India Guide
Rajasthan
Galta
Address: 3km east of Jaipur
Price: Free, camera Rs30, video Rs70
Opening time: Daily sunrise– sunset
Nestling in a steep-sided valley, Galta comprises a picturesque collection of 250-year-old temples squeezed into a narrow rocky ravine. Galta owes its sacred status in large part to a freshwater spring that seeps constantly through the rocks in the otherwise dry valley, keeping two tanks full. These putrid-smelling ponds are now the domain of over five thousand macaque monkeys – hence Galta's nickname, the "Monkey Palace". For many tourists the sight of the splashing monkeys outstrips the attraction of the temples themselves, though the assorted shrines are attractively atmospheric.
The best way to reach Galta by vehicle is to drive the 10km or so along the road past Sisodia Rani-ka-Bagh around the hills behind Jaipur, passing through beautiful countryside en route . You can also walk, following the path beyond Suraj Pole gate on the eastern edge of the Pink City and climbing steeply up to the Surya Mandir on the crest of the hill above the main temple complex – a stiff thirty-minute walk.