Galtaji Temple

Galtaji is a Hindu pilgrimage complex on the edge of Jaipur, set among the Aravalli hills. Rather than a single shrine it is a group of pavilions, temples, natural springs and water tanks, and its pink sandstone buildings look more like a palace than a temple. Diwan Rao Kriparam, a courtier of Sawai Jai Singh II, is credited with building it in honour of the sage Galav. The many monkeys living around the complex have given it the popular name Monkey Temple.

Local tradition says Galav meditated here for years and was rewarded by the gods with water that never fails, which explains the springs. Another story holds that Tulsidas wrote part of the Ramcharitmanas at the site. Water pouring from the Gaumukh, a rock in the form of a cow's head, fills seven kunds, of which the Galta Kund is the holiest. The largest crowds come in January for Makar Sankranti, when pilgrims bathe in the tanks.