Jaipur - Timeless India

India, I needn’t tell you, is a dauntingly huge country with a grand diversity of cultures. So if you want to sample India in all its kaleidoscopic glory, without spending years exploring it, well, there’s really only one place to go.

Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan - one of India's most fascinating, historical and colourful states. Just 4 hours from India's capital of New Delhi, Jaipur stands as the gateway to the vast Thar Desert, which was once the seat of the fierce and independent Rajput rulers. Until India's independence in 1947, this was a self-contained kingdom known as Rajputana or the Land of the Kings.

Today, Jaipur is a bustling, colourful city where slums coexist with opulent palaces. This is also the most visited part of India, after the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Jaipur is often referred to as The Pink City, because all of the buildings within the walls of the Old City have always been painted an orangey pink, by their ruler's decree. The story goes that in 1856 Britain's Prince Albert was due for a royal visit to Jaipur. His old friend and polo buddy, the Maharajah Jai Singh II, was so keen to impress with his proud city that he decided to spruce Jaipur up with a coat of paint, and pink was his favourite colour!

This is India at its architectural best – a spectacular feast of palaces, museums, treasures and temples. A tour of this historical city is worth at least 3 days.

During this time, you should start the first day by visiting the magnificent Hawa Mahal. This ornate structure is, in fact, not a building at all, but just a facade. Called 'The Palace of the Winds', this ornate facade was built in 1799 for the Maharajah's wives and concubines to view processions and day-to-day city life on the main street below, without ever being seen. The 953 intricately carved lattice windows served to let through cool breezes while at the same time disguising the royal ladies' curious eyes.

Right next to the Hawa Mahal, lies the truly ahead-of-its-time Jantar Mantar Observatory - the largest and most accurate stone observatory in the world. At first glance, what looks like a futuristic sculpture park is, in fact, an ambitious and unique astronomical observatory. Built by the highly intellectual Maharaja Jai Singh II over 200 years ago, these giant stone sundials can measure time accurately to within one minute! The largest of these sundials is even listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.