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As the first planned city in India, Jaipur is noted for having a rich cultural past that is reflected in the city's customs, traditions, way of life, art, and architecture. In actuality, Jaipur's art, music, and architecture offer the finest insights into its culture. Visits should be made to Jaipur's magnificent monuments, including the Hawa Mahal, Amber Fort, and Jal Mahal, three enormous structures from the Mughal and Rajput eras that perfectly capture the culture of the city. The largest of the five such monuments, Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, is essentially an observatory and an architectural marvel.
Its distinctive architectural feature is well known across the entire world, as tourists travel a long way just to catch a glimpse of the royalty the city holds. The Rajput architectural style, which combines Hindu and Muslim structural elements, has had a significant influence on Rajasthani architecture. Other than the rich and vast art and architecture of the city, clothing is one aspect of Indian culture that distinguishes it from other cultures.
When we talk about the royal state of India, Rajasthan, the attire there demonstrates the regal and coy characteristics of the Rajasthani people. The people of Rajasthan take immense pride in differentiating their clothing from the rest of the country. Maharaja Jai Singh II had the vision to transform Pink City into a regal realm where people might live a life of luxury and treasure each moment when he created the city of Jaipur during the Mughal Empire. He endured several modifications and ceremonies—Jaipur clothes being one of them—to come to understand the same. Block printing quickly gained renown in Jaipur.
The printing of images onto fabric is said to have started in China some 4500 years ago, but India is where hand-blocked cloth reached its greatest price, according to the New York Times. There are rumors that Indians had an unmatched understanding of the techniques for making natural plant dyes.
Block printing was invented in Rajasthan around 500 years ago, and the China community, located in the village of Bagru, which is well-known for its mud-resist block prints and vegetable dyes, brought it to the Jaipur area. Block printing techniques have been passed down via families and the local community for many years.
A print starts with the design, which is hand-carved onto 18–24 cm wooden blocks after being sketched out on paper. The actual block is a single-repeat pattern that is imprinted over the cloth in rows. Each component of the pattern is cut into a separate block. Block carving requires years of practice and is a precise art that is executed entirely by hand.
Maharani Gayatri Devi Ji is only one of the numerous things that Rajasthan is renowned for, in addition to block printing and glitzy and breathtakingly gorgeous structures. The people of Jaipur remember the late Maharani with high regard, as she was one of the people who only thought to do better for the city.
In 1919, Maratha Princess Indira Raje of Barda and Prince Jitendra Narayan of Koch Behar gave birth to Princess of Koch Behar*. When the princess was a child, her uncle died and her father succeeded to the throne, which is also why she lived a life that can be characterized as grand and opulent, according to various textbook sources.
The Maharani is known to enjoy a variety of pastimes, including polo and other sports like horseback riding and hunting. She first met him through Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur. Sparks flew between the two of them the moment they met, and they courted for six long years before getting married, making Princess Gayatri Devi the Maharani of Jaipur. She was Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II’s third wife.
Maharani Gayatri Devi was listed as one of the top ten most beautiful women in the world by Vogue magazine because of her reportedly unaffected natural beauty and lack of need for cosmetic enhancement. She was admired not only for her beauty but also for her commitment to aiding women in society by standing up for their rights and educating them about their place in society.
Although Gayatri Devi inherited the formality of the royal family, she drew the line when it came to giving up her freedom. The two wives of the Maharaja used to follow the purdah system. However, Maharani Gayatri Devi disapproved of the Rajasthani Purdah system, and that is how the Purdah system was abolished in the state.
At a time when girls' education was not given much priority, she took the initiative and founded Jaipur's most prominent girls' school to educate more girls and empower them in their own right. Even though she was a Maharani and had many royal duties, she gave girls' education priority. She wished for the girls of the state and Jaipur to receive a quality education so they to be independent and self-sufficient. In Jaipur, she established the Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' School in 1943, especially for this purpose.
