The western skyline is dominated by the extensive walls, watch towers and gatewasys of the Jaigarh Fort. It is one of the few military structures of medieval India preserved almost intact, containing palaces, agrdens open and covered reservoirs, a granary, an armoury, a well-planned cannon foundry, several temples, a tall tower and a giant mounted acnnon-the Jain Ban, the largest cannon in the world.
The historic city of Jaipur or “The City of Vicotory” was founded in 1727 A.D. by the great Kachhawah ruler Sawai Jai Singh II (1700 - 1747 A.D.), and named after him. The monarch was not only a great builder, but also a poet and an astronomer. Under his aegis, the city was designed by his talented architect Vidyadhar, who gave shape to the creative aspirations of Sawai Jai Singh in the form of the dream city of Jaipur.
The city is rectangular in shape and divided into nine blocks on the basis of principles laid down inthe”Shilpa Shastra”, the ancient Indian treatise on architecture. Built on the pattern of a grid, the city has wide straight avenues, roads, streets and lanes and uniform rows of shops on either side at the main bazar, all arranged in nine rectangular city sectors (Chokris). The principal monuments of Jaipur are concentrated in the centrally situated Palace area (Chokri Sarhad ) in and around the city Palace. In course of time, the sunset-pink tinge of its walls, buildings and temples gave it the name Pinck City.