Amer Fort or Amber Fort Jaipur Rajasthan India Royalty Free Stock Images pictures

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Amer Fort or Amber Fort- the gem of Jaipur, is the most visited spot and one of the most favorite destination for tourists throughout the year. Revered as the ‘Crowning Jewel of Jaipur’ this vivacious edifice sits atop a hill, representing a glamorous crown carried by a city of valor and magnificence – ‘ Jaypore’. It has one of the largest and longest walls in the world circumscribing the whole Amber city looking like a sash worn by the city.

The settlement of Amber originally, was owned and inhabited by Meenas. When Raja Man Singh I, the ruler of Kachchawa dynasty and one of the Navratans of the court of Mughal emperor Akbar, became the King of Jaipur, he built this winsome architecture during his reign from 1550 - 1614. The additional extensions were built by Mirza Raja Jai Singh and the fortress kept undergoing beautiful alterations till Sawai Jai Singh II, the second last Maharaja of Amber, who shifted the capital to Jaipur.

Talking about it’s nomenclature, Amber word has been derived from “Amba Mata” , goddess in whom the folks had profound believe in! This magnificent yellow and pink sandstone fort flamboyantly stands over ‘Cheel - Ka - Teela' meaning ‘hill of eagles', a range of Aravalli mountain ranges.

The solemn dignity of the facade is beautifully mirrored in the Lake at the foothill – Maota Lake. The lake has a beautifully designed garden at its center known as Mohan Bari, named after the architect who designed it. It is more popularly known as Kesar Kyari or the Saffron Garden. This saffron garden is the result of the ambitious project started by the royal emperors to grow saffron in their hometown Amber. Trying hard to grow saffron, a highly priced spice grown particularly in cold mountainous region of Kashmir, the architects tried to make the environment conducive by planting a garden surrounded by a lake so that the lake can provide a cool and chilling effect to the saffron. Unfortunately, despite best efforts, the fragile crop succumbed the harsh climate of Rajasthan.

After this, walk through a passage, enter the door leading to stairs, climb up on the serpentine staircase and you will reach the grand doorway of the fort - Suraj Pol. Over this cobbled pathway to the gateway you will spot a number of elephants, well decorated with fine and aesthetic Jaipuri essence. Riding an elephant uphill appears a amusement to the tourist. They usually wait in a queue just to enjoy the elephant safari to reach the gateway. This ride offers are mesmerizing view of the pink city.

Suraj Pol was the preferred gateway of the royal cavalcades and dignitaries.

Since it faced the East, the direction from where the sun rises, it was named Suraj Pol. Here one can find a few locals playing melodious chords of Rajasthani folk songs, specially signifying ‘Rajasthan Ri Dharohar'.

This gateway opens up in a cavernous an all-embracing courtyard , Jaleb Chowk.

It is the first main courtyard of Amber Fort . It was built during the reign of Sawai Raja Jai Singh. Jaleb Chowk , an Arabic phrase, literally means a place for soldiers or armies to assemble. After returning from wars and battles, the royal armies gathered here and revealed the confiscated and conquered valuables of the war. As the royal women were not allowed to enter in the public, they used to make a glimpse of this war bounty from the latticed and discreet windows. This courtyard was also used as a parade ground, parades were held under the command of Fauj Bakshi or army commander. One side of the courtyard was lined for the horse stables and quarters for horse riders.

Heading ahead from Jaleb Chowk, an impressive stairway leads to the another platform. To the right of this stairway is the famous Shila Devi Temple.

The temple has beautiful raised works and ornately carved silver doorways. The Sheila Mata is in actual, considered as an incarnation of goddess Kali or Durga probably referring to the goddess of Chaitanya cult. The legend attributed to this is that Sawai Man Singh I had profound faith in goddess Kali. Before going over his battle against the King of Jessore in Bengal he sought blessings of his goddess. On that night he had a nightmare in which the goddess herself instructed Sawai Man Singh to retrieve her idol from the sea. After being victorious in that battle in 1604, Raja fetched the idol from the sea there and came back to his fort where he installed this idol. This image of goddess came to be renowned as Shila Mata, it was carved out from one single slab of stone. The Shila Mata in the grabhagriha is flanked by two beautifully designed silver lions.

Although the Kuldevi of royal dynasty of Amber was Jamva Mata of Jamva Ramgarh, but the Kings remained great devotees of Shila Mata too.

To the left of the stairway, there is second major courtyard having Ganesh Pol and Diwan-i-Aam.

Diwan-i-Aam literally means Hall of audience. As the name suggests it was here that the king heard the audience and attended the public petitions. It is a raised platform standing on two rows of ornamented pillars, comprising 27 colonnades, each surmounted with an elephant shaped capital.

The Ganesh Pol, the most splendid of all the ramparts of the fort, is indeed a sight to behold. It was mainly an entrance doorway to the private palaces of the Maharajas. Lord Ganesh is considered to be the demolisher of obstacles in Hindu mythology and for this, a mural of Lord Ganesh has been painted beautifully over its entrance and hence the gate has been named ‘Ganesh Pol'. It is a curved doorway beautifully decorated with exquisite frescoes still retaining its originality. The images are painted using a fantastic fusion of tempting colors which attracts a great deal of tourists. Million of eyes stuck being spellbound over the sight of the embedded typical traditional ornaments. The door does can be renowned as the finest and perfect amalgamation of Rajput and Mughal architecture.

