City Palace

सिटी पैलेस

The Jaipur royal palace, completed in 1732 and still lived in by the royal family. It features the Peacock Gate, the Pritam Niwas Courtyard and a textile and arms museum, and the private royal quarters can be visited for an extra fee.

City Palace stands at the center of the old city. Sawai Jai Singh II built it between 1727 and 1732. It was the court of the Jaipur kingdom. The current royal family still lives in the seven-story Chandra Mahal (Moon Palace) at the innermost part, while the rest is open as a museum. Highlights include Mubarak Mahal at the entrance (the Welcome Palace, now a textile gallery displaying royal costumes and a robe that is two meters wide), the armory, the Diwan-i-Khas (private audience hall), which displays two silver water urns weighing 345 kilograms each, recorded in the Guinness World Records as the largest silver vessels ever made, used in 1902 when the maharaja took Ganges water to England for the coronation. The public audience hall features miniature paintings and handwritten manuscripts. Most photogenic is the Pritam Niwas Chowk courtyard, with four painted gates representing the four seasons: the Peacock Gate, the Lotus Gate, the Rose Gate and the Green Gate. Foreign visitors pay 700 rupees (not included in the combined ticket). Open 09:30 to 17:00. A night ticket is available from 19:00 to 22:00. There is also a Royal Grandeur ticket (from about 2,500 rupees) that gives access to the mirror hall and blue rooms in Chandra Mahal, led by a palace guide. It is worth the extra money. City Palace is next to Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal, and all three can be linked on foot. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours.

Notes: Photography is allowed in the courtyards but prohibited in some galleries. Dress modestly. The Palace Café and Baradari restaurant inside the palace are expensive but have a lovely setting.

City Palace

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