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Jaipur is one of Rajasthan's younger cities, founded in 1727. In 1700, Jai Singh II succeeded at the tender age of thirteen to the throne of the Kuchwaha Rajputs in Ajmer, inheriting a realm that encompassed Shekhawati to the north, and spread east to the borders of the kingdom of the Jats at Bayana, south to Aligarh, and west to Kishangarh where its boundaries met the mighty kingdoms of the Mewars (Udaipur) and Marwars (Jodhpur). Although the Kuchwaha Rajputs had been the first to ally themselves with the Moghuls, in 1561, thereby inviting contempt from other Rajput clans, the free flow of trade, art and ideas with their obliging overlords had by this time won them great prosperity. Jai Singh's sharp wit greatly impressed the Moghul emperor Aurangzeb, who bestowed upon him the title of "Sawai" (one and a quarter), to imply his superlative potential. Jai Singh proved his distinction, excelling in battle, politics and learning, and quickly showing an aptitude for astronomy and an extraordinary passion for symmetry.

When Jai Singh decided to move his capital south from the cramped hilly area of Amber, he drew up plans for the new city of Jaipur, named after himself, in accordance with the ancient Hindu treatise Vastu Sashtra , a formal exposition on architecture written soon after the compilation of the Vedas . With the aid of the superb Bengali architect Vidyadhar Chakravati, he had the city built in less than eight years. The City Palace was also designed by him, as was Jantar Mantar , the largest stone-built observatory in the world.

After Jai Singh's fruitful 43-year reign came an inevitable battle for succession between the offspring he had fathered with 28 wives and four concubines, and the state was thrown into turmoil. Much of its territory was lost to Marathas and Jats, and the British quickly moved in to take advantage of Rajput infighting, gaining power for themselves while forming alliances with the Rajputs to avoid inconvenient conflict. Unlike their neighbours in Delhi and Agra, the rulers of Jaipur remained loyal to the British during the bloody uprisings of 1857. Following Independence, Jaipur merged with the states of Bikaner, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer; it became capital of Rajasthan in 1956. Today, with a population bordering on two million, the state's most advanced commercial and business centre is as prosperous as ever.

The growing affluence, however, has brought with it mounting environmental problems . With 25 percent of Rajasthan's 1.22 million vehicles registered here, air pollution in the Pink City exceeds the World Health Organization's permissable limits by three times. Recently, the municipality took the radical step of banning three-wheelers, but this has had little impact on air quality, which is worsened by emissions from two large industrial areas on the outskirts. Water quality is also poor due to the lack of adequate sewage disposal systems, and the fact that around one third of the city's inhabitants live in slum dwellings without toilets. As a result, infectious diseases are rapidly increasing, notably hepatitis (a real problem here at the start of the hot season in March and April) and malaria (seventy percent of cases reported in one hospital in 1997 were of the deadly Falciparum strain). The civic authority's inability to respond effectively to Jaipur's public health problems was epitomized in June 1996 when an anti-malarial "fogging operation" in the walled old town led to hospitalization of 2700 people with breathing problems and bronchitis.