It’s quite wonderful to know how sometimes a single picture revives a whole lot of memories, a whiff of smell reminds you of things long forgotten, or, a particular song virtually brings back some good old days. Yesterday, my cousin was humming the song, शाम गुलाबी शहर गुलाबी / पहर गुलाबी है गुलाबी ये शहर from the film Shuddh Desi Romance and, suddenly, it resuscitated the memories of a trip we made long ago.
Perhaps, you got the hint through the song. Yes, it’s Jaipur, the Pink City of India, famous for its vivacity of colours and, the vivacious environment with which it embraces the tourists. When we made the trip, I happened to be eight years younger, accompanied by friends only (that doubled the fun). Actually, we had a Marhwari friend with her ancestral house in Jaipur. Though there are a plethora of hotels in Jaipur, but Meera’s (our friend) parents insisted us to stay with them. During our stay, we managed to visit just a couple of the famous tourist attractions, but we learnt about the history of the city from Meera’s (my friend) grandpa. They were wonderful hosts, served us with delectable and authentic Rajasthani dishes soaked in pure ghee, including the flagship dish of Rajasthan, daal-batti-churma.’Daal’ is lentil curry, ‘churma’ is made of stuffed flour baked over charcoal fire and, ‘churma’ is a sweet dish made with flour, jaggery/sugar, and ghee. I still savour the taste of those homemade ‘ghewar’, a traditional sweet dish.
My old PC crashed a few years ago and all my previous pictures are gone forever with it. This is the only memory I have from the said trip!
What attracted me most to the city was the planning and intelligent architecture. It’s all done with immaculate elegance and calculation. The history of Jaipur traces back to almost 300 years and, was established in the year 1727 by Maharaja Jai Singh II who was a Kachhwaha Rajput. Though the city was the dream of Maharaja Jai Singh and, was named after him, but the maestro behind its architectural marvel was Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, a Bengali architect who hailed from Naihati, Kolkata. It took four years to the completion of the city. The city was divided into nine blocks, seven blocks allocated to the use of the local people and, two blocks holding the state buildings and palaces of Maharaja. Later,Vidyadhar Garden or Vidyadhar Ka Bagh was built as a tribute to the designer of the city.
Jaipur was, undoubtedly, the finest city at that time and, the magnum opus of Maharaja Jai Singh. It is said, when Prince of Wales visited Jaipur in the year 1853, the entire city was painted pink as a mark of honour to him, and, hence, the name. Still now, you can see an abundance of pink in the city adding more allure to its beauty. The stucco buildings lining Jaipur’s wide streets hold proof to the same.
Nahargarh Fort (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
During our stay, we managed to visit only two places; Nahargarh Fort, the fort used to serve as a strong defence ring around the city, and, Jal Mahal (Water Palace), being a perfect concoction of Rajputana and Mughal architectural style, the fort stands amidst the Man Sagar Lake.
Jal Mahal (Credit: flickr/araswami)
Though it was one of the most memorable and enjoyable tours ever in every respect, I regret missing the visits to City Palace, Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Wind), Jantar Mantar…the list goes on. I wish to explore the Pink City once again, soon.
Enjoy the song I mentioned at the beginning of the post to have a colourful glimpse of the Pink City.
The post reminds me of the two years I lived in Jaipur and the numerous weekend trips to Amber, Jaigarh and Nahargarh forts. I also loved to visit Birla Mandir during evenings. And I miss the yummy daal bati choorma!
Thanks for sharing this Maniparna 😊 Nice memory and I now want to see the Water Palace. I feel your pain with he losss of your pics- I have only one remaining pic from my trip to Canada a long time ago… I left all my rolls of film at the place I was staying and could never get them back 😕 I enjoyed the song although I have no idea what it is about 😝 The tune is very nice.
nice movie and lovely song .i can feel the sadness when your most fav collection of pics is gone with the pc problem as i too faced the same .but still you shared your visit brilliantly
So beautiful, dear Mani! 😉 The Jal Mahal left me speechless… listening to the song while I am typing … wow!… nice beats .. and such a gorgeous couple!… sending love, my friend. Aquileana ;D
Your comment again proved the fact that a good music has no language barrier. Glad you enjoyed the song, dear. The Jal Mahal indeed has an exquisite architecture … 🙂
Jaipur has its own unique charm. Even though of late it has increasingly become akin to a metro. I love the bazaars ( Johari, Bapu, kishanpole )
Then the lovely forts ( amer, nahargarh ) and the best part is the food!! Love the ghewar, pyaz kachori and daal baati! So many new restros have come up now!
