Jaipur, Known as the Pink City, Designated as India's 38th UNESCO World Heritage Site
Jaipur, the vibrant city in India's Rajasthan state, has been officially inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO. This historic city, founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, is an exceptional urban example in indigenous city planning and construction in South Asia.
The city's inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List primarily highlights its remarkably preserved medieval urban planning, exemplified by the Walled City of Jaipur. Every building within this area is painted in a signature pink hue, symbolizing hospitality, a feature that sets Jaipur apart visually and culturally.
Jaipur's unique features that contributed to its UNESCO status include its planned city layout, architectural heritage, distinctive pink colour, and astronomical marvel. The city is one of India’s earliest planned cities, designed according to Vedic architecture principles with a symmetrical, grid-based layout. This planning is a rare example from its period that has been well preserved.
The city includes grand forts like the impressive Amber Fort, palaces, bazaars, and forts characterized by Rajput architectural style, richly blending Hindu and Mughal design elements. The entire Walled City is painted a uniform pink colour, creating a visually cohesive urban fabric, which is rare for historic cities.
Within Jaipur is the Jantar Mantar, an 18th-century astronomical observatory and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the world’s best-preserved collections of architectural astronomical instruments, reflecting the scientific knowledge and interests of the time.
The nomination of Jaipur City complies with UNESCO guidelines of 2017. Jaipur's iconic monuments, such as the Govind Dev temple, City Palace, Jantar Mantar, and Hawa Mahal, are renowned for their artistic and architectural craftsmanship of the period.
The city's inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List reflects both its cultural significance as a living urban heritage and its architectural and historical uniqueness that has been preserved through centuries. Its three UNESCO recognitions—the Walled City, Amber Fort, and Jantar Mantar—within the city limits demonstrate a rare concentration of world heritage sites in one urban area.
The countries that supported India's nomination for the World Heritage Site status for Jaipur include Brazil, Bahrain, Cuba, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Kuwait, Kyrghystan, Zimbabwe, China, Guatemala, Uganda, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Bosnia and Hezegovina, Angola, St. Kitts and Nevis. Initially, Australia and Norway opposed the nomination, but after debate, they agreed for its inscription.
The Union Minister for Culture, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, expressed happiness for Jaipur's inclusion in the world heritage list. With this recognition, India now has 38 World Heritage Sites, including 30 Cultural properties, 7 Natural properties, and 1 mixed site. This milestone underscores India's rich cultural heritage and its commitment to preserving and promoting it on a global scale.
In a celebration of preservation and global recognition, the vibrant city of Jaipur, with its unique blend of home-and-garden styles in the form of grand forts and palaces like the Amber Fort, Jantar Mantar, and City Palace, has expanded its identity as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beyond this, the city's travel attractions also include exploring the lifestyle of a historic city through its bazaars and forts, like the Walled City, painted in a harmonious pink hue that symbolizes not only hospitality but also unity, essential elements reshaping its transcultural identity.
