Jaipur, the pink city whose king once painted it to impress a guest, is now a UNESCO World Heritage site

The walled city of Jaipur, in India’s northwestern state of Rajasthan just turned into a UNESCO World Heritage Site.It is the 38th site in the country and the second walled city in India to receive the status, after Ahmedabad.

In the 17th century, Rajput King Maharaja Jai Singh II built six meter high walls to protect the city from attackers. Till day, the city is enclosed within seven gates, surviving for centuries as its kings wanted it to be.

Today too, the walled city is enclosed in seven gates namely Ajmeri Gate, Zorawar Singh Gate, Chandpole, New Gate, Ghat Gate, Samrat Gate, Surajpole and Sanganeri Gate. Ahmedabad, which also has several walls around it, was the first Indian city to turn into a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2017.

For its rich heritage, the city was picked for the famed status at the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Azerbaijan.