Jaipur

The 'Pink City' of Jaipur is the largest city in Rajasthan. Founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, or the 'architect king', the city is unusual among older Indian cities in the regularity of its streets, and the division of the city into six grid-like sectors by broad streets 34 m (111 ft) wide. The Palace quarter encloses the distinctive and colourful Hawa Mahal palace complex, formal gardens, and a small lake. Nahargarh Fort, which was the residence of the King Sawai Jai Singh II, crowns the hill in the northwest corner of the old city whilst Amber Fort provides rewarding views for either the energetic visitor or one more inclined to elephant back for the climb. The observatory, Jantar Mantar, a fascinating collection of structures dedicated to study of the stars is a World Heritage Site and is the source of the Maharaja's epithet.