Amber Fort

Some of our group did a hot air balloon trip early this morning. The rest of us got a bit of a lie-in before breakfast and a 9am meet up to go to the Amber Fort by bus.

I had seen pictures, but once again on this trip, I wasn't prepared for the wow factor when I saw the real thing for the first time! We had to walk up 185 'comfortable' steps to reach the entrance where we were meeting our guide.

Amer Fort or Amber Fort is located in Amer, a town 11 kilometres from Jaipur. Perched high on a hill, it is the principal tourist attraction in Jaipur. It is a great example of Rajput architecture. Some of its buildings are influenced by Mughal designs. Constructed of red sandstone and marble, the attractive, opulent palace is laid out on four levels, each with a courtyard. It consists of the Diwan-e-Aam, or 'Hall of Public Audience', the Diwan-e-Khas, or 'Hall of Private Audience', the Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace), and the Sukh Niwas where a cool climate is artificially created by winds that blow over a water cascade within the palace. The Amber Fort was the residence of the Rajput Maharajas and their families. At the entrance to the palace near the fort's Ganesh Gate, there is a temple dedicated to Shila Devi, a Goddess of the Chaitanya cult, which was given to Raja Man Singh when he defeated the Raja of Jessore, Bengal in 1604. Raja Man Singh had 12 queens so he made 12 rooms, one for each Queen. Each room had a staircase connected to the King’s room. With its large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths, the fort overlooks Maota Lake, which is the main source of water for the Amer Palace.Read more