Things to do in Rajasthan

Named after the Prince of Whales-Albert Edward (later King Edward VII), this is the oldest Museum of the State of Rajasthan whose foundation stone was laid on 6th February 1876. It is situated in the Ram Nivas Garden and is a fusion of Indian and Saracenic architecture (also called Govt Central Museum). The building was made and designed by Sir Samuel Swinton in collaboration with Mir Tujumool Hoosein. The main attraction of this Museum is the Egyptian Mummy.
Maharaja Ram Singh previously wanted the building to make it a town hall but his successor, Madho Singh II, decided it to be a museum and included as part of the new Ram Nivas Garden.
It has various artifacts which include paintings, jewelry, carpets, ivory, stone, metal sculptures and other works in crystals and also coins from different periods like Gupta, Kushan, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal and British.

A magnificent fort with an area of 20194 square kilometers located 11 square kilometers from Jaipur on the high hill and built by the Meenas, the Amer fort og Jaipur is a principle tourist attraction of the capital city of Rajasthan. It was ruled by Raja Man Singh I and is known for it's artistic style elements. It's large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths overlooks the Lake Maota which is the main source of water for the Amer Palace.
It is constructed of red sandstone and marbles and is laid out on four level each with a courtyard. It consists of the Diwan-i-Aam, Diwan-I-Khaas, Sheesh Mahal and Sukh Niwas where a cool climate is artificially created to allow the winds to blow by cascading over the water within the palace. A temple dedicated to Shila Devi, goddess of the Chaitanya cult, is located at it's entrance.
It used to be known as Dhundar during the 11th to 16th century during which the fort was under the rule of Kachhwahas.
It was later built by Raja Man Singh, a Navratna of Emperor Akbar and further expanded and renovated by Raja Jai Singh I. While many old structire ween't able to stand the test of time, the fort stood against the invasions and test of change. It's architecture combines Mughal and Hindu styles.

Located at the foot of Moti Dungri Hill, the Birla Mandir is a part of the various Birla Temples across the country. This temple is also referred as Laxmi Narayan Temple. It is built by Birla Group of Industries the Business tycoon of India in the year between 1977-1985. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Goddess Laxmi. After invoking the deity of the temple on 22nd February 1985 it was opened to the general public for the visit.
The pace in which this temple stands today, was being gifted by the Maharaja of Jaipur to the Birla family and took only Rs. 1 as its token amount.
This is the most beautiful attraction which is made up of Marbles and the carving is one of the masterpiece any person can ever find. The temple has three domes which represent the three religions of the country to show its secular nature. The walls of the temple has been ornamented with the carvings of Hindu scriptures, symbols and ancient quotes from the Bhagwatgeeta and the Upanishads.

City Palace, the seat of Jaipur Maharaj, who was the head of the Kachwaha Rajput, is a palace complex which consists of Chandra Mahal and Mubarak Mahal. It is located in the north-eastern part of the Capital City. The Palace also has large sized courtyards, garden and buildings which was built between 1729-1732 by Raja Sawai Jai Singh II. The Chief Architect of the Palace-Vidyadhar Bhattacharya and Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob also helped the king for designing and making this palace. The architecture of the palace is a fusion of Rajput and Mughal and it followed the Indian Vastu Shastra. The Chandra Mahal holds a museum which is a must go for the visitors. The decedents of the rulers of Jaipur still reside in another part of the palace.
The four gates are an impressive part of the palace which represent the four seasons of the year and out of these the fourth gate (Tripola Gate) is reserved for the entry and exit of the Royal Family.
There are two sterling silver jars, one of the most interesting items that has been officially recorded as the world's largest sterling silver vessels by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Another important and popular thing to visit is the Mubarak Mahal of the Palace which is a set of voluminous clothes worn by Sawai Madho Singh I, which was 1.2 mts wide and had a weight of 250 kilograms.
It also has Pritam Niwas Chowk providing access to the Chandra Mahal, Diwan-I-Am-the Hall of Public Audience, Diwan-I-Khas- the Hall of Private Audience, Maharani Palace-the residence of the Queen of the palace which has been converted into a museum where there is a display of of weapons which were used by the Royals during the war in the 15th century, another museum is the Bagghi Khana where there are collection of old carriages, palanquins and European cabs.
Also there is one temple which is dedicated to Lord Krishna and is a part of the Palace is called the Govindji Temple.

This Palace of Winds has derived its structure from Khetri Mahal (also one of the ruined palace of winds), which was made by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh and is designed by Lal Chand Ustad in 1799. The five storey pyramid shaped building with its 953 honey comb structured windows (jharokas) has been decorated with latticework for the Royal Ladies, so that they can enjoy the cool breeze, along with observing the everyday life of the city and the festivals which were celebrated in the public without being seen, since they were under the strict restriction of purdha system and without covering their face they were not allowed to appear in the public.
The building has been made using the venturi effect (doctrine of breeze) which makes the whole area pleasant even during the summers. Pink and red sand stone have been used for the construction of this building.
It has a height of 15 mt where top three floors are having the width of a single room and the first and the second floors of the structure have patios in front of them.
Made on the road side its entry is actually through an imperial door from the City Palace side.
This is located towards the south of the city of Jaipur and is well connected with road, rail and airway.
The best time to see this monument is early morning when the golden rays of sun strike it.