Enter this beautiful and eye-soothing doorway and you are in the third courtyard of the Fort. An intricately designed lush green garden laid out on the lines of Char Bagh or Mughal garden. This star shaped hexagonally designed garden has water fountain at the center. It separated two wonderful structures Jai Mandir and Sukh Niwas. The former designed exclusively for romance probably while the other for peace, pleasure, cool and fresh air. Thus, the third courtyard signified the pleasure ground or a place of entertainment for the kings.

Jai Mandir also known as Sheesh Mahal, or Hall of Mirrors, exquisitely ornamented with glass inlaid panels and multi-mirrored ceilings.

It was a pleasure room for the king and its beauty clearly signified that it was particularly designed for romance. The bright colored convex shaped mirrors were laid in such a way that ‘light just a single candle and whole room would lit like a glittering, sparkling and scintillating jewel box'. Such a spectacular, mesmerizing and eye-holding view. Your eyes could not miss the sight of it for a single second.

But how could the Maharajas miss the background music?

Acoustic principles were also kept in view while planning the layout of this room. Enchanting vistas of the glimmering Maota Lake floated in every molecule of the air within the Sheesh Mahal.

The most spectacular attraction outside the speech Mahal over a pillow is Magic Flower carved out on a milky white marble tile. It is as simple as flower to the one who doesn't know about its mystery but as soon as its mystery breaks apart you would stand amazed! One simple flower hiding seven different elements so intricately! Hide the panel partially by your hands and you will find a fishtail, lotus, hooded cobra, elephant trunk, lion’s tail, cob of corn and scorpion. It is indeed a masterwork of ancient art.

The building just opposite to the Sheesh Mahal was Sukh Niwas or Pleasure Hall.

The hall is known for its natural air conditioning. An open water channel runs through the structure which cools the air within and then this channel is connected to the water cascades in the garden outside. From ivory inlaid sandalwood door to the blue shaded motifs within, along with the science natural cooling the Sukh Niwas was designed with precision.

After visiting all this, you enter the fourth and the most surreptitious courtyard of all, Zenana Mahal – ‘Palace of Ladies'.

Clandestine women quarters have been built here. Twelve quarters, three each in a direction are built around the edifice standing at it center named Baradari. It was constructed be Raja Man Singh I and it is believed that he had 12 wives belonging to different zodiac signs. The king married them for auspicious results. One quarter belonged to each of his queen where she could reside with privacy. Every room had a secret passage connected to king's room such that the king could meet any of the queen privately, and no other queen would know about it. What a marvelous arrangement it was!

So, this was our amazing trip to the spellbinding and flamboyant fort- Amber. Apart from its structures inside, a captivating secret passage also awaits the way of tourists. This is this subterranean passage joining the Fort with Jaigarh Fort. This secret tunnel was used by the kings and the folks to escape during the times of siege.

Attend the tempting blend of Bollywood an Folk styled light and sound show, visit the fort in the night, feel the tranquility in the air, look at the stars falling from the sky in it’s each expansive courtyard, listen the melodious vistas of the Lake in the glittering Sheesh Mahal and you are transported back to the era of kings and their lifestyle, or in other words ‘Raj Gharana’.

It is because of these large varieties of attributes and peculiarities, why Amber is known as the ‘gem of Jaipur’. It is also the part of Golden Triangle Trip of India which includes Delhi, Taj Mahal of Agra and Amber of Jaipur . It was declared UNESCO's World Heritage Site in 2013 along with five other forts of Rajasthan as a part of the group ‘Hill forts of Rajasthan’.

Photography by Manav Singhi - Article by Garima Gupta

Maota lake and Amber Palace

Amer Palace Clicked from Jai Garh.

Shot of Amer Palace took from Ram Bagh Garden.

Shot of Amer Palace took with Maota Lake.

Shot of Amer Palace took at the Night Time.

Suraj Pol

Way to Suraj Pol.

Amer Frot from Jai Garh.

Amer fort at the time of Sunset.

Amer Fort at the Time of Sunrise.

Elephants for the Tourists at Amer Fort.

Elephant entering Suraj Pol, Amer.

Suraj Pol, Amber Fort.

Jaleb Chowk, Amber Fort and Palace.

Stairway, leading to second major courtyard having Ganesh Pol and Diwan-i-Aam.

Diwan-i-Aam, Amber Fort and Palace.

Kesar Kyari or the Saffron Garden with Maota Lake view from Amber Fort and Palace.

Zenana Mahal – ‘Palace of Ladies'. Clandestine women quarters have been built here. Twelve quarters, three each in a direction are built around the edifice standing at it center named Baradari.

Mansingh Mahal, Amber Fort and Palace.

Suraj pol, Amber Fort and Palace.

Jaleb Chowk at Night, Amber Fort and Palace.

Suraj pol, Amber Fort and Palace.

Diwan-i-Aam, Amber Fort and Palace.

Sattais Kacheri - complex of 27 offices, Amber Fort and Palace.

Diwan-i-Aam, Amber Fort and Palace.

Ganesh Pol, Amber Fort and Palace.

Inside Ganesh Pol, Amber Fort and Palace.

Jai Mandir also known as Sheesh Mahal, Amber Fort and Palace.

Magic Flower carved out on a milky white marble tile. It is as simple as flower to the one who doesn't know about its mystery but as soon as its mystery breaks apart you would stand amazed! One simple flower hiding seven different elements so intricately! Hide the panel partially by your hands and you will find a fishtail, lotus, hooded cobra, elephant trunk, lion’s tail, cob of corn and scorpion.