What was the origin of Jaipur’s name “Pink City of India?”
The moniker “Pink City” was given to Jaipur because of the colour of the stone used solely for the construction of all buildings and constructions.
Anyone who has seen the city can affirm that all of the buildings in Jaipur are pink.
Why are all of the buildings pink?
In 1876, Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales embarked on a tour of colonial India.
Pink was thought to be the hue of hospitality, consequently Maharaja Ram Singh of Jaipur coloured the entire city pink to greet tourists.
Prince Albert spent a whopping 17 weeks doing royal duties around the Indian subcontinent, yet he got bored and lonely of his formal engagements since he was missing his beloved wife, Victoria.
This was a perfect chance for Indian leaders to build relations with the British royalty and seek personal favour with the Royal family.
The emperor of Jaipur was one of Indian most wealthy and powerful rulers, and he impressed the British court like none other.
Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II’s initial strategy was to assure Albert’s visit to Jaipur, and in order to do this, he built a beautiful music hall and named it after the prince.
Today, tourists may see the exquisite Albert Hall, which lies within the carefully thought out acres of the Ram Niwas Public Gardens.
After luring Prince Albert to Jaipur, the Maharaja began about improving his capital, which included repainting the whole city.
It was when that English Lord Albert declared Jaipur to be a “Pink City,” and therefore Jaipur is known as the “Pink City.”
Later, a legislation was implemented requiring all buildings in the region to be repainted the same colour.
How did it manage to stay pink for so long?
The explanation may be found in the favourite wife of Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh, who admired the colour scheme.
With her private ear to the maharaja, the queen persuaded him to adopt legislation making it unlawful to paint buildings any colour other than Jaipur Pink.
This 1877 rule is still in existence today and contributes to the transformation of the otherwise filthy and nasty metropolis into the pink city, although a grimy shade of pink.
Every structure within the walled historic district, also known as CHAR DIWARI, is painted a terracotta “pink” colour. To honour its name, the city is still painted pink every Diwali by decree of the chief minister.
About the Author
