Ghat Ki Guni | In A Class Of Its Own!

Ghat ki Guni or Ghat Ki Ghuni is a narrow alley between eastern hill range of Aravalis in Jaipur. It provides access to the areas situated in the east side of Jaipur & beyond. Ghat ki Guni is also a starting point of the road that leads to Agra -the city of Taj Mahal, hence called Agra Road.

Reginald Herber, Bishop & traveler who reached Jaipur on 28 January 1825 described Ghat ki Guni in his memoir – Narrative of a Journey through the Upper Provinces of India from Calcutta to Bombay 1824–1825.

“….The pass grew narrower, the path steeper & more rugged as we proceeded along with it & the little stream which we were ascending instead of dimpling amid the grass & stones now leapt & bounded from crag to crag like a Welsh rivulet. Still all was wild & dismal when on a turn of road we found ourselves in front of a high turreted & battlement wall, pierced with a tier of arched window & showing us beyond them the dark green shades of a large oriental garden……”

ghat-ki-guni-jaipur-roop-niwas-garden-peeli-kothi-agra-road-jaipurthrumylens — The structures and *Mughal* style gardens at **Ghat Ki Guni, Jaipur**

ghat-ki-ghuni-jaipur — Traffic passing through **Ghat Ki Guni** area

jaipur-heritage-at-ghat-ki-guni-jaipur — **Ghat Ki Guni,** on Agra Road, Jaipur

For a newbie, visiting Jaipur for the first time & entering the city from Ghat Ki Guni, the architecture will surely enthrall him. It has a beautiful facade lining both sides of the road, adorned by the jharokhas and chhatris, a hallmark of Jaipur architecture.

ghat ki ghooni jaipur — Symmetry in architecture was a very important element! **Chhatris** at ***Ghat Ki Guni***

Ghat ki Guni was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur city in 1739. Layout plan of Ghat ki Guni area envisaged Mughal style terraced gardens like Sisodia Rani Garden, Vidhyadhar Garden and Raj Niwas Garden. These gardens were styled & inspired by the famous Mughal gardens of Delhi, Kashmir and elsewhere. Apart from these gardens, there are dwelling units, Havelis and many temples lining both sides of the road. Over the period of time, many people moved out of these buildings and now they are deserted.

bihariji-temple-ghat-ki-guni-agra-road-jaipur-jaipurthrumylens — **Bihari Ji Temple, Ghat Ki Guni, Jaipur**

Jaipur was envisaged as a major trading city by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II (the founder of Jaipur) due to its favorable location. The layout of Jaipur had incorporated this element. Delhi road and Agra road were the main entry points to the city. Entry to the city from Delhi road was from north direction while the entry from Agra was from East direction. Both Agra & Delhi, had immense importance during Mughal rule as they were the center of Mughal power, ruling over vast tracts of northern India, spanning right from Afghanistan to Bangladesh.

ghat-ki-guni-jaipur — **Ghat ki Guni** is not a straight road, rather it has many bends which only adds to its beauty.

The entire area has now been renovated by Amer Development Authority (ADA) recently after years of neglect. In fact, before the renovation took place, all these heritage structures were in a dilapidated state.

ghaat ki ghuni in jaipur — Lovey facade adorn the **Ghat ki Gun**i passage

Various shapes of entrances gates are quite striking!

These doors are reminiscent of the bygone era!

Looking at the beauty of Ghat Ki Guni, we can probably guess the political importance of Agra during Mughal emperor Akbar’s rule; it was the capital of the Mughal empire for more than a century!!

Ghat ki Guni served as a recreational area for the Jaipur Royalty. It is 4 Km from the walled city area of Jaipur and served as a glimpse of the beautiful city that lay ahead. This is evident from the description of Reginald Herber as detailed above.

ghat-ki-guni-tunnel-wiki-photo — Ghat ki Guni Tunnel that now bypasses the old Agra road that has heritage structures

Ghat ki Guni served as an access point of all traffic heading to Agra and beyond, for years, which caused further damage to these structures. An alternative route, Ghat Ki Guni tunnel has now been thrown open and all heavy & commercial vehicular traffic has been diverted through it. Below picture shows the expansive view of the area around Ghat Ki Guni Tunnel.

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Ghat ki Guni has many heritage structures that will continue to enthrall tourists & travelers! There are many interesting places to explore in this area and I have already written about a few of these – Monkey Temple- Galtaji, Ghat Ke Balaji Temple, and Sisodia Rani Garden. Do check them out.