The typical vacationing tourist who visits India for a week or two usually does a lap around the “Golden Triangle” that consists of New Delhi (map), Agra (map), and Jaipur (map) before heading home. When I began my trip in India, I was told great things about the Golden Triangle, but now that I’ve seen all of the cities in this famed tourist circuit, I must seriously disagree with my fellow travelers. Not only are the three cities not an accurate representation of India, but two of them - Agra and Jaipur – are actually my two least of favorite cities in all of India.
If I’m honest with myself, I don’t know why people come to visit Jaipur. So far, this is one of the few cities I’ve visited that I’m excited to leave just after a couple days. There are a few tourist attractions throughout town, but generally this is just another massive, nosey Indian city that, if you’re visiting odds are you already experienced in New Delhi. You may think the absurd heat of the Rajasthani desert is what turned me off Jaipur, but coming from Texas the 35°C (95°F) heat didn’t phase me. Visitors come here for the fortresses and to take elephant/camel excursions into the desert, but in my humble opinion I think the town warrants at most a couple days or, if you’re pressed for time, just skip it entirely. Even with my limited knowledge of India, I can think of dozens of places you should visit rather than Jaipur.
Much to my own surprise, the oldest part of Jaipur, the Pink City as it is called, is the first planned city in all of India. Founded back in 1727, Jaipur was established to be the new capital of Rajasthan when the previous capital, Amer, became overpopulated. While the old part of the city still retains its grid layout, but outside of the city walls it is the usual mess of zig-zaging roads lined with shops and packed with an endless array of vehicles, people, and animals. It is possible to walk around parts of this city even in the hot months, but you can always find rickshaws when you need one, just make sure you bargain hard - Jaipur is absolutely terrible when it comes to scams.
During my time in Jaipur, I walked extensively through the city and visited such sites as the Monkey Temple, Jal Mahal (Water Palace), Amer Palace, Jaighar Fort, and Hawa Mahal (Wind Palace). To many people’s surprise, I never made it to the City Palace or Jantar Mantar Astronomical Museum due to the tepid reviews and the fact that it cost 400 Rupees to enter (twice as expensive the other attractions). Plus it didn’t help that I’d visited the Hawa Mahal right before and I felt was a rip-off even at 50 Rupees (<$1). For those of you thinking of visiting the Hawa Mahal, don’t go inside, take a picture of the main facade and call it a day - that is the best part of the entire structure and it’s completely free!
The Monkey Palace was rather entertaining, but it was the thirty-minute hike through the arid hills and my hostel companions I met earlier in the morning that made the trek worthwhile. The palace complex is quite small, and while it does offer a few good pictures, there are plenty of people around asking for monetary “donations” and even just to take pictures of the temple cost 50 Rupees per person which I’m not a fan of.
Of all the attractions I visited, the Amer Palace and Jaighar Fort in the old capital city of Amer were very pleasant surprises. Both structures are located at the top of nearby hills overlooking the town of Amer and are walking distance from one another. While the forts are close to Jaipur, I’d recommend taking a full day to visit Amer; I happily spent over three hours just wandering through the palace, fort, and city even in the intense afternoon heat.
But looking back I’d make it a full day trip just to get out of Jaipur.
Looking up from the valley below, the Amer Palace is a domineering complex that stretches from one end of the hill to the other. The building looks as if it is merely an extension of the earth below and appears carved from the very hill it stands on. The structure used to house the ruling family, the Rajput Maharajas, and contains an endless array of wonderful architecture, detailed frescos, and sculptures that have remained intact over the years. The attention to detail given to some parts of the palace, such as Ganesh Pol (Ganesh Gate) and the Sheesh Mahal (Mirrored Palace), is jaw dropping. The four-story palace is a labyrinth of hallways, rooms, gates, and courtyards that I spent hours happily wandering through.
While nerdy, what I liked most about the palace was the Indo-Islamic architecture found throughout the complex. From the long, narrow waterways like I remember seeing back in Valencia, to the elaborate Hamam (bath), to the beautiful landscaping, the palace is fascinating. The easiest example of this bending between Hindu and Islamic influences is Ganesh Pol (Ganesh Gate). The first thing that jumps out is the gate’s name based after the Hindu god Lord Ganesh who is widely revered as the remover obstacles in life. A little painting of Ganesh is found right above the main door and is surrounded by elaborate Islamic art as well as the iconic pointed archway. There are other buildings in India with similar influences like the Taj Mahal in Agra or Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi, but Amer Palace is an exceptional example of the blending between the two different cultures.
From the Amer Palace I hiked up to Jaighar Fort and while the complex itself isn’t particularly stellar, the views from the top more than make up for the climb. From the gardens at the top of the fort, I could see and endless stretch of the parched Rajasthani landscape below. I’m told that after the monsoon season, the vegetation in this region turns lush green, but thanks to months of drought under the overbearing sun, the landscape is an inhospitable desert. Even from this altitude the Amer Palace still appears incredibly intimidating, but looks like it is simply a part of the adjacent hill. From the top of the Jaighar Fort I could easily see the small town of Amer, the bustling city of Jaipur off in the distance, and the minuscule Water Palace floating in the nearby Man Sagar Lake. At the end of the day, I found it difficult to leave Jaighar Fort as the cool breeze made for an incredibly pleasant atmosphere.
…and I didn’t want to go back to Jaipur.
As great as my little tour of Amer was, one of the biggest issues I have with Jaipur is that everyone - and I mean everyone - is out to get your money. They will ask you to come for tea, sit and chat, tell you were the good places are, ask to have a cigarette with you, and generally try and build a friendly rapport all in an effort to scam you out of money. I’m well aware that India is notorious for scams, but I have never been in a city where the issue is as rampant and blatantly transparent as Jaipur. I’m always hopeful that I meet an honest person on the streets, but outside of my hostel, I can’t trust another living soul in this town. It takes a lot to make me angry, but at the end of my stay I was so irritated by the number of people hassling me on the street, that I became an a#%hole toward everyone that approached me. At one point I even had someone yelled at me, “Why do you hate Indians so much?” I can’t fully blame the local population since tourists are easy to take advantage of, but at the end of the day, relying on lies, misdirection, and asymmetrical information to rip-off people is not ethical way to earn a living.
Although I suppose the same could be said of finance community on Wall Street.
All in all, my stay in Jaipur was moderately enjoyable and while I don’t regret visiting, I will never make an effort to return unless I’m visiting a local who knows the city. I was hoping that since Jaipur was one of the popular stops along the famed “Golden Triangle” that it would be a better experience, but I was sadly mistaken. I suppose if you arrive with the right expectations you may be pleasantly surprised with Jaipur, but generally speaking, I think the city warrants at best a couple of days. There are just so many other great places in India to see that I wouldn’t waste much (or any) time in Jaipur. The city is so reliant on tourism that much of the charm has been lost thanks to the many vacationers who opt for the atrocious prepackaged tours. At the end of the day though, I can’t win them all, so I’m off to Pushkar in the hope of finding a better scene. Wish me luck!