Golden Triangle 3-Days Tour — Jaipur 金三角包车游—斋浦尔
March 16, 2025
After leaving Agra yesterday, we drove to the final stop of our Golden Triangle journey—Jaipur, a city often referred to as the Pink City due to the rose-colored buildings that dominate its old town.
After breakfast, our driver picked us up from the hotel, then collected our local guide for the day. Our first stop was the iconic Hawa Mahal, or Palace of Winds, one of Jaipur’s most recognizable landmarks. This pink-hued palace features 953 small windows, designed not just for aesthetics, but to allow royal women to observe the street scenes outside without being seen.
Next, we headed to Amber Fort, Jaipur’s most famous historical site, perched atop the Aravalli Hills. Originally built by Raja Man Singh I in 1592, the fort was expanded over generations into a grand complex that functioned as a military stronghold, royal palace, and sacred space all in one.
We chose not to ride elephants up the hill and instead had our driver take us directly to the entrance at the top. Along the way, we passed through narrow streets of the old city and stopped at the Panna Meena ka Kund, a traditional 16th-century stepwell used for water collection. Its geometric symmetry and intricate design were truly mesmerizing.
At Amber Fort, we watched many tourists arriving on elephant-back through the Suraj Pol (Sun Gate), creating a scene that felt straight out of the Rajput era. The most breathtaking part was the Sheesh Mahal, or Hall of Mirrors, its walls embedded with thousands of tiny mirrors that glittered in the light.
Although it was a Hindu royal residence, the fort’s architecture is also heavily influenced by Islamic design. Raja Man Singh I built separate quarters for each of his twelve queens, connected by a secret passageway that allowed the king to visit any queen in private. Our guide led us through this hidden corridor—it felt like peeking into a forgotten world of palace intrigue.
Standing atop the high ramparts of Amber Fort, the views of the surrounding landscape are truly breathtaking. You can gaze out over rolling hills of the Aravalli range, their rugged outlines stretching across the horizon. Below, the tranquil waters of Maota Lake glimmer in the sunlight, with the delicate pattern of Kesar Kyari Bagh, a geometric garden island, visible at its center. To one side, long fortification walls snake along the ridgelines like a stone ribbon, protecting the old city and blending into the hills—evoking images of the Great Wall of China. In the distance, you can spot tiny villages, temples, and palaces, dotting the dry, sunbaked terrain.
Later, we visited the Jal Mahal, or Water Palace, which sits quietly in the middle of Man Sagar Lake. Submerged partially by the lake, only the upper two of its five stories are visible above water. Since the palace is not open to the public, we admired it from the lakeshore and took photos.
Our next stop was Jantar Mantar, an UNESCO World Heritage Site built in 1724 by Maharaja Jai Singh II. This astronomical observatory features the world’s largest sundial (Samrat Yantra), accurate to within two seconds. The site also houses many other massive instruments used to measure time, track stars, and observe planetary movements—a testament to India’s advanced astronomical knowledge at the time.
We concluded our day at the City Palace, part of which is still the residence of Jaipur’s royal family. The sections open to the public showcase a fusion of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture, and exhibit a fascinating collection of historical artifacts, royal garments, and weaponry—each piece telling the story of a bygone era of opulence and power.
With this, our Golden Triangle tour came to a close. In the evening, we had an 8 PM flight to Mumbai, so our driver dropped us at the airport. We had planned to have dinner there, only to find that the pre-security area had almost no food options. With a few hours left before check-in, we simply waited at the airport, reflecting on the unforgettable memories from the past few days.
金三角包车游——斋浦尔
2025年3月16日
昨天离开阿格拉（Agra） 后，我们驱车前往金三角之旅的最后一站——斋浦尔（Jaipur），这座城市因其老城区的大部分建筑为粉红色，而被称为 “粉红之城”（Pink City）。
早餐后司机来酒店接我们，然后又去接今天的当地导游。今天的第一个景点风之宫殿，它是斋浦尔最具代表性的建筑之一。这座粉红色的宫殿拥有953 扇窗户，其设计目的不仅仅是为了美观，而是为了让宫廷女子在不被外人看见的情况下，透过窗户观看街道上的活动。
接着，我们驱车前往琥珀堡，这是斋浦尔最著名的历史遗迹之一，坐落在阿拉瓦利山脉（Aravalli Hills） 之上。堡垒最早由 拉贾·曼·辛格一世（Raja Man Singh I） 于 1592 年 建造，随后几代统治者不断扩建，使其成为一座集军事要塞、皇宫和宗教圣地于一体的壮丽宫殿。
我们没有选择骑大象上山，而是由司机直接送到山顶入口。从狭窄的古城小街穿过，我们先来到帕纳米纳阶梯井（Panna Meena ka Kund）。这座 16世纪修建的传统阶梯井，曾用于雨水收集，几何对称的阶梯设计令人叹为观止。
到达琥珀堡，我们看到许多游客骑着大象从 太阳门（Suraj Pol） 进入堡垒，仿佛穿越回了数百年前的拉贾斯坦王朝。最让人惊叹的是胜利大厅（Sheesh Mahal），也被称为 “镜宫”，其墙面镶嵌着无数小镜片。
琥珀堡不仅是一座印度教国王的城堡，其建筑也深受伊斯兰风格影响。曼·辛格一世为他的十二位王妃修建了独立的生活区，其中一条秘密通道让国王可以随时进入任何一位王妃的住所。导游带着我们走过这条隐秘小径，仿佛窥探到往日宫廷生活的秘密。
随后，我们来到贾尔·玛哈尔（Jal Mahal），又称水上宫殿，它静静地矗立在 曼萨加尔湖（Man Sagar Lake） 之中。宫殿的下面三层已被湖水淹没，仅有二面二层露出水面。由于宫殿不对外开放，我们只能在湖边欣赏并拍照留念。
接下来，我们前往简塔·曼塔天文台（Jantar Mantar），这座联合国教科文组织（UNESCO）世界文化遗产 由 贾伊·辛格二世（Maharaja Jai Singh II） 于 1724 年 建造。这里拥有世界上最大的 日晷（Samrat Yantra），时间误差可精准至 2 秒，此外还有许多用于测量时间、星象和行星运动的巨大天文仪器，充分展现了当时印度在天文学领域的先进水平。
最后，我们参观了 城市宫殿（City Palace），这是一座仍然由斋浦尔王公家族居住的宫殿。宫殿内部对公众开放的部分展示了 拉贾斯坦与莫卧儿建筑风格的融合，馆内珍藏着历史文物、皇家服饰和武器，每一件展品都诉说着昔日王朝的辉煌。
至此，我们的金三角之旅 画上了句号。晚上，我们已预订了 8 点飞往孟买（Mumbai）的航班，于是让司机送我们去机场。原计划在机场内用餐，但到达后才发现安检前的候机区域几乎没有餐饮店。由于距离值机还有几个小时，我们也只能在机场耐心等待，回味这几天的精彩旅程。