Your post took me back to this beautiful city:)
Beautiful holistic account of the city Maniparna. I like Daal bati and ghewar. Each city of Rajasthan has a different colour and charm. Nice to learn about the city’s architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. Btw I hadn’t heard the song either 🙂
I like the vibrant and colourful vibe associated with Rajashthan. The song is a good one..I love it…more because I like Sushant Singh Rajput a lot… 😀 😛
I have never been to Jaipur but I’ve always loved Rajasthani culture, their vibrant dances Kalbeliya and Ghoomar, their dresses and their handicrafts with intricate work.
The song is also melodious, just as your post is informative!
Jaipur fascinates not once , always ! I have visited this place several times and every time I found it new with full of enjoyment , greenery and rajasthani dresses.
Lovely article about a beautiful city. During my biking days, we often planned for a trip to Rajasthan. Through Jaipur, Falna, Sikri, touching base to the sand dunes of Jaisalmer to the border of Barmer, but nothing materialized out of those dreams.
I always believed that Jaipur was called the Pink City because of the pinkish shade of the sandstone, out of which it was constructed. Learned something new. 🙂
Thanks Mani for stirring so many memories…I wish I had recorded those moments of visiting this historic city! Life was speeding at that time, full throttle…That was the time when we didn’t have digital cameras or smart phones but I have some wonderful pics of Hawa Mahal and Amer Fort, Ramgarh Lodge in my albums. But Jaipur has become like any other crowded city. Off-beat places in Rajasthan bear a testimony to the splendour of this state. Also, Jaisalmer is still very beautiful. 🙂
True….tourists everywhere. Since we stayed in the locality, we could feel the essence of the city very much.
Glad that the post stirred up your memories. Thank you so much… 🙂
Pink city is on my place already, have read a lot about it on various sites/blogs. Hope you get to go back and relive the memories, and create some new ones 🙂
I visited India including Jaipur many moons ago. I liked Jaipur a lot. Perhaps, I get to stay in one of those palaces that have now been converted to hotels at some point. I had fond memories of the wonderful Indian food, very different from the ones in London.
Yes, a few of the palaces have been converted to luxurious hotels. It feels so royal to live in there… 🙂
Glad to know you liked the Indian food…. hope you’ll visit India again… 🙂
Thanks a lot for dropping by…
Hi M! I thoroughly enjoyed the post…I have been to Jaipur and had the opportunity to spend a few days there and therefore I explored it till I could do no more. What a city it is and what rich history! The Rajputana sure knew splendour in every sense of the word! Your posts brings back my fond memories of the trip as well. Thank you so much for sharing this 🙂
Jaipur indeed is a beautiful city.. I have visited it twice now.. Once in school and once with friends in college.. have some beautiful memories.. sadly no photos in those days camera was not so common.
You had a good time.. Make plan and visit again .. 😀😀😀
It’s nice that you have visited my city. I belong to the Jaipur region only. Yes, the town planning is admirable. Hope, you visit again and see the attractions missed by you in your first visit. Thanks for sharing your experience with the fellow bloggers.
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The post reminds me of the two years I lived in Jaipur and the numerous weekend trips to Amber, Jaigarh and Nahargarh forts. I also loved to visit Birla Mandir during evenings. And I miss the yummy daal bati choorma!
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Two years is quite a time to know the place. I’ve visited Jaipur only once, the one I’ve written about. I long to visit it again!
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Yeah, it’s a beautiful city with so many places to visit. And so many options for shopping as well.
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Yeah…the shopping!! 😀
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Thanks for sharing this Maniparna 😊 Nice memory and I now want to see the Water Palace. I feel your pain with he losss of your pics- I have only one remaining pic from my trip to Canada a long time ago… I left all my rolls of film at the place I was staying and could never get them back 😕 I enjoyed the song although I have no idea what it is about 😝 The tune is very nice.
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nice movie and lovely song .i can feel the sadness when your most fav collection of pics is gone with the pc problem as i too faced the same .but still you shared your visit brilliantly
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Yes, that was an irreparable loss for me. Glad you enjoyed the post. Welcome to my blog. Thanks so much for dropping by… 🙂
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So beautiful, dear Mani! 😉 The Jal Mahal left me speechless… listening to the song while I am typing … wow!… nice beats .. and such a gorgeous couple!… sending love, my friend. Aquileana ;D
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Your comment again proved the fact that a good music has no language barrier. Glad you enjoyed the song, dear. The Jal Mahal indeed has an exquisite architecture … 🙂
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Beautiful post about a beautiful place…it sounds amazing
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The city is a wonderful place to visit. In fact, the whole state of Rajasthan is worth visiting… 🙂
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hey mani..wish you a very happy birthday!!!
