Why is Jaipur known as the Pink City?

Published in the Sunday Gujarat Samachar on 14 January, 2024

At Veena World, our aim has always been that our guests Celebrate Life on tour with our very own Veena World tour managers. And if you have ever seen the Tour Status page on our website, you will know that every single day hundreds of Veena World travellers are doing just that. If you have never heard of the Veena World Tour Status page, here it is, scan the QR code below and you should check it out.

So let me start by first telling you why we created a Tour Status page. So like I said earlier, our aim has always been that our guests Celebrate Life on tour with the Veena World tour manager whether it is in Incredible India or around the world. But along with this, our aim is also that our guests’ loved ones who are not travelling with them, but are at home, are aware and well informed about their whereabouts. Because, we all know that whenever a loved one is travelling, we are always calling to ensure that they have reached their destination safely and are enjoying there. So to make this simpler for our guests, we just decided that we create a Tour Status page, so any time of the day and night, you can just go to the Tour Status page and enter the destination or tour name and you can see where the tour is, who is the tour manager, what the program for the day is and everything else that you need to know about their trip. So yup, that’s one of the primary reasons why the Tour Status page was created. But let's use that to form the background for our article today too. So if you look at the India map on the tour status page today, you will notice that there are a number of Veena World tours on all through the different states of Incredible India. Here’s the image below:

Now if you were to see this on the website and click on Rajasthan, you will notice that Rajasthan is definitely a popular destination this time of the year. And why not, it is one of the most popular states of India and a state where one trip is never enough. So let’s talk about Rajasthan today, and to be specific, let’s talk about the largest city, the capital city of Rajasthan: Jaipur.

If you have ever been to Jaipur, you will be familiar with the greeting that is often used by all guides and all the locals of Jaipur: Welcome to Rajasthan’s Pink City. So in other words, Jaipur is known as the Pink City of Rajasthan. Have you ever wondered why Jaipur is known as the Pink City? What is the significance of it being called a Pink City? So let’s explore this story today.

To dive into a bit of history then, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, a ruler of the Kachhwaha Rajput clan, founded Jaipur in 1727. Because the Maharaja founded the city, it was also named after him. It was one of the earliest planned cities of modern India, designed by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya.

So one of the primary reasons why Jaipur is known as the "Pink City" is because of the distinctive pink coloured buildings in its old, walled part of the city. If you just search on Google for Jaipur, the first few images that you will see will be of these distinctive pink coloured buildings, the most popular of them being the iconic Hawa Mahal.

The tradition of painting the city pink started in 1876, when the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) & Queen Victoria were scheduled to visit Jaipur as part of a tour of India. The Maharaja of Jaipur, Sawai Ram Singh II, wanted to create a good impression and ordered that the city be painted pink in honour of the royal visit. The tradition has been continued ever since, and the Old City is still painted pink every year after the monsoon season is over.

The pink colour was chosen because it symbolizes hospitality and warmth, and it is also said to reflect the colours of the sandstone used in many of the city's buildings. By painting the buildings pink, it helped to give the city a uniform and welcoming appearance. And trust me, I have been to Jaipur multiple times, and I really like observing peoples reactions when they first set foot in the city. And the pink color definitely leaves people in awe. To add to that, you also know that Rajasthan can get very hot in the summers. So another reason why the buildings are coloured pink is because it is said that it also helps to cool the buildings in the hot climate.

Nowadays, the city has expanded beyond the old walls, but the tradition of painting the buildings pink is still continued and it's a legally enforced rule, that the buildings in the walled city has to painted pink only. And why not, the pink colour is definitely a unique characteristic of Jaipur, which differentiates it from other cities.

When you visit Jaipur, you can take a walk in the old city and admire the beautiful pink-coloured buildings, temples, palaces and havelis, which will give you a sense of the rich history and culture of the city, and a memorable experience. As we near the end of this article, let me finish by talking about my personal experiences in Jaipur. And for this, let me leave you with three bucket list things that I think everyone should definitely have on their bucket list when you visit Jaipur:

Lassi: The lassi of Jaipur is super famous. A couple of years ago, I was visiting Jaipur with some of Veena World’s guests from outside of India and they wanted to try the lassi. So I took them to my favourite spot: the Lassiwala at MI Road, and as you would have guessed, they were mind-blown. As always it was amazing!

Rawat ki Kachori: The Pyaaz ki Kachori and the Meetha Ghewar are two items that you can keep having any time of the day or night. So my go to spot in Jaipur is the famous Rawat Mishthan Bhandar. And if you are left wanting more, then go for the Jalebis too. My wife, Heta loves them!

Amber Fort: Amber Fort or Amer Fort, a name that is used interchangeably, is one of hte most iconic attractions of Jaipur. Located 11km from the main city, this majestic fort which has featured in many Bollywood movies (Bhool Bhulaiya, Jodha Akbar, Paheli, Bajirao Mastani just to name a few) is known for its artistic style elements with its large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths. Every Veena World guest loves this experience no matter when they visit Jaipur.

So there you have it, Jaipur, the majestic pink city of Incredible India. When are you going there? Let me know by writing to me at

neil@veenaworld.com

Have a super week ahead and see you next week.