Recently the walled city of Jaipur was named a UNESCO World Heritage site. India had proposed the nomination of Jaipur as an “exceptional urban example in indigenous city planning and construction in South Asia”, before the World Heritage Committee
UNESCO seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.
It is the capital and largest city of the state of Rajasthan
The city was founded in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh II (1699-1743)
It was one of the earliest planned cities of modern India, designed by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya(chief architect and city planner of Jaipur)
Unlike other cities in the region located in hilly terrain, Jaipur was established on the plain and built according to a grid plan interpreted in the light of Vedic architecture
Jaipur was planned based on the principles of Vastu Shastra and Shilpa Shastra.
The streets feature continuous colonnaded businesses that intersect in the centre, creating large public squares called chaupars.
Markets, shops, residences and temples built along the main streets have uniform facades.
The city’s urban planning shows an exchange of ideas from ancient Hindu and early modern Mughal as well as Western cultures.
The grid plan is a model that prevails in the West, while the organization of the different city sectors (chowkris) refers to traditional Hindu concepts.
Designed to be a commercial capital, the city has maintained its local commercial, artisanal and cooperative traditions to this day.
The city is also home to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Amber Fort and Jantar Mantar.