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Thank you so much! How did you know??? 😮
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magic!!!
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I want to know!!!! 😀
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hahahahahahaah
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Jaipur has its own unique charm. Even though of late it has increasingly become akin to a metro. I love the bazaars ( Johari, Bapu, kishanpole )
Then the lovely forts ( amer, nahargarh ) and the best part is the food!! Love the ghewar, pyaz kachori and daal baati! So many new restros have come up now!
Your post took me back to this beautiful city:)
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That’s an interesting share …. a picture, a smell, a music… a word….they can bring back memories! Loved that photo with clean canvas beneath!
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Thank you so much….glad you liked the post… 🙂
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Aww, I’d really have loved to see real pictures. Anyway. I live in Jaipur. Best wishes 🙂
Travelshoebum.com
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I really regret losing all the pictures… 😦
Thank you so much for stopping by. Great to know you live in the Pink City… 😀
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Ah, its ok. There are so many trips in which I haven’t carried a camera; for me it becomes difficult to write about it if I have no photographs.
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Yes..you nailed it. A picture inspires the writing…
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that is so cool 🙂
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Thank you…:-)
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I was amazed by the part about the Prince of Wales’ visit. Before that, I’d only ever heard of painting the town red.
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Hehe…painting the town pink was an out of the box thinking ….
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Lovely memories of the pink city.
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Thanks, Fiona… 🙂
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I stayed in the hotel opp this jal mahal. I used to just sit by the window watching it.. ha! 😀 you brought back memories of my trip to the pink city ❤
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Must be a wonderful experience..I feel like going right now… 😀 😀
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🙂 me too.
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Beautiful holistic account of the city Maniparna. I like Daal bati and ghewar. Each city of Rajasthan has a different colour and charm. Nice to learn about the city’s architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. Btw I hadn’t heard the song either 🙂
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I like the vibrant and colourful vibe associated with Rajashthan. The song is a good one..I love it…more because I like Sushant Singh Rajput a lot… 😀 😛
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😀 😀
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I love churma…..feel like eating it right now….:)…so bad you lost other snaps….it sucks sometimes….these gadgets….
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Really..and, I made the mistake of not having backups… 😦
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me loves churma.. 🙂 and also khichra 😀
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Same pinch… 😛
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we should get some churma and khichra soonner
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Not a fan of Jaipur and Rajasthani cuisine. Love Jaisalmer though.
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Oh yes…our tastes vary… 🙂
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Every time I hear or read about the pink city, I remember the Gulabi song. This post was so much of it. 🙂
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I love the song, too… thank you so much… 🙂
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Beautiful city to tour.
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Thanks… 🙂
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Making plans from past few years but could not manage to go. good to know about your experience.
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Hope you’ll have a chance to visit, soon… 🙂
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You should go back again Maniparna, Jaipur has much more to offer, plus you will get new pictures!
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You are right… 🙂
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Your introductory lines are so very true.Small things bring on a host of memories.Loved this post mani
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Thanks so much, Indu. Yes, small things often are harbingers to loads of memories… 🙂
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This is a lovely blog. Nice description by the writer…
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Thanks….all the posts on this blog are authored by me unless stated otherwise… 🙂
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Jaipur is my second home. Your post freshened my memories.
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Glad to know that…thank you so much… 🙂
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Great post on the pink city!
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Thanks, Amitji… 🙂
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Beautiful, The fort, bright colours, So India, so beautiful 🙂
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Rajasthan is such a colourful state, indeed… 🙂
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Yes it brings back memories.. pink memories
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Pink memories…that sounds beautiful… 🙂
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I have never been to Jaipur but I’ve always loved Rajasthani culture, their vibrant dances Kalbeliya and Ghoomar, their dresses and their handicrafts with intricate work.
The song is also melodious, just as your post is informative!
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Their couture is so vibrant and colourful…I love it, too. Thanks, Alka …:-)
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wow such an awesome account and wonderful pictures bestie 🙂
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Thanks so much… ❤
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I could spend only one day 😦 Great read and the pics are superb. That bit of history of why Jaipur is painted pink was new to me.
