Jaipur - The Pink City

Jaipur earned its name 'Pink City' in 1876 when Maharaja Ram Singh II ordered the entire old city painted terracotta pink - the colour of hospitality - to welcome Prince Albert of Wales. The colour ordinance is still enforced today by law, giving the walled city a unique visual identity unlike any other in India. The City Palace, where the royal family still resides (in part), and the five-storey Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) - its 953 latticed windows designed so palace women could observe the street without being seen - are the twin icons of Rajput architecture at its most elaborate.

Twelve kilometres north of the city, the amber-coloured sandstone ramparts of Amber Fort (Amer Fort) climb a rocky hill above Maota Lake. Inside, the Sheesh Mahal (Hall of Mirrors) is encrusted with thousands of tiny glass pieces that, when lit by a single candle, transform the entire chamber into a field of stars. The bazaars of the old city - Johari Bazaar for gemstones, Bapu Bazaar for block-printed textiles, Tripolia Bazaar for brassware - are among India's finest shopping streets, while the cooking of Rajasthan - dal baati churma, laal maas, and ghewar sweets - is some of the country's most distinctive.