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Founding
Founding of Jaipur
capital of Rajasthan, India
- 1727
- South Asia
Founding
capital of Rajasthan, India
Fetching the article from Wikipedia…
Jaipur (Rajasthani: Jayapura, pronounced [ˈd͡ʑɛpʊɾᵊ]) is the capital and largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan. As of 2011, the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth-most populous city in the country. Located 268 km (167 mi) from the national capital, New Delhi, Jaipur is also known as the Pink City due to the dominant colour scheme of its buildings in the old city.
Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh II, the Kachhwaha Rajput ruler of Amer, after whom the city was named. It is one of the earliest planned cities of modern India, designed by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. During the British colonial period, the city served as the capital of the princely state of Jaipur. After Indian independence in 1947, Jaipur became the capital of the newly formed state of Rajasthan in 1949.
Jaipur is a popular tourist destination in India, forming a part of the Golden Triangle tourist circuit along with Delhi and Agra. The city serves as a gateway to other tourist destinations in Rajasthan, such as Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Udaipur, Bundi, Kota, and Mount Abu. The historic city center was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 6 July 2019, joining the Jantar Mantar (inscribed in 2010) and the nearby Amer Fort (part of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan). The city has colloquially been referred to as the "Paris of India", and Nobel laureate C. V. Raman described it as the "Island of Glory".
Jaipur derives its name from Sawai Jai Singh II, the Kachhwaha ruler of Amer, who founded the city in 1727. In Sanskrit, variations of the suffix -pur or -pura denote a city or town; thus, "Jaipur" translates to "The City of Jai" or "Jai's City".
Jaipur was founded on 18 November 1727 by Jai Singh II, the Kachhwaha Rajput ruler of Amer, who ruled the region from 1699 to 1743. He planned to shift his capital 11 km (7 mi) from Amer to accommodate a growing population and increasing water scarcity. Jai Singh consulted several architects and planned the city based on the principles of Vastu Shastra and Shilpa Shastra, under the architectural guidance of Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. The construction of the city began in 1726. During the rule of Sawai Ram Singh II, the city was painted pink to welcome Albert Edward, Prince of Wales in 1876. Many of the avenues remain painted in pink, giving Jaipur a distinctive appearance and the epithet "Pink City".
In the 19th century, the city grew rapidly, reaching a population of 160,000 by 1900. The wide boulevards were paved, and its chief industries included metalwork and marble, fostered by a school of art founded in 1868. In August 1981, large areas of the city, including the airport, were flooded following heavy rains from a cloudburst, resulting in eight deaths and extensive damage along the Dravyavati River. On 6 July 2019, the city was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Jaipur is located in the eastern Rajasthan and covers a total area of 467 km2 (180 sq mi). The terrain generally slopes downwards from north to south and towards the southeast. The city is bordered by fertile alluvial plains to the east and south, while the northern and western margins feature hill chains and arid areas. The Aravalli range bounds the city, with the Nahargarh hills to the to the north and the Jhalana hills to the east.
The Dravyavati River serves as the city's primary drainage channel; however, by 2014, it had degenerated into an untreated sewage drain. To address this issue, a rejuvenation plan was developed by the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) in 2015. A 13 km (8.1 mi) stretch of Dravyavati riverfront out of 47.5 km (29.5 mi) was opened following restoration in 2018, with the remaining project was completed in 2022.
Jaipur has a monsoon-influenced hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) with long, extremely hot summers and short, mild to warm winters. Annual precipitation is over 625 millimetres (25 in), falling mostly in July and August due to the southwest monsoon, which causes average temperatures in these two months to be lower than in May and June. During the monsoon, frequent heavy rains and thunderstorms occur, though severe flooding is uncommon. The highest temperature recorded in the city was 49.0 °C (120.2 °F) on 23 May 1994. The average temperature remains below 20 °C (68 °F) between December and February, which are typically mild, dry, and pleasant. The lowest temperature recorded was −2.2 °C (28.0 °F), observed on 31 January 1905, 1 February 1905, and 16 January 1964. Jaipur, like many major cities worldwide, exhibits a prominent urban heat island effect, with surrounding rural temperatures occasionally dropping below freezing in winter.
Jaipur has been ranked 33rd best "National Clean Air City" (under Category 1 >10L Population cities) in India.
According to the 2011 census, the Jaipur Municipal Corporation had 599,507 households and a population of 3,046,163. Children under six years of age accounted for 387,354 (12.72%) of the population. The city had a sex ratio of 900 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 83.33% among those aged seven and above. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes constituted 392,285 (12.88%) and 115,258 (3.78%) of the population, respectively.
The official language of Jaipur is Hindi, while English serves as an additional official language. The primary native dialect spoken in the city is Dhundari. Standard Hindi, Marwari and English are also widely spoken.
According to the 2011 census, residents recorded their first language as Hindi (69.69%), Rajasthani (9.85%), Urdu (5.86%), Marwari (4.36%), Dhundari (3.93%), and Sindhi (2.54%).
According to the 2011 census, Hindus form the majority religious group in Jaipur, accounting for 77.9% of the city's population, followed by Muslims (18.6%), Jains (2.4%), and others (1.1%).
