Jaipur

Jaipur was founded in 1727 by the polymath Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who was not only a ruler but a mathematician, astronomer, and urban planner of extraordinary vision. He designed the city according to the Shilpa Shastra (ancient Hindu architecture treatise) on a perfect grid of nine rectangular blocks (nau graha — the nine celestial bodies), with wide boulevards 33 metres wide and a systematic allocation of each zone to a different craft or trade. The Jantar Mantar — his personal astronomical observatory, built simultaneously with the city — contains the world's largest sundial, accurate to 2 seconds. The city replaced the hill fort at Amber (Amer), which had been the Kachwaha capital since the 12th century. Jaipur became fabulously wealthy as the Mughal Empire declined, controlling the trade routes of northern Rajputana. The maharajas accumulated one of the world's greatest collections of arms, jewels, art, and manuscripts. The 1876 pink painting was a diplomatic masterstroke — the colour was chosen because pink represents hospitality in Rajput tradition. Jaipur was the first princely state to accede to the Indian Union in 1949 and became the capital of Rajasthan.