Then: The founding father of the glorious city was Maharaja Jai Singh II. When the Mughal power fell in 1727, Jai Singh shifted his base from Amber and founded Jaipur. He wanted the city to be planned properly according to Indian tradition. Hence, the city was designed based on the principles laid out by the Shilpa Shastra, an ancient Indian treatise on architecture. The old city designed by Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya, a Bengali Architect, has nine sectors (Chokris) representing the nine divisions of the universe. After the foundation, various landmarks such as Hawa Mahal (Hall of Winds), Jantar Mandir (Open-air observatory) and Loon Karan Ka Bagh (Garden) were added to the city. The visit of Prince of Wales (Edward VII) in 1876 saw the city painted in pink.

Now: The city has grown over the years much beyond its original lay out. The original city founded by Jai Singh lies in the north eastern part of modern Japiur. Now Jaipur is a tourist centre of international acclaim. Jaipur and its neighbourhood has many beautiful palaces, forts and monuments that attract about a million foreign and 8 million Indian tourists every year. It is also a famous centre for clothes, jewellery and several handicrafts. The 1991 Master Development Plan of Jaipur Development Authority (JDA), which came into force in 1998, with 2011 as target year, has contributed a lot to the development of Jaipur. More development plans are being implemented in Jaipur. The civil aviation authority is planning to upgrade the Jaipur airport to international standards.