Planning of Jaipur and it's architectural masterpieces

1. JAIPUR ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING
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2. Location

3. History
 Jaipur is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan.
 Jaipur is also known as Pink City.
 In ancient time Jaipur region came under the Matsya Kingdom.
 Modern Jaipur was founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber , who ruled from
1699–1744.
 Initially, his capital was Amber, which lies 11 km from Jaipur.
 He felt the need of shifting his capital city with the increase in population and growing scarcity of water.
 Jai Singh Consulted Several Books On Architecture And Architects While Planning The Layout Of Jaipur . Under The
Architectural Guidance Of Vidyadhar Bhattacharya , Jaipur Was Planned Based On The Principles Of Vastu Shastra And
Shilpa Shastra .
 Jaipur is Built In The Form Of A Eight-part Mandala Known As The ‘Pithapada’.
 In The 19th Century The City Grew Rapidly And Became Prosperous ; by 1900 It Had A Population Of 160,000.The City’s
Wide Boulevards Were Paved. Jaipur Was Painted Pink By Maharaja Ram Singh To Welcome Prince Of Wales, Later Edward
VII , Visited Jaipur In 1876.
 The major rivers passing through the Jaipur district are Banas and Banganga.

4.  Jaipur has a hot semi-arid climate .
 Rainfall :650 millimetres of rainfall annually but most rains occur in the monsoon months between June
and September.
 Temperatures remain relatively high throughout the year, with the summer months of April to early July
having average daily temperatures of around 30 °C.
 The winter months of November to February are mild and pleasant, with average temperatures ranging
from 15–18 °C (59–64 °F) and with little or no humidity.
Climate

5. MILITARY REASONS
• Defence
• A site at the South of Amber ensured greater distance from
Delhi.
• the out skirting hill ranges (Nahargarh hills) shaped as a
horseshoe would allow the new city to expand only in the
South.
• It was an open plain bounded on the north-west and east
hills.
GEOGRAPHICAL REASONS
• The rocky terrain of Amber restricted expansion.
• Jaipur had the potentialities of developing into a city with
adequate drinking water due to the presence of a perennial
stream nearby and good drainage system.
• Its rugged hills also ensured a constant supply of building
material.
Reasons for maharaja sawai jai singh to change his capital from amber to jaipur (1727)

6. • The need of a new capital for 18th century
Dhoondhar as the earlier one of Amber built on a
hill was getting congested.
• Sawai Raja Jai Singh’s vision of the new capital as
a strong political statement at par with Mughal
cities and as a thriving trade and commerce hub
for the region.
Two significant facts responsible for the origin of the city and its subsequent layout:

7. • Unlike Dausa and Amber, the two previous capital cities established on hill-top, whose planning was guided by topographical
structure of the areas, Jaipur city was revolutionary both in terms of its grid-iron pattern planning and its location at the base
of the hills.
• There was also a significant economic shift from an agricultural base in Dausa and Amber to trading in the capital of Jaipur.
• The layout of the city of Jaipur wonderfully links the concept of a Shastric city with the practicalities of the chosen site.
• First, the straight line of the ridge suggested itself as the route for one of the main east-west thorough fares and building a
road along its crest makes best possible use of the topography for the purpose of drainage.
• What followed then was to regularize the Amber- Sanganer road as a north-south route at right angles to it.
• The point of intersection would be one of the city’s main cross-roads (chaupar).
• The southern boundary of the city had to lie within the line of the Agra-Ajmer road. So by extending the NS road as far as
possible southwards gives the first fixed dimension, the length of a side of a square and so establishes the size of the unit or
module of the city.
• A road cutting the plain from N to S linking Amber,the capital to Sanganer, the principal trading town. This road had to be
preserved and controlled and therefore had to fall within the city’s boundaries
• A second road ran E to W between the Mughal cities of Agra and Ajmer and placing the new city on this already established
communication line would help secure its economic success. However since this was an imperial road that could not be
encroached on, thus the city had to be contained to the north of this line.
Planning of the city

