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Photo: Sanyam Bahga, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The smallest of the three forts, notable primarily for excellent views over Man Sagar lake and the vast sprawl of Jaipur. Built in 1734 by the Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in a mix of Indian and European styles, the fort also houses the (relatively) compact Madhavendra Bhawan palace, although its former splendour is fading under layers of graffiti and pigeon droppings. Some of the film Rang De Basanti were shot at this fort. To get to the area where the "Pathshala" song was shot, take a left turn as soon as you enter the fort. An autorickshaw can be taken from the stand in front of the Amber fort. The fort also houses the Jaipur's Wax Museum and Sheesh Mahal, although tickets for these have to be bought separately and are ridiculously expensive. Beware if buying the Wax Museum and Sheesh Mahal combo ticket, you'll be paraded through the largely unimpressive museum and then be told to queue for the Sheesh Mahal which can last from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Nahargarh Fort stands on the edge of the Aravalli Hills, overlooking the city of Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Along with Amber Fort and Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh once formed a strong defence ring for the city. The fort was originally named Sudershangarh, but it became known as Nahargarh, which means 'abode of tigers'. The popular belief is that Nahar here stands for Nahar Singh Bhomia, whose spirit haunted the place and obstructed construction of the fort. Nahar's spirit was pacified by building a temple in his memory within the fort, which thus became known by his name.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
For Vaishnavites, particularly followers of Lord Krishna, this is the most important temple in the world after Vrindavan. Lord Krishna presiding in the temple were brought to Jaipur from Vrindavan during Mughal rein. According to popular legend, Lord Krishna's idol in the temple looks exactly like Krishna's form while his incarnation of Earth. It is at Jainiwas Gardens, Jalebi Chowk, in the same campus as City Palace. The temple was constructed in 1590.
An imposing blend of traditional Rajput and Mughal architecture. It is a vast palace complex occupying nearly one-seventh of the Pink City. It was built by Maharaja Jai Singh II. The complex is divided into a series of courtyards, sprawling gardens and buildings. It is home to several palatial structures like the Chandra Mahal, (home to present Maharajah of Jaipur), Mubarak Mahal (housing a textile museum), Diwan-e-Khas (or Hall of Private audience housing the two largest silver vessels in the world, which are duly mentioned in the Guinness book), the Diwan-e-Aam ( or Hall of Public Audience) and the gateway Ridhi Sidhi Pol (with four small doorways decorated with motifs depicting the four seasons). Be warned that although they sell tickets for taking photos with a camera inside, most exhibits inside have a "no photography" sign.
Shivdas Pura
Jain temple in Shivdaspura, well known as “Bara Padampura”, famous in north India for its very beautiful statue of God Padamprabhu (The 6th Teerthankar for Jains). God is sitting in a crossed leg seating posture. The statue is 0.7 m high and made of pure white stone. It was found while digging for foundation of a house.
A minaret with great views of Jaipur. There is an alternative to the minaret that's open 24/7. Just across the other side of the road (Chandpol Bazaar) from the minaret is a shopping complex with stairs up to a rooftop area where you can get basically the same view as from the minaret. To get there, go through the arched gateway almost opposite the minaret, then as soon as you get to the courtyard, look to the left for a metal spiral staircase and keep climbing until you reach the roof, walk around the corridor to the next set of stair and go up another floor until you know you can't go any higher.
This UNESCO world heritage site is the largest of five astronomical observatories build by Maharaja Jai Singh during the period 1727-1734 in Northern India. The observatory consists of fourteen major geometric devices (or yantra in Hindi) for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars in their orbits, ascertaining the declinations of planets and determining the celestial altitudes etc. There is signage providing elaborate explanations for the use of each device, and guides can be hired to provide much the same information in a more digestible format. Guides' charge is 200 rupees for 4 people. For a better explanation, you can take a guide. The audio guide at the observatory isn't great and doesn't tell you very much more information than the already existent signs. The observatory, the water and the wind palace are free on 18 May.