Jawahar Kala Kendra

Jawahar Kala Kendra is Jaipur's multi-arts centre — a remarkable 1986-92 building designed by Charles Correa, one of India's greatest modern architects, as a postmodern reinterpretation of the nine-square mandala plan of the old Pink City (which Correa considered India's most important piece of urban design). The building is laid out as a 9-square grid with each square dedicated to a different arts discipline — theatre, dance, visual art, music, library, museum, administration, café, and central courtyard — in a literal homage to Jaipur's own urban DNA.

The centre hosts theatre performances, art exhibitions, music recitals, and craft fairs, and the museum inside has a collection of Rajasthani folk arts and Jaipur miniature paintings. The building is worth visiting for the architecture alone — Correa's use of red sandstone, geometric cutouts that create shadow patterns in the sun, and the ascending central courtyard create a building that feels simultaneously ancient and modern.