Built by Maharaj Sawai Jai Singh II in 1726 to protect the Amer Fort is situated on the Cheel ka Teela (Hill of Eagles) on the Arravali Range of Mountains. It is connected with with a passage to the Amer Fort and both are considered to be one complex. This Palace is a copy of Amer Fort. Matoa lake can also be vied from this palace.
Spreading over 3 km in the north-south direction with a width of 1 km is made up of red sand stone within it it consists a square shaped garden which is 50 mt sq. In each of the corners there are ramparts are having a sloping structure which provides access to the upper level structures. It also has palaces and court rooms & halls with screened windows.
It also has a cannon called the Jaivana, which is manufactured in the precincts of the fort, was then the world's largest cannon. 400mts above the Fort of Amer on the hills it provides a great view of the Amer fort and the Arravali Range. Besides the fort's artistic inscriptions other this which attract the visitors are the Armoury Chamber, Museum and Jaivana Cannon.
It also consists of a armoury which has a wide display of arms and ammunition used by the Rajput kings and a museum which is on the left of the Awami Gate has photographs of the Royal personalities of Jaipur.
The Cannon foundry at this fort became one of the most efficient among the cannon foundries during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan due to the availability of large quantity of iron ore mines within the fort. It also has a large wind tunnel that sucks the air from the high mountains into its furnace raising the temperature to 2400 degree fahrenheit which could melt the metal.
This palace is under the control of Jaigarh Public Charitable Trust.

Situated in between the Man Sagar Lake near the Nilgiri Hills, the Jal Mahal (The Water Palace) has the style of Rajput Architecture, which is a five storied building among with four always remain under water and only the top portion of the palace is exposed. Made by Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 by using red sand stone and in the 18th century it was renovated and enlarged by Maharaja Jai Singh II. His rule was the golden era for Rajasthan. It was the shooting lodge for the Maharaja.
It has an area of about 23.5 sq km where depth of the lake is 4.5 mt (15 feet) which makes the view of the place scenic and it gives a delusion that the Jal Mahal is actually floating in the lake.
This place is also a host for several migratory birds like Coot, Pochards, Kestrel and Flamingo.
Well going inside the Mahal is not allowed, but the persons who contribute for its maintenance are however given permission to go near it.
The Jal Mahal is well connected by road and be reached by cabs and tourist buses.

A striking combination of astronomy and architecture, the Jantar mantar is a collection of nineteen structured instruments built by Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II features the world's largest stone sundial.
Clock and is also considered to be one of the largest observatories ever built.
It was completed in 1734. It was said that the King was fascinated by the movements from a very young age. The primary aim of Jai Singh II.
The instruments over at Jaipur Jantar mantar are made of stone and very large structures. To ensure accuracy, dummies out of wood was first made and adjustments were made to construct the magnificent monument.
The observatory in total consists of nineteen instruments for measuring time, predicting eclipses and tracking location of major stars as the earth orbits around the sun, declinations of planets and determining the celestial altitudes and related ephemerides.
This time-keeping instrument was widely used in India for over a century although it's significance was less outside India.
One of the most significant aspect of is the light and sound show that explains the history behind the city of Jaipur and the reason why Jantar mantar was built. The scintillating colours and innovative story-telling will really make you appreciate the beauty of this scientific instrument.

Built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1734, on one of the oldest hills of India the Aravali Range, whose purpose was only for defence though it did not saw any wars. Due to its location one can have a very good view of the whole of Jaipur-The Pink City. Previously this place was called as Sudarshangarh then its name was changed to Nahargarh.The Story behind its naming as Nahargarh, is due to the spirit of Nahar Singh Bhomia, which haunted this place and was obstructing the construction of the fort till a temple was made in his memory within it as per the belief of the locals.
It also consists of a wax museum at the left of the entrance of the fort. This museum which is the out come of the works of Mr. Anoop Shrivastav, is supported by the Department of Archaeology & Museums Jaipur, Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, was inaugurated on 17th December 2016. It has more than 35 wax and silicon statues of various persons from different fields like sports, Bollywood, social activists, freedom fighters, kings and queens of Rajasthan and also the look alike of a robotic tiger.
Along with this museum there is a Sheesh Mahal-The Palace of Mirrors (made of 25 million glass pieces)which is also a remarkable place to visit within the fort.
Other than this mahal there is also a Nahargarh Biological Park which a home for various species which have seen a reduction in their population like the Indian Leopard. It also has plants of Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests which represents the ecoregion.
The State Government of Jaipur, until 1944, was using it officially for solar time reading from the Samarat Yantra in the Jantar mantar Observatory, by firing gun from this palace.