Published: 2002
Publisher: Manohar
Language: English
Author: University of Chicago Press
About: Jaipur is the first planned city of northern India after Mohenjo-daro and the Greek city of Sirkap in Taxila. Its builder was Sawai Jai Singh, the versatile ruler of Amer whose multifarious activities as a statesman, an astronomer and a patron of Hinduism form part of this book. The planning of the city too was perhaps done by Jai Singh himself, ably assisted by a Bengali Brahman, Vidyadhar, who later became his favourite minister. Within a few years of its founding, Jaipur became and has since remained the most important city in Rajasthan. From the start, it has had a good water supply system. In providing street lighting, medical facilities, higher education, etc., it has kept pace with modern cities of India. By the middle of the 19th century it had become a centre of banking and jewellery trade in north India and by the end of the century a centre of Sanskrit learning. One of the products of the city was Todarmal, who was perhaps the first writer of modern Hindi prose. The city is also an important religious centre. The history of Jaipur could thus he said to be the history of civilization in northern India during the 18th and 19th centuries. This capital story of the birth and growth of the capital of one of the most forward-looking states of India should be of interest to the lay reader as well as to the specialist.
(Source: University of Chicago Press)
Published: 2006
Publisher: Manohar
Language: English
Author: Ashim Kumar Roy
About: Jaipur is the first planned city of northern India after Mohenjo-daro and the Greek city of Sirkap in Taxila. Its builder was Sawai Jai Singh, the versatile ruler of Amer whose multifarious activities as a statesman, an astronomer and a patron of Hinduism form part of this book. The planning of the city too was perhaps done by Jai Singh himself, ably assisted by a Bengali Brahman, Vidyadhar, who later became his favourite minister. Within a few years of its founding, Jaipur became and has since remained the most important city in Rajasthan. From the start, it has had a good water supply system. In providing street lighting, medical facilities, higher education, etc., it has kept pace with modern cities of India. By the middle of the 19th century it had become a centre of banking and jewellery trade in north India and by the end of the century a centre of Sanskrit learning. One of the products of the city was Todarmal, who was perhaps the first writer of modern Hindi prose. The city is also an important religious centre. The history of Jaipur could thus he said to be the history of civilization in northern India during the 18th and 19th centuries. This capital story of the birth and growth of the capital of one of the most forward-looking states of India should be of interest to the lay reader as well as to the specialist.
(Source: Manohar)
Published: 2004
Publisher: Rupa & Company
Language: English
Author: Dharmendar Kanwar, N. P. Singh (Photographer)
About: Jaipur: 10 Easy Walks is the first book of its kind and gives the tourist a chance to explore the famed lanes of Jaipur. See the well-planned streets from close quarters and discover the city’s architectural beauty in its monuments, Havelis, temples and other traditional buildings, its carefully preserved heritage, its culture and craft skills.
(Source: Rupa & Company)
Published: 2019
Publisher: Redgrab Books
Language: English
Author: Aryan Upadhyay
About: The fictional plotline of Jaipur Diaries traverses a love triangle between a male protagonist (Akash) and two female protagonists (Sia and Navya). This light-hearted novel is full of romantic anecdotes, colours of friendship, college fun and many twists and turns that constantly keep the readers on the edge.
(Source: knock knock/Sugandhaa Pandey)
Published: 2020
Publisher: Penguin Random House India
Language: English
Author: Namita Gokhale
About: From a septuagenarian who has completed her semi-fictional novel but does not want to publish it, to an author who receives a threat in the form of an anonymous letter, from a historian who reunites with a past lover, to a burglar who is passionate about poetry, from a young woman who has no idea what this world has in store for her, to an American woman looking for the India of her hippie youth, this metafictional, wryly funny, pacey novel is an ode to literature. Told from multiple perspectives, set against the backdrop of the vibrant multilingual Jaipur Literature Festival, diverse stories of lost love and regret, self-doubt, and new beginnings come together in a narrative that is as varied as India itself.
(Source: Penguin Random House India)
Published: 2006
Publisher: Penguin Books
Language: English
Author: Giles Henry Rupert Tillotson
About: Jaipur Nama is the story of one of India’s most fascinating cities, as seen through the eyes of both its residents and its visitors, who witnessed and recorded different moments in Jaipur’s history between the 18th and the 20th centuries. The triumphs, follies and foibles of its rulers, the passion and drama of palace intrigues, the splendour of royal rites and entertainments, and the bustle and energy of its bazaars and ateliers, all come to life through the vivid and detailed accounts of chroniclers as diverse as an Austrian Jesuit, a French naturalist, a court priest, a city merchant and a pilgrim from Banaras. Many of these accounts are here translated into English for the first time. Each reflects a different aspect of Jaipur, together creating a captivating, kaleidoscopic portrait of the Pink City. Linking these narratives are the observations, experiences and perceptions of the author, Giles Tillotson, who skillfully weaves the past into the present as he writes about the personalities who shaped the character of the city, the wonders of its architecture, and the development of its superb arts and crafts. Entertaining, as well as scholarly, Jaipur Nama, will appeal to a wide readership. For those who know Jaipur or plan to go there, this book will sharpen and enrich their experience of the city, while armchair travellers will find it a delightfully witty and knowledgeable companion.
(Source: Penguin Books)
Published: 2005
Publisher: Shubhi Publications
Language: English
Author: Dr Shikha Jain
About: For centuries, tales of the heroic Rajputs and their exploits have drawn curious travellers to the medieval townships of Rajasthan. The first in a series of seven volumes dedicated to the Rajput settlements sprawled across the Aravalli hills and the Thar Desert, Princely Terrain: Amber, Jaipur and Shekhawati focus on the Kachchwaha Rajput clan and their kingdom, Dhoondhar. Authored by various eminent scholars and architects, the essays featured in this volume encompass the evolution of the Kachchwaha architectural idiom, the creation of the capital at Jaipur and the impact that it in turn had on the later architecture of the region. The first section of the book, Before Jaipur, begins with theGhat Ki Guni- located on the Jaipur-Agra Highway, this little-known area served as the gateway to the Dhoondhar Empire. Also discussed is the foundation of the Dhoondhar Empire and their first capital at Amber. Replete with anecdotes about the founders of the empire, their ambitions, achievements and contributions in the Mughal era, this section provides a glimpse into the early history of the Kachchwaha rule. Echoing the shift of the Kachchwaha capital from Amber to Jaipur, the second section moves from the Aravallis to the plains at its base. Featured here are essays about the conception and design of Jaipur by the then ruler, Sawai Jai Singh II. In addition to its famed palaces and Havelis, this 18th-century capital is also distinguished by its exceptionally astute town planning. The final section examines the post-Jaipur scenario a period when Jaipur had come to be the landmark in town planning and a source of inspiration in the development of the nearby towns of Shekhawati. Together, the various essays present a cohesive biography of the cities of the Kachchwahas – beginning with their origin and ending with their present avatars.
(Source: Shubhi Publications)
Published: 2020
Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd
Language: English
Author: Dr Santosh Singh
About: ‘A compelling tale of a kingdom in peril, of people in pleasure and pain, Zenani Deordhi is a historical fiction that traces the life of a princess who is married into the Royal House of Jaipur. Through the vivid account of love and loss shared in this book by Santoshi Singh, your childhood imaginations of being royalty can finally take flight!
(Source: knock knock/Sugandhaa Pandey)