Maharaja Jai Singh II founded Jaipur in 1727. Jaipur was India's first planned city, and the king took great care in designing it. Before designing one of India's most beautiful cities, Maharaja consulted several architecture books and architects. Jaipur also has many festivals. Every year on March 3rd is the elephant festival. It is a must see once in a lifetime experience. The elephants are beautifully groomed and made to walk in front of a cheerful audience. Jaipur is a popular tourist destination in India all year round. Jaipur is a gateway to places like Jodhpur in Rajasthan. Jaipur has a hot desert climate and a hot semi-arid climate, and receives over 650 millimetres of rain annually, mostly in the monsoon months of June to September.
