Revision as of 13:25, 16 December 2020

Jaipur City

Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.

(or Jainagar). -Capital 01 the State of Jaipur in Rajputana, and also head-quarters of the Sawai Jaipur nizdmat, situated in 26° 55' N. and 75° 50' E., on the Rajputana-Malwa Railway and the Agra-Ajmer trunk road, being by rail 84 miles north-east of Ajmer, 150 miles west of Agra, 191 miles south-west of Delhi, and 699 miles north-east of Bombay. Jaipur is tiie largest city in Rajputana, its area including sujurbs, being 3 scjuare miles. Its population at the three enumerations was : (1881) 142,578, (1891) 158,787, and (1901) 160,167. The small increase during the last decade of less than one per cent, occurred entirely in the suburbs, the population of the city proper being less by 330 than in 1891. The latter circumstance was largely due to the year 1900 having been a very unhealthy one ; 13,874 deaths occurred within the city walls, or a rate of nearly 105 per 1,000, com- pared with an average for twenty-six years of about 45 per 1,000. ("holera prevailed almost incessantly till September, and a severe outbreak of malarial fever immediately followed, Hindus number 110,601, or 69 per cent, of the total; Musalnians, 40,386, or 25 per cent. ; and Jains, 8,726, or 5 per cent.

The city takes its name from the famous Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, by whom it was founded in 1728. It stands on a small plain con- jectured to be the bed of a dried-up lake, and is surrounded on all sides except the south by rugged hills, the summits of which are crowned with forts at all important points. At the end of the ridge, about 500 feet above the city on the north-west, is the chief defensive work, the Nahargarh or ' tiger fort,' the rock face of which is so scarped as to be inaccessible on the south or city side, while on the north the ridge slopes towards Amber. A masonry crenelated wall, averaging in height 20 feet and in thickness 9 feet, encloses the whole city. In the wall are seven gateways, all built on the same pattern, with two kiosks above and machicoulis over the entrance, and at intervals are bastions and towers pierced for cannon, while the parapet is loopholed for musketry. The city is remarkable for the regularity and width of its streets. Tod described it as being as regular as Darmstadt and the only city in India built upon a regular plan. It is laid out in rectangular blocks, and divided by cross streets into six equal portions, which are in turn intersected at regular intervals by narrower alleys. The main streets are in feet in width, the secondary ones 55, and the smaller 27^ feet. The Maharaja's palace forms an imposing pile in the centre, occupying with its pleasure-grounds about one-seventh of the city area. To the north of the palace is the Tal Katora tank, enclosed by a masonry wall, and beyond it again is the Raja Mal-ka- talao, about 100 acres in area and stocked with crocodiles. One of the most interesting antiquities of the State is the observatory {jantra) erected by Sawai Jai Singh. The instruments, consisting of dials, azimuth circles, altitude pillars, &c., are of huge size, and have recently been put in order under the supervision of an officer lent to the Darbar by the British Government.

The main streets, the large public institutions, the palace, and some private residences are lighted with gas at a cost of about Rs. 28,000 u year. Since 1874 good drinking-water has been brought into the city from the Aman-i-Shah river, about \\ miles west of the Chand Pol gate. Pumping engines raise the water to a height of 109 feet, where it is stored in covered reservoirs and thence delivered in the city in iron pipes under 50 feet pressure. The daily average con- sumption in 1904 was 497,000 gallons, or about three gallons per head, and the cost of maintenance was Rs. 28,170. There has been a muni- cipality since 1868 ; the board consists of 26 nominated members, including a health officer and an engineer. All the receipts are paid into, and the entire expenditure is met from, the State treasury. The refuse of the city is removed by a light tramway drawn by buffaloes, and incinerators have been erected at convenient spots.

The principal arts and industries are dyeing, carving in marble, enamelling on gold, pottery, and brass-work. The School of Art, opened in 1868, has done much useful work ; drawing, painting, sculpture, wood-carving, pottery, and working in gold and brass are taught, and the daily average attendance in 1904 was 81, For such a large place very little trade is carried on, but there is an extensive banking and exchange business, and Jaipur has been described as a sort of Lombard Street to Rajputana. Outside the city are two steam hydraulic cotton- presses started in 1885. In 1904, 12,910 bales were pressed, the net revenue being Rs. 13,444, or a profit of about 6 per cent, on the capital cost. Jaipur is amply supplied with educational institutions. Including 113 indigenous schools {chatsals and maktabs) attended by 2,535 children, there were, in 1904, 151 educational institutions, and the daily average attendance was 4,446. The Maharaja's College deserves special mention. It was started in 1845, the curriculum consisting of Urdu and Persian with the rudiments of English ; it became a high school about 1865, a second-grade college in 1873, ^'"'d a first-grade college in 1897. The daily average attendance in 1904 was 54, and the expenditure Rs. 24,900. Since 1891, 67 students from the college have passed the B.A., and 4 the M.A. examination. There are two other colleges in the city : namely, the Oriental College, teaching up to the highest standards of the Punjab University examina- tions in Arabic and Persian ; and the Sanskrit College, preparing boys for the title examinations in that language.

