Jaipur Nama

Jaipur Nama review
Of late I have figured one of the best ways to enjoy your travel to a new city is to pick up a book about the place (and not rely only on Lonely Planet only). So it was Jaipur Nama for the winter trip to Jaipur this year (2009-10).

What is nice about Jaipur Nama is unlike other writers who tend to bring out the worst of India, there is no such effort in this one. In fact the author Giles has pointed out instances where other European writers try to attribute the best of India to western influence. The description of the building is quite lyrical and actually make the building sound better and more exotic than what one would have noticed them with an untrained eye.

The book is traces the history of Jaipur , right from it's start to it's last king. Each chapter is based on the Maharajahs of Jaipur. There are also plenty of references to other travellers who visited Jaipur over the years. It was fun looking for places mentioned in the books, or talking to locals about some of them. Some of the old photos are interesting (and you realize Jaipur, the old City has not changed a lot over the years).

Would strongly recommend this to anyone planning a trip to Jaipur as a must to have companion. Esp if you want to see the place more than the average tourist. And do try and figure out where the cover shot came from ...