The Monkey Temple

The Monkey Temple, Jaipur, which is also called Galtaji or Galwar Bagh is just 10km eastwards from Jaipur. Today it is home to a large colony of monkeys, which obviously gives it the name as the monkey temple. This beautiful Hindu temple is situated around a natural spring which leads to channels pouring water into seven larger pools. It is believed that pilgrims come here to bath away their sins in these pools. Another attraction is the playful monkeys who are also seen to swim in the holy waters. Keep reading to find out more about visiting this attraction and when you should plan to head here.

Things to Do:

While you are here, visit the various temples that are within the complex and there are 7 water tanks here. The Gulta Kand, which is the biggest water tank, according to the legend, it has never gone dry. During the religious times of the year, many pilgrims come here to take a bath. One activity that everyone loves to do at this location is to feed the monkeys and you can do this easily by purchasing food at the gate and then feeding them either nuts or some bananas.

Availability:

It is important to know about the opening and closing times of The Monkey Temple, Jaipur since the location is not within strategic connections to the city. This location can be visited every day of the week at different timings for the morning and the evening, which includes 6 am until 10:30 am and 4 pm to 6:30 pm. Make sure to plan when you are going to visit here so you can maximize the time you spend here.

History

This is a pre-historic pilgrimage site for Hindu’s and it was built during the 19th century by Diwan Rao Kriparam. According to the legends, it is thought that Saint Galav Rishi had spent his entire life searching for the truth and when he was happy with the penance he was paying, a God had appeared and by way of honour gave his worship place an abundance of water. This is where the Galta Kund comes from and you can take a bath in this location to get rid of all of your sins.

Best Time to Visit:

If you are going to come to The Monkey Temple, Jaipur one thing that you need to be aware of is when you should come here. During the summer months, it is going to be very hot, which means it will be very dusty and if you are planning to walk here, it might not be the best time. However, if you are just planning to come and check it out for an hour, then it would be a good time to visit.

The best time to visit here would be during the winter, which starts in November and goes until January or February. This is when the weather is going to be cool and you can easily walk here and walk around while enjoying the scenery without having to worry about anything. You can also come during the monsoon, which is from June until September, but you might have to deal with heavy rain.

How to Reach?

Once you have reached Jaipur, it is going to be easy getting here since you can rent either a taxi or an auto-rickshaw to drop you. If you hire the taxi or the auto-rickshaw you can ask them to wait for you, the price should be around Rs 500 to 650 and Rs 200 to 250 respectively, and this should include 1 hour of wait time.

Also, if you don’t want to rent a vehicle and if you like to walk, then you can walk from the city of Jaipur since it is only a 30-minute walk. This would take you directly past the Sun Temple and it would start at one end of the Surajpol Bazar Road and then goes east through the huge pink stone archway, which is a great way to see the city and the temple.

Visitor Information:

There are over 200 monkeys who live at The Monkey Temple, Jaipur and they all come from different tribes along with the Macaque monkeys, which live in groups of 4 females with 1 male. These ones are much more aggressive and it is suggested that you don’t place your hands within your pockets at that is an indicator that you have some food to give them.

Ensure that you are watching out for the monkeys to keep yourself safe since they like to play around and that can sometimes lead to them trying to steal things out of your bag or steal the food from you.

FAQs and Information

Whenever you are considering The Monkey Temple, Jaipur as a place to visit you should make sure that you are aware that there are going to be numerous monkeys around. Also, it is a good walk from where you would have to leave your vehicle until you can reach the actual temple.

There isn’t any fee to enter this site, but the holy men who work here might ask you for a small donation, including if you are going to take photographs. There is also food for the animals which can be purchased at the gate if you want to feed them.

On your journey to The Monkey Temple, Jaipur you should take a lot of things into consideration, including the time of the year that you want to visit. You would also want to consider what you can do while you are here, including feeding the monkeys that abound here.

Also, if you come during the pilgrimage times of the year you can see people jumping into the largest water tank to purify themselves of their sins. Ensure that you are getting everything together so that you can make this an enjoyable trip while you are in the city