8. Establishing the city axes on the siteConjectural reconstruction of the site for Jaipur
Accommodating the eastern and western
adjustments
Developing site as a mandala
N
S
E
W

9. Conceptual prastara plan
• It is a model of town planning the first
planned city in India. It is based on Hindu
systems of town planning and followed the
principles prescribed in the Vastu Shastra
and Shilpa-shastra, an ancient Indian treatise
on architecture .according to this shastra the
site should be divided into grids or
mandalas ranging from 2x 2 to 10 x 10.
• Planned according to the Prastara type of
layout, which gives prominence to the
cardinal directions.
• Thus plan of jaipur is a grid of 3x3 with
gridlines being the city’s main streets.
MANDALA PRASTARA

10.  The central axis of the town was laid from east to west between the gates of the sun (suraj pol) and the
moon (chandpol) .
 This was crossed by two roads at right angles dividing the town into nine almost square, almost equally sized
blocks, which were further sub divided by lanes and alleys all at right angles.
 By building the western boundary of the city right up to the hill’s southern apex, it provided a continuous
line of defense.
 The mandala could not be complete in the NW due to the presence of the hills.
 On the other hand in the SE an extra square has been added that plugged the gap between the city and the
eastern hills.
City plan of jaipur

11. • South of the main road were four almost equal
rectangles. The rectangle opposite the palace
has been broken up into two equal and smaller
rectangles by the Chaura Rasta.Thus altogether
there are now five rectangles on the south of
the main road called Chowkris.
• On the North of the main road from West to
East are the Purani Basti, the Palace and
Ramchandraji.
• The principal bazaar leads from the western
gate in the city wall, The Chandpole, passing in
front of the Tripolia Gate, to the eastern city
gate, the Surajpole.
1. RAMCHANDRASI
2. GANGAPOI CHAUKRI
3. TALKATORA
4. TOPKHANA HAZURI
5. PURANI BASTI
6. TOPKHANA DESH
7. MODI KHANA
/ VISHESHWARJI
8. GHAT DARWAZA
9. PALACE
City plan of jaipur

12. • The palace building covered two blocks, the town six and
the remaining ninth block was not usable on account of
steep hills. So this North-West ward was transferred to the
South-East corner of the city, making the shape of the plan
as a whole asymmetrical rather than square.
• The city’s division into nine wards was also in conformity
with the Hindu caste system, which necessitated the
segregation of people belonging to different communities
and ranks.
• Even the lanes were named after the occupations of
inhabitants such as Maniharon ka Rasta, Thatheron ka
Rasta & many others.
• Following the directions of the Hindu Shilpa shastra, width
of the main streets & other lanes were fixed. Thus the main
streets of the city were 111ft. wide, secondary streets 55 ft.
wide & the smaller ones 27ft. wide.
City plan of jaipur

13. URBAN FORM AND ARCHITECTURAL IDENTITY

14. • Jaipur’s road network follows a definite hierarchy. The major east-west and north-south road ,form the sector
boundaries and are called Rajmarg as they lead to the city gates. These measure 33m. wide.
• Next there is a network of 16.5m wide which runs north-south in each sector linking the internal areas of the
sectors to the major activity spine.
• An orthogonal grid of 8.25mx4.00m roads in the prastara-chessboard pattern further divide sectors into
Mohallas.
Road Network

15. • CHAUPARS
• BAZAARS
• MOHALLAS
• STREETS
• TEMPLES
Public Spaces

16. Conceptual plan - chaupar
• A square that occurs at the intersection of east west roads with three north south roads.
• 100m x 100m
• Used for public gathering on festive occasions
• The distance between two chaupars is about 700m which is ideal for pedestrian movement.
• It has controlled façade treatment enveloping it.

17. STREETSCAPES AND CHOWKS
BAZAARS

18. Section through ramganj bazaar Chandra mahal in 1876

19. Architectural Masterpieces
Hawa Mahal Amer Fort
Jantar Mantar Jal Mahal