Situated
amidst the heart of the walled city, City palace Jaipur was built by
Raja Sawai Jai Singh and later the following rulers made extensions to
it. A section of the City palace still serves as the residence of the
royal family of Jaipur; however the ground floor and other sections of
the Palace are open for public viewing and are currently acting as
museums. The palace is an ideal example of the blend of Mughal and
Rajput styles of Architecture. The Palace within its complex has a
string of imposing halls and small palaces which will simply bewitch the
spectator by their colorful motifs and intricate carvings on the wall.The Palace of Welcome or Mubarak Mahal at the entrance of the complex was built by Raja Sawai Madho Singh for the reception of the royal guests. It is now turned in the Raja Man Singh II museum and displays the royal costumes of the Kings and Queens of Jaipur. The marble made pavilion the Diwan-e-khas or the hall of private audience in the palace now is the place of display of the world's largest sterling silver objects, two gigantic vessels. The Diwan-e-aam or the hall of public audience today serves as the art gallery which has ancient Hindu manuscripts and exquisite work of Mughal, Rajput and Persian art. The Maharani Palace or the Queens Palace is ironically serving as the armory museum today. The weapons on display here date back to the 15th century and are in a remarkable state even today. One of the unique weapons on display here is the scissor-action dagger; apart from this one finds jewels and ivory handled swords, pistols, chain armors, belt sword, poison tipped blades, small and assorted cannons and gun powder pouches.
The seven storied Chandra Mahal is the residence of the current Maharaja of Jaipur and his family. The palace is the perfect abode for the royalty as it is really enchanting with its flower patterned décor, parapets shining with mirrors, intricately carved ceilings and beautiful paintings adorning the walls. The Chandra Mahal is famous for the exquisite peacock in the courtyard which is worth seeing. The City palace Jaipur thus offers something unique to its visitors who feel as if they belong to this place as they go through the artifacts of this museum.