Jai Jaipur

Unlike many other texts that focus mostly on the city's princely past, often reading it through rose-colored glasses, this book is premised on the simple notion that Jaipur is a living city. Rulers and decision-makers of the day, along with the many residents and users, built the city purposefully, incrementally, and continuously even as the many regime-changes, shifting social needs, and contemporary cultural preferences influenced their collective work. Thus, while not discounting the utilitarian importance of historical periods and architectural traditions, styles, and movements, the authors also pay attention to the larger social context that framed the development of buildings and places described in this book. Recognizing that architects often focus narrowly on the building as an object, we deliberately narrate local stories and offer historical insights that provide social meaning to these thoughtful acts of architectural design that ultimately contributed to city-building.This book is organized in seven itineraries representing some of the most significant aspects of Jaipur's citywide architecture built almost over three centuries (1727-2017) including an entire itinerary devoted to Amer, the region's historic capital preceding Jaipur.