Collecting India’s Most Beautiful Colors: A Colorful Must-Visit of Four Cities in Pink, White, Blue, and Gold

Text by MOOK Scenic Spots Home Travel Life Network Editorial Department, compiled and reported
 

Those who have been to India are always amazed by the saturated colors visible everywhere across the country—from the spices in markets or women’s saris to the architecture of entire cities, all imbued with unified thematic hues. Among them, in India’s Rajasthan Province (Rajastan), there are four famous “color cities,” including the Pink City of Jaipur, the White City of Udaipur, the Blue City of Jodhpur, and the Golden City of Jaisalmer.

● Pink City – Jaipur
Known as the Pink City, Jaipur is the most well-known of India’s “color cities.” It is one corner of North India’s “Golden Triangle” of tourism. The ancient architecture was painted pink across the city in the 19th century when the Maharaja of Jaipur ordered all buildings to be painted pink in preparation for a visit by the Prince of Wales from Britain, leading to its current title as the “Pink City.”

● White City – Udaipur, India
Udaipur has earned the nickname of the White City due to the predominance of white buildings in its old town area. Additionally, “Udai” in Udaipur actually means “sunrise” in Hindi, so Udaipur is also known as the “City of Sunrise.”

● Blue City – Jodhpur
The blue hues of the Blue City Jodhpur are the color associated with the Brahmin caste, the highest tier in the caste system. As members of the uppermost class—who also make up the smallest proportion of the population—they painted their buildings blue to distinguish themselves from other castes. Another theory suggests that blue has mosquito-repellent properties, which may have contributed to the city’s current blue appearance.