Everyone loves the city he or she was born and brought up in.But not everyone bothers to know about its past: knowledge of the past can strengthen the bonds of affection between citizens and their cities.

Some cities have long histories which makes knowing the past an arduous task. Others have little history; so its citizens extol its quality of life. Three of our metropolitan cities Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai were creations of the British; they have no ancient monuments of Indian origin worth mentioning.

Jaipur, on the other hand, has a hoary past going back to the 6th Century BC It is crammed with ancient monuments built by its Hindu Rajput rulers, and the Mughals. The British came last. Knowing Jaipur's past can be a life-time occupation.