Jaipur City, Rajasthan

Jaipur was planned, not grown. Founded on the plain in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh II, the walled city follows a grid interpreted through Vedic architecture: colonnaded commercial streets crossing at grand public squares called chaupars, uniform facades on markets, homes and temples, and sectors organised on traditional Hindu concepts. Conceived as a commercial capital, it still lives by its artisanal and trading traditions. UNESCO inscribed Jaipur City in 2019.