City Palace, Jaipur

The City Palace in Jaipur was begun in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of the Kachwaha Rajputs, alongside the planned grid city of Jaipur itself. The architects Vidyadhar Bhattacharya and Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob produced a fusion of Rajput, Mughal, and (in later additions) European architectural styles spread across one-seventh of the original walled city. The complex is organised around several courtyards. The Mubarak Mahal (1900) holds the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum of textiles and royal costumes — including the gigantic robes of Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh I, who was 7 feet tall and 250 kg. The Diwan-i-Khas holds two enormous silver urns (the Gangajalis) — the world's largest silver objects, weighing 345 kg each, made in 1902 to carry Ganges water for Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II's voyage to England. The Pritam Niwas Chowk has its four famous painted doorways, one for each season. The Chandra Mahal — a seven-storey palace at the rear of the complex — is still the partial residence of the current Maharaja Padmanabh Singh. Allow 2–3 hours. Camera fees additional. Combined ticket with Amber and Hawa Mahal available.