She eventually established a co-educational school in honor of her late spouse, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya, because she was a firm believer in giving both genders equal chances. She was passionate about maintaining Jaipur's distinctive personality. She frequently emphasizes that Jaipur is the foundation of who she is. She was passionate about preserving the city's history and was prepared to go to great lengths to accomplish this. The fading blue pottery industry was restored and encouraged by Maharani Gayatri Devi. To draw the authorities' notice, she participated in three dharnas (protests) and wrote letters to them. Maharani Gayatri Devi cared about the environment equally; she offered her land for a park because she said that she believes that open spaces are vitally important for people.
She also spoke out against the removal of an old tree on Queen's Road. Maharani Gayatri Devi adored Jaipur and everything about it, and she always did what she thought was the right thing to do to embrace the beautiful city. She was always adamant about standing up for what she believed in with that intensity. Whether it was abolishing the purdah practice, educating girls, or preserving Pink City's heritage, Even after her death, she is remembered for her exceptional qualities. She was a formidable woman.
The Maharani of Jaipur was not only tasked with making things better for the people of Jaipur on the surface, but she also required large-scale activities to improve the state of the people of Jaipur. When C. Rajagopalachari founded the Swatantra Party after India's independence in 1962, she set a world record by receiving the most votes from Jaipur's Lok Sabha seat. This demonstrated the public's affection for her. She was also elected to the Lok Sabha from the Jaipur parliamentary constituency on a Swatantra Party ticket in 1967 and 1971.
Of course, the Maharani led a king-sized life, but she also had to deal with tragedy when Sawai Man Singh died in 1970 and her son Jagat Singh died in 1977 as a result of excessive drinking. Gayatri Devi also spent time in Tihar Jail during Indira Gandhi's emergency. She left politics after being released from prison. She was always willing to help others and spread kindness. On July 29, 2009, the beautiful Maharani of Jaipur died at the age of 90.
Maharani Gayatri Devi's grandchildren, Maharaj Devraj Singh and Rajkumari Lalitya granted life rights to make a world-class series on their beloved grandmother and released a statement, which read, "We believe that her life story should be told by people who are truly passionate about her and whose vision is to create the show on a grand scale." "We hope that they will do justice to inspiring millions of audiences, especially the younger generation who will get to learn about her life story and the older generations the world over who will get to recount her legend." The grandchildren of Maharani Gayatri Devi recognized the public's desire to learn more about their grandmother.
One of the significant parts of the history of Jaipur is Poornima Handicrafts, which was founded in 1971 to market India's vast and diverse craft traditions. The artisans produce exceptional designers in hand block and screen printing, as well as tie and dye, appliqué, and embroidery. It was described as a world-class manufacturer and exporter of handcrafted items and designer home furnishings. The brand was started by Ganesh Kumar Rana, the son of Chand Bihari Lal Rana, who was passionate about India's rich artistic heritage and arts and crafts and quickly started a journey into traditional textiles, savoring Rajasthan's art forms.
The next generation of the brand takes great pride in revealing that the resident of their daughter company, "Pachouli," is none other than a residence where one of the city's most prominent figures has resided and made decisions for the city's welfare. Maharani Gayatri Devi's office Poornima Handicrafts Gate.
Namrata Rana, Pachouli's founder, is currently residing in Maharani Gayatri Devi's office, and with the same passion and enthusiasm as Gayatri Devi, Namrata Rana looks forward to expanding the textile magic in the domestic market to create prospects for the city's artisans. She describes how the good vibrations of the office she is currently working in have directed her to do better for the citizens of the city while also moving ahead with her career opportunities.
During festivities, one may be able to witness the colorful festival of Jaipur through a small window that sits by her office, and Namrata explains that it has a special significance for her because she has envisioned Maharani Gayatri Devi sitting there and pondering about what her next step for the welfare of the community of Jaipur would be. The thought of being in a place where Maharani Gayatri Devi used to sit and take decisions for the betterment of the city or the people tends to make her very proud.
Namrata Rana is very passionate and dedicated to making her brand Pachouli one of the finest clothing brands in the country and promoting block-printing art, but she also wants to do it at a pace that allows the artisans who have been working at Poornima Handicrafts for years to be treated with the same respect and support from the people. Pachouli wishes to preserve and promote the art of block printing while also educating clients about the rich history of the location from which they work.