The heritage conservation and development of the Walled City of Jaipur, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019, will be taken up with a budgetary expenditure of ₹100 crore. The city’s infrastructure will be strengthened with an emphasis on protecting its architectural legacy and vibrant culture.
Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, who holds the tourism portfolio, visited various places in the Walled City here on Tuesday and gave instructions for launching the conservation works. Ms. Kumari said the 400-year-old Man Sagar Lake would also be redeveloped with the boating facilities.
Famous for its buildings constructed with the pink facade, the Walled City had impressed the International Council on Monuments and Sites, which recommended the world heritage status for it. The grant of heritage status took into account the grid plan-based architecture of streets with colonnades, which intersect the centre, creating large public squares called chaupars.
Ms. Kumari, accompanied by the tourism and municipal officials, inspected the places such as City Palace, Chandni Chowk, Tripolia Gate, Chhoti Chaupar, Kishanpole Bazaar, Ajmeri Gate, New Gate, Sanganeri Gate, Johari Bazaar, Badi Chaupar, Subhash Chowk, and Zorawar Singh Gate. She also saw the Maota Lake on the foothills of the historic Amber Palace, which is full to the brim following the monsoon rains.
The Deputy Chief Minister asked the officials to remove all the objects disfiguring the Walled City’s heritage and ensure uniformity in the colour of names painted outside the shops in accordance with the Municipal Corporation’s bylaws. The haphazardly installed cable wires spoiling the beauty of the city should also be removed, she said.
The Maharaja School of Arts & Crafts in Kishanpole Bazaar, rechristened as the Museum of Legacies, will be renovated for proper display of its rich collection. Ms. Kumari said the Man Sagar Lake’s embankment would be beautified before starting the boating facilities and a photography point developed in front of Hawa Mahal, which is considered Jaipur’s most distinctive landmark.
The heritage conservation in the Walled City is expected to give a boost to tourism while benefiting the local economy, and help in improving the infrastructure. The historic fortified city of Jaipur was founded in 1727 by the then Kachwaha Rajput ruler of Amber, Sawai Jai Singh II. The city was established on the plains and built according to a grid plan interpreted in the light of Vedic architecture.
The city’s urban planning shows an exchange of ideas from ancient Hindu and modern Mughal as well as western cultures. Serving as the capital city of the desert State of Rajasthan, Jaipur has maintained its local commercial, artisanal and cooperative traditions in their original form.