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Just a day can’t do justification to Jaipur. Perhaps you crave to visit again, like me… 😀
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I love visiting Rajasthan too..
http://www.volatilespirits.com
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Jaipur is indeed a lovely city – culture, heritage and food. 3 days were not enough for me in this city. I know I will get back for more.
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Same here… wish to visit again as I missed a lot… 🙂
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Jaipur fascinates not once , always ! I have visited this place several times and every time I found it new with full of enjoyment , greenery and rajasthani dresses.
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You have summed it up, Yogiji… ! Thank you… 🙂
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Lovely article about a beautiful city. During my biking days, we often planned for a trip to Rajasthan. Through Jaipur, Falna, Sikri, touching base to the sand dunes of Jaisalmer to the border of Barmer, but nothing materialized out of those dreams.
I always believed that Jaipur was called the Pink City because of the pinkish shade of the sandstone, out of which it was constructed. Learned something new. 🙂
Loved it!
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It was wrong. I learned much later. But, for me, the city will remain pink.
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Oh..I missed your comment earlier. Yes, somehow, pink is very much associated with the city…and it will remain so for most of us… 🙂
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Jaipur has its charms. Your post reminds me of how unique the city was. I visited it years ago, my travel to India was unforgettable.
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Hope you’ll travel again someday. And, if you ever plan to visit India, let me know… 🙂
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I visited it a long time back and you have brought forward observations I had long forgotten. Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Glad you liked the post, Prajakta… 🙂
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Thanks Mani for stirring so many memories…I wish I had recorded those moments of visiting this historic city! Life was speeding at that time, full throttle…That was the time when we didn’t have digital cameras or smart phones but I have some wonderful pics of Hawa Mahal and Amer Fort, Ramgarh Lodge in my albums. But Jaipur has become like any other crowded city. Off-beat places in Rajasthan bear a testimony to the splendour of this state. Also, Jaisalmer is still very beautiful. 🙂
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True….tourists everywhere. Since we stayed in the locality, we could feel the essence of the city very much.
Glad that the post stirred up your memories. Thank you so much… 🙂
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Pink city is on my place already, have read a lot about it on various sites/blogs. Hope you get to go back and relive the memories, and create some new ones 🙂
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Yes, I hope so too. Thank you, Alok… 🙂
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Love Rajasthani cuisine, specially dal bhathi choorma 🙂
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Me too… 😀
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🙂🙂
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I visited India including Jaipur many moons ago. I liked Jaipur a lot. Perhaps, I get to stay in one of those palaces that have now been converted to hotels at some point. I had fond memories of the wonderful Indian food, very different from the ones in London.
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Yes, a few of the palaces have been converted to luxurious hotels. It feels so royal to live in there… 🙂
Glad to know you liked the Indian food…. hope you’ll visit India again… 🙂
Thanks a lot for dropping by…
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Hi M! I thoroughly enjoyed the post…I have been to Jaipur and had the opportunity to spend a few days there and therefore I explored it till I could do no more. What a city it is and what rich history! The Rajputana sure knew splendour in every sense of the word! Your posts brings back my fond memories of the trip as well. Thank you so much for sharing this 🙂
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I agree with you, Aishwarya. Jaipur is a great city! Glad to know that the post rejuvenated your fond memories… 🙂
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The city is lovely. I had a short visit there about 6 years ago, and hope to go back sometime.
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You have visited a number of places in India, I surmise… that’s really great… 🙂
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Song is amazing… undoubtedly.. but city is even more fascinating…!!
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Thanks…my thoughts exactly… 🙂
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How wonderful Jaipur looks like such a spectacularly beautiful city. Sadly I have never been to India.
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Thanks for stopping by. Jaipur is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in India… 🙂
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Jaipur indeed is a beautiful city.. I have visited it twice now.. Once in school and once with friends in college.. have some beautiful memories.. sadly no photos in those days camera was not so common.
You had a good time.. Make plan and visit again .. 😀😀😀
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I lost all my pictures with my PC 😦 There was no back-up and I learnt a lesson.
You’ve visited two times! Wow…I really wish to visit it once more…
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Make sure you take me also.. 😀😀😀
I want to see the city again..
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Sure, sure… 😀 don’t you worry….
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It’s nice that you have visited my city. I belong to the Jaipur region only. Yes, the town planning is admirable. Hope, you visit again and see the attractions missed by you in your first visit. Thanks for sharing your experience with the fellow bloggers.
Jitendra Mathur
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Thank you so much, Jitendraji. Glad to know you are from Jaipur…fortunate enough to live in such a beautiful city….. 🙂
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