The Jaipur Development Authority serves as the primary planning body for the city. The Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) was established in 1994. Covering an administration area of 467 km2 (180 sq mi), the corporation is headed by a mayor. In 2020, JMC was bifurcated into two separate municipal entities, namely the Greater Jaipur Municipal Corporation and the Jaipur Heritage Municipal Corporation with 150 and 100 wards respectively. The two bodies were re-merged in 2025 into a single municipal corporation consisting of 150 wards. Following the municipal elections held in September 2026, Sunil Kothari of the Bharatiya Janata Party was elected mayor after his party secured a majority of the wards. Administrative operations are overseen by the municipal commissioner alongside a team of executive officers. For the 2025–26 financial year, the combined estimated municipal budget is ₹2,692.20 crore (US$280 million). Primary municipal revenue sources include house tax, urban development tax, and octroi compensation, alongside various service fees and user charges. Law and order is maintained by the Jaipur City Police under the administrative jurisdiction of the state government. Civil and criminal legal matters in the city are adjudicated by the District and Sessions Court at Jaipur.
Jaipur consists of two parliamentary constituencies Jaipur and Jaipur Rural. The Jaipur Lok Sabha constituency comprises eight legislative assembly segments, all of which fall partly in Jaipur city.
Jaipur Development Authority is the nodal government agency responsible for the planning and development of Jaipur. The municipal corporation is responsible for maintaining the city's civic infrastructure and carrying out associated administrative duties. Electricity is distributed through Jaipur Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (JVVNL) owned by the Government of Rajasthan. Jaipur municipal corporaiton has a fire department wing with 11 fire stations and 50 fire tenders.
Established in 2018, Jaipur Water Supply and Sewerage Board (JWSSB) is responsible for the management of water supply and sewerage services in the city. The agency is responsible for water supply as per the standards stipulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards, the State Pollution Control Board and the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED). It will also be responsible for financing, designing, constructing, altering, repairing, operating, and maintaining various water supply and sewerage schemes in addition to commercial services such as meter reading, billing, and revenue collection. The city has been divided into four main drainage zones, with the northern and central zones draining into the Dravyavati river, while the western zone drains into the Chandler lake, and the eastern and southern areas combined drain into the Dhundh River. Sewerage systems and STPs have been constructed accordingly, with the installed capacity being 730 km of sewer lines and 442 MLD of sewage treatment. The corporation has a solid waste management system that includes door-to-door collection, transportation of garbage in covered vehicles, proper deployment of dustbins, use of modern equipment. The system ensures private investment as well as public participation with a small amount of monthly user charges. The size of the JMC garbage can be kept at a manageable level. Sanitation work in three zones has been contracted out to private agencies.
As per the official records released by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics (Rajasthan), the GDP (nominal) of Jaipur district is estimated at INR 1,22,140 crores ($15.8 billion) in 2020–21, with a per-capita GDP of INR 141,305. In addition to its role as the provincial capital, educational, and administrative centre, the economy of Jaipur is fuelled by tourism, gemstone cutting, the manufacture of jewellery and luxury textiles, and information technology.
Three major trade promotion organisations have their offices in Jaipur: Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, (FICCI) the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) which has its regional offices here. In 2008, Jaipur was ranked 31 among the 50 Emerging Global Outsourcing cities. Jaipur Stock Exchange was one of the regional stock exchanges in India and was founded in 1989 but was closed in March 2015.
Jaipur has emerged as a hub of automotive industries with JCB, Hero MotoCorp and Robert Bosch GmbH having their manufacturing plants in Jaipur. There are chemical manufacturers in the city including Emami and National Engineering Industries. The city is among top emerging IT hubs of India. Mahindra World City is an integrated business zone in Jaipur with several software and IT companies. The Government of Rajasthan have built Asia's largest incubator in Jaipur – the Bhamashah Techno Hub.
Jaipur is a major hub for arts and crafts. It has many traditional shops selling antiques, jewellery, handicrafts, gems, bangles, pottery, carpets, textiles, leather, and metal products. Jaipur is one of India's largest manufacturers of hand-knotted rugs. Jaipur foot, a rubber-based prosthetic leg for people with below-knee amputations, was designed and is produced in Jaipur. World Trade Park Jaipur, is a shopping mall in Jaipur opened in 2012.
Jaipur is a major tourist destination in India forming a part of the Golden Triangle. In the 2008 Conde Nast Traveller Readers Choice Survey, Jaipur was ranked the seventh best place to visit in Asia. According to TripAdvisor's 2015 Traveller's Choice Awards, Jaipur was ranked first among the Indian destinations for the year. The Presidential Suite at the Raj Palace Hotel, billed at US$45,000 per night, was listed in second place on CNN's World's 15 most expensive hotel suites in 2012. Jaipur was ranked eighth in "The Top 15 Cities in Asia".
Jaipur Exhibition & Convention Centre (JECC) is Rajasthan's biggest convention and exhibition centre. Visitor attractions include the Albert Hall Museum, Hawa Mahal, Jal Mahal, City Palace, Amer Fort, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh Fort, Jaigarh Fort, Birla Mandir, Galtaji, Govind Dev Ji Temple, Garh Ganesh Temple, Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple, Gator Chhatri, Sanghiji Jain temple and the Jaipur Zoo. The Jantar Mantar observatory, a collection of 19 astronomical instruments and Amer Fort are World Heritage Sites. Hawa Mahal is a five-storey pyramidal shaped monument with 953 windows that rises 15 metres (50 ft) from its high base. Sisodiya Rani Bagh and Kanak Vrindavan are the major parks in Jaipur. Sambhar Lake is about 56 kms from the city.
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