi stated that he would only accept the invitation if the temple would be open to devotees of all the castes of society. The temple’s consecration ceremony finally happened on February 22, 1985. Since then, Birla Temple is open for visitors irrespective of the caste and creed they belong to.

Chand Baori or Abhaneri Step Well is a stepwell located in the Abhaneri village near Jaipur which is a favoured tourist destination. With many national as well as international tourists visiting it,  Abhaneri Step Well is considered to be an architectural wonder.The stepwell is around 30m or 100ft. deep and is one of the deepest and largest step-wells in India. Stepwells are very common in Rajasthan because of its arid and dry climate. Located in the eastern dryer parts of Rajasthan, the stepwell was primarily built to store water. Not only the stepwell stores water, but it is also useful in groundwater harvesting. This marvellous and distinctive quality of Abhaneri Step Well makes it one of a kind in India.  Abhaneri Step Well is regarded amongst the most picturesque step wells in the world. The unique structural formation of the stepwell with its peculiar design has attracted a lot of attention.  The stepwell can be seen in movies like Bhool Bhulaiyaa and the internationally acclaimed ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. The beauty of Abhaneri Step Well lies in its history as the stepwell has been in existence since the 8th Century. Till date, the step is functional but not up to its total limits.  Located around 100km from the capital city of Jaipur, Chand Baori is older than some major monuments like the Taj Mahal and ancient temples like Khajurao Temples and Chola Temples.  History of Abhaneri Step Well - With its history dating back to the 8th Century, Abhaneri Step Well was built by Raja Chanda.  Raja Chanda belonged to the Nikhumba Dynasty which ruled the region for almost 400 years.  Raja Chanda had his faith in Harshat Mata, the goddess of joy and happiness. To please Harshat Mata and help the people in his kingdom, Raja Chanda built this step well. Also, there was a temple attached to the stepwell dedicated to Harshat Mata.It was partially razed in the 10th century but with time, the temple was repaired. Due to its geographical setting and climatic resolutions, the region often faced water scarcity.  To cope up with this problem, Raja Chanda started the construction of the stepwell. In its original setting,  Abhaneri Step Well was only a step well with steps leading to the bottom. In the 18th century when the Mughals invaded the region, they rebuilt the stepwell and constructed walls and built some galleries around the well.  Abhaneri Step Well houses the annual Abhaneri festival which occurs before the Sharad Navratri. The  festival is celebrated to embrace and thank Goddess Harshat Mata in a period of 3-days. During the festival, a diving competition is conducted where the young men of the village participate. Also, the step well is very popular globally that it attracts more international visitors than national.  The Harshat Temple near the stepwell is older than the stepwell and was built around the 7th century. The name of the village, Abhaneri is said to be originated from the blessings of Harshat Mata who endowed to spread brightness (abha) in the lives of the people.  The Architecture of Abhaneri Step Well -  The geometrical setting of the step well is so unique that this setting cannot be seen in modern times. Abhaneri Step Well is 100 ft deep and takes around 3,500 steps to go the bottom. The stepwell has steep steps on its three sides and the fourth side consists of galleries on two floors. The total 3,500 steps are built sideways and not straight on all three sides. The fourth side, which faces the stepwell houses some idols of Lord Ganesh and Mahisasurmardini and acts like a pavilion comprising of some wonderfully carved jharokhas. The 3,500 steps of the stepwell make it look like a magical structure and if viewed from a particular distance, they look like an optical illusion. With shadow falling on the steps and sunlight playing its game, the steps of Abhaneri Step Well give a very mystic look.  In ancient times, the step well was more than a step well. At a period in history, the stepwell housed an upper palace and the small palace thing had a few rooms. Though with the years gone by, the palace of the stepwell began to deteriorate and now only a section of it can be seen. The step well had the ancient water system and the water was used for several purposes.  This ancient form of the water storage system was disregarded by the Britishers and citing the reason that the water in Abhaneri Step Well is used for drinking as well as other reasons like bathing and washing, they installed the system of pipes and tanks. This led to the fall of the old-fashion water system in the Abhaneri village.

Resembling Krishna’s crown, Hawa Mahal is an elaborate monument in Jaipur. Standing right in the middle of the old market of Jaipur, the structure made of red and pink sandstone keeps the name of the Pink City very proudly.Lal Chand Ustad has put a lot of effort in designing the back of the palace to blend in the city, which is now also confused as the front by people.  Also known as ‘The Palace of Winds’, the Hawa Mahal is a part of the City Palace. There is no entrance from the main road to the mahal, so you have to seek for the gate which let you enter. Inside are five floors designed very carefully. There are 953 ‘jharokhas’ made to allow the winds to pass into the palace and keep it fresh and breezy in sweltering summers. Being surrounded by the traditional market of Jaipur, you will find all the authentic pieces of souvenirs related to the culture and the history of Jaipur.  Hence, you can club shopping while visiting the palace.  Make sure to spend your entire evening shopping traditional souvenirs and then wait for dusk to draw upon only to see the colourfully lit Hawa Mahal standing amidst the bustling market. History of Hawa Mahal Jaipur -  Hawa Mahal was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh who was the grandson of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh. The story of the birth of the palace started when Pratap visited Jhunjhunu and saw Khetri Mahal.Maharaj was impressed by the unique design of the Khetri Mahal, and that was when he decided to create a better version of it. Lal Chand Ustad designed this palace and ended up making one of the best monuments history has ever created. The primary purpose for creating this palace was to give royal women a separate place. From Hawa Mahal, they could enjoy the everyday lives and celebrations of the festival through the windows without being seen as they weren’t allowed to go out in public without a veil. The Hawa Mahal was a part of the main City Palace, and the royal family used to come here to escape the scorching heat as this palace was always cold and breezy due to the windows it has. From then on, it has been preserved to keep the glory and grace alive for the generations to come.Architecture of Hawa Mahal Jaipur - Hawa Mahal is an excellent example of Hindu Rajput architecture finely blended with Islamic Mughal architecture giving it the face it is famous for.  It is made with red and pink sandstone along with white marble inside the palace.  The look of the palace observed from the street looks extremely beautiful, and people mistake it with the entrance of the palace.  Actually, it is the backside of the palace as it is an extended part of the main City Palace. It has five floors adorned with 953 jharokhas and latticework. The technology of Venturi effect is utilised well to make the air coming inside the palace cool.  This effect always helped the Hawa Mahal stay serene and pleasant, so royal women never had a problem staying here in hot temperatures. At several times, the entire royal family used to get together here and escape the summers together.This honeycomb-like monument is a proud heritage left by the bygone era, which is an integral part of the history as well as architecture.