The 7 gates of Jaipur
Every lane and every street of Jaipur has a story to tell. The city which is so rich in history was the first planned city in the country and was planned in a way that no one can get lost inside the walled city.
One more notable thing about the city is its gates. Raja Sawai Jai Singh II with his architect planned the city in 3 X 3 squares based on the Indian Vastu-Purush-Mandala. These squares, and thus all the roads are aligned North-South or East-West. These 9 +1 squares constitute Jaipur’s walled city. The city is guarded by 7 primary gates or pols which formed the entry-exit points into the walled city. They are a part of the city ramparts; each gate is unique, and its name carries a clue to its location and reason for its name.
The centermost square of the Old City is the City Palace and Govind Dev Ji Temple and the 7 gates are:
Dhruv Pol
Dhruv Pol was named after the pole star or Dhruv Tara. It is the northernmost gate of the walled city which is now known as the Zorawar Singh Gate/ Darwaza. It is the widest among all other Darwaza.
Suraj Pol
The name itself suggests the Sun Gate which is the gate to the east side of the walled city, towards the eastern hills in the direction of the rising sun. Forming a gateway to the famous sun temple constructed by Sawai Jai Singh and further towards Galta Ji. This gate can be easily identified by the symbol of the sun painted on the gate.
Chand Pol
The name has a meaning of Moon Gate. Through the east-west axis of the city, this one is diagrammatically just opposite Suraj Pol and forms the western gate of the walled city. You can find the famous and ancient Chandpol Hanuman Ji Temple with its 25 feet high Shikhar adjoining the gate.
Kishan pol/Ajmeri Gate
The very first of the 4 southern gates as the name suggests would command the western road towards the Ajmer district near Jaipur. Along with this, the gate would take you inside the city towards the Kishan pol bazaar.
Naya Pol
Settled on the southern end of the Chaura Rasta, this one is the second gate south of the rampart. The name suggests a meaning “New Gate”. Naya Pol was earlier known as the chor Darwaza and was later increased in size by Sawai Ram Singh II. This road connects to the Tripolia gate of City Palace. You can see Albert Hall through the Darwaza.
Shiv pol/Sanganeri Gate
Shiv pol is the third gateway and is located in the southern ramparts of Jaipur’s walled city. Shiv pol has governed the southwards route towards the Sanganer town. The gate was named Shiv pol after the Shiv mandir which the royal family would visit during the Mahashivratri festival.
Ram pol/Ghat Gate
This is the last one of 4 gates, the Ghat pol was named after the eastern road towards the Ghat Ki Ghuni. Inside the city, there is a road that links the Ramchandra Ji Chowkri and Ramganj Bazaar, thus it is also known as Ram Pol.