In 1904 the daily average attendance at the former was 25, and at the latter 56. The city is also well supplied with medical institutions, there being three dispensaries for out-patients, two jail hospitals, a lunatic asylum, a small hospital attached to the Residency, the Lansdowne Hospital for tiie use of the Imperial Service transport corps, and the Mayo Hospital. The latter, with its recent addition.s, detached operating room, private and eye wards, is one of the most completely equipi)ed hospitals in India and has beds for 125 in-patients. The two jails arc outside the city walls and have accommodation for 1,144Pfisoncrs. Besides cotton rugs and dusters, good woollen carpets are manufactured. In the beautifully laid out Ram Newas public gardens, which are 76 acres in extent, and are maintained at a cost of about Rs. 1 7,000 a year, is the Albert Hall, a large museum of industrial art and educational models, and the principal architectural feature of the place. It is named after King Edward VII, who, as Prince of Wales, laid the foundation-stone on February 6, 1876.

1723-27: The making of the city

July 7, 2019: The Times of India

1723-27: The making of Jaipur City
From: July 7, 2019: The Times of India

In the age of millennial pink, there’s perhaps no city more Instagram-friendly than Jaipur. But besides its cool hue, vibrant culture and lavish palaces, few know that it is also one of the first planned cities in India.

The credit for that goes to Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, and a relatively unknown Bengali architect. Back in the 1700s, Amber, the then capital, was hit by a water shortage. Jai Singh II decided to build another capital 12 km away, and put quite some thought into it. He studied the city planning of several European cities to come up with a bluepint that keeps trade, commerce and topography in mind. As chief architect, he roped in Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, then a junior auditor at Amber state, who designed and built the city on the concepts of ‘shilp shastra’ and ‘vastu shastra’.

The walled city is roughly divided into nine rectangular sectors with straight roads intersecting only at right angles. A massive wall encircles the city and nine city gates provide access from various directions. The city took four years to build and was completed in 1727.

Neekee Chaturvedi, associate professor of history, says the walled city, popularly called Parkota, is quite unique. “The city is a confluence of the ancient Indian tradition of Vastu, medieval Mughal luxury and distinct idiom of Rajput chivalry. This creates a unique identity.”

Shaista Mahajabeen, a poet based in the walled city, is hopeful that city’s ethos which was neglected and under-rated will be highlighted now that it has world heritage status. “The heart and soul of Jaipur lies in its walled city. Those living outside or settled in newly developed areas are unware of the ethos of Jaipur. At least, they will now be introduced to the composite culture of the Parkota—our fairs, festivals, social relations, arts and culture,” said Mahajabeen.

2019: a world heritage site

AjaySingh Ugras, July 7, 2019: The Times of India

The walled city of Jaipur, known globally as Pink City, has finally become a Unesco world heritage site. It is India’s first planned city, founded by Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727, and is only the second Indian city to feature on the prestigious list.

The decision was taken on Saturday in Azerbaijan’s Baku at the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) that started on June 30 and will conclude on July 10.

In 2017, old Ahmedabad was India’s first city to win the ‘heritage city’ tag. In 2018, sites in Mumbai — the Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles straddling two heritage precincts of Fort and Marine Drive — were chosen as world heritage sites. A campaign for the 292-year-old Jaipur, designed by Bengali architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, had started in 2015 when it was first nominated.

Plan shows amalgamation of cultures, says Unesco

Jaipur’s town planning shows an “interchange of ancient Hindu, Mughal and contemporary Western ideas” that shaped the city, a Unesco statement had earlier noted.

The city houses various architectural styles, an example of the amalgamation of cultures. The statement noted that Jaipur was “also an exceptional example of a late medieval trade town in South Asia and defined new concepts for a thriving trade and commercial hub. In addition, the city is associated with living traditions in the form of crafts that have national and international recognition”.

Man Sagar Lake

Artificial lake

Mohammed Iqbal, The Indian subcontinent hosts 84 species of wading birds, February 10, 2019: The Hindu

Man Sagar Lake is an artificial lake named after Man Singh, the then ruler of Amber and a trusted general of Mughal Emperor Akbar, who had built it in 1610 AD by damming the Dravyavati river. A palace, Jal Mahal, is situated in the middle of the lake.

2019/ 22^nd "Indian Birding Fair"

February 8, 2019: The Times of India

Mohammed Iqbal, The Indian subcontinent hosts 84 species of wading birds, February 10, 2019: The Hindu

Man Sagar Lake- 2019- 22^nd "Indian Birding Fair"
From: February 8, 2019: The Times of India

Man Sagar Lake, home to some exotic birds witnessed a dazzling sight for many bird lovers. To spot variety of rare species of birds that nest at the embankment area of the lake in winters, the 22nd edition of the ‘Indian Birding Fair’ turned out to be a great opportunity. Organised by Tourism and Wildlife Society of India, the Man Sagar Lake is a hot-spot with variety of migratory birds being spotted.

The 22nd Indian Birding Fair, organised on the banks of Man Sagar Lake here over the weekend, was dedicated to the conservation of waders, which are tiny birds mostly confined to the edges of water and are observed feeding across moist surfaces. The Indian subcontinent hosts 84 species of wading birds, 64 of which are migratory.

Harsha Vardhan, honorary secretary said, “The fair is campaigning for the conservation of as many as 84 species of wader birds found in the Indian subcontinent. Some of these birds include Black-Winged Stilt, Red-Wattle Lapwing, Jerdon's Courser, Spoon-Billed Sandpiper, Small Pratincole, Little Ringed Plover, among others.”