Amber Fort: The best example of beauty and strength

Constructed several centuries ago, Amber is the principal tourist attraction of Jaipur. This massive and sprawling for depicts the erstwhile royal lifestyle of Rajput kings. The fort is mainly built with Red Sandstone and houses various beautiful palaces and temples.

Broadly speaking the fort is divided into four sections……

What is the main entry gate of Amber Fort?

Suraj Pole, the main entry gate of the palace opens at Jaleb Chowk. The compound was used by victorious soldiers for victory parades. The parade was enjoyed by the royal public but the Royal women were not allowed to appear in the public. So the caring husband kings made a private section in the upper storey for queens. These sections had latticed windows that enable royal womenfolk to watch the parade without being seen.

What are the places to visit in the Courtyard?

Diwan-i-Aam

This vast courtyard was used by the king to hear the concerns of general populace. The king generally sat on a central stage with the genial populace sitting on a lower ground. It is supported by 27 colonnades, The elephant shaped capital that were used to mount these colonnades are a sight to behold.

Diwan-i-khaas

This compound served as a meeting place to receive and interact with royal guests that inclided Mughal ministers, aristocrats and royal delegates. Its architecture is hugely influenced by Mughal school of archietcture and embelleished with delicate mosaic work. Beautiful motifs and intricated designs also present the artistic height of erstwhlile artisans.

Ganesh pol

This extensively embellished 3 level structure was built during the reign of Mira Raja Jai Singh. A buildong named Suhag Mandir is located just above the Ganesh pol that has a host of latticed windows that allowed royal women to watch royal functions or events organized in Diwan i Aam.

Sila Devi Temple

There is a stairway in Jaleb Chowk that directly takes to legendary Sila Devi Temple. It was Built by Mahraja Mansingh on his victory in the battle with Mahraja Jessore Sigh of Bengal. The temples was one of the main worship centers for many maharajas. There is a legend attached to the temple. It is said that when Mahraja Mansingh was going to fight with Mahraja Jessore Singh of Bengal, he prayed The Mother Goddess for the victory. The Mother Goddess appeared in his dream and instructed to find her image in the river bed. Upon finding he needs to install it in a temple and worship daily. After winning the battle in 1604 the Rajas did as was instructed. As the idol was carved using a single stone slab (called Sila in local language) the temple was named Sila Devi Temple.

Fourth Courtyard

The courtyard was a "ladies only" courtyard and no other male apart from the King was allowed to enter inside. It was used by Kings' consorts and their mothers and all the inhabitants including attendants were females. There are many rooms in the courtyard and all have a common opening to the courtyard that enable the kind to visit any queen he desired.

Third Courtyard

The Ganesh Pol leads to the third courtyard housing 2 beautiful buildings facing each other. These buildings are divided by a Mughal style garden.

Jai Mandir, left building has mirrored decorated ceilings and inlaid panels.

These curved mirrors are designed with bright color foils and present the finest example of aesthetic excellence. These mirrors were designed and set in such a way that upon lighting a candle in the dark room the entire mirror-work would twinkle like a night sky laden with stars. One cannot help but bow down his head in respect of those master artisans who reached the tip of artistic excellence.

The excellent example of artistic mastery met the cold, callous attitude of Government. During the decade of 70 when this fine example of artistic dexterity was deteriorating no government body took note and the result was obvious. It was later restored and renovated, a process that still keeps on going with several gaps. But where can we find such artists and master craftsmen who can match the natural skills of Royal era?

Sukh Niwas

Sukh Niwas is another building facing Jai Mandir and welcomes the guests with a Sandalwood door beautifully decorated with intricate designs made with marble inlay work. A distinct style of designing is expressed by perforations presenting different shapes upon close observation

The building was used by the King and queen as a summer-residence to beat the extremities of weather during summer. One of the most prominent techniques to observe here is piped water supply traversing the building that resulted in cool breeze even in high temperatures. The technique lies in mapping and design of the canal that resulted in supply of cool air throughout the key locations of the palace.

Another “aesthetic magic” here is Magic Flower, a beautiful fresco that presents a different shape each time you view it from a different aspect. Simply speaking it is a flower with two butterflies hovering over it. But if you will hide a specific portion of the panel you can view different shapes each time: a lotus, fish tail, and elephant trunk, and hooded cobra, cob of corn, lion’s tail and scorpion.

The fort was completed over several decades and one can clearly see the different schools of architecture that reflect various contemporary trends during which the specific buildings were built. In the south of the courtyard the oldest part of the fort is located. This palace took as many as 20+ years to be completed.

Garden

Built by Mirza raja JaiSingh, this garden is well-designed to showcase the best scenery of nature. It was built during Mughal era and is patterned after Chahar Bagh of Mughal Garden in a hexagonal design. The star shaped pool in the garden is the most prominent sight here. It has a fountain at the centre. The water supply for the garden is met through the canals flowing from Sukh Niwas. Chini Khana Niches, the cascade channels originating from the terrace of Jai Mandir is also a prominent source of water supply to the garden.

To access the palace from the west one needs to enter through Tripolia gate. It has three openings: Jaleb Chowk, Mansingh Palace and Zenana Deorhi

Singh Dwar

The private quarters in the palace premises can be accessed through Singh Dwar. Singh in native language means lion and the name suggests the strength and prominence due to its importance as an entry to the private premises.

Highly decorated with beautiful frescoes, this door was built during the reign of Sawai Jai Singh (1699-1743). It has a strategically designed zigzag alignment to discourage enemies from intruding easily into the fort

How to Reach

From Airport

Via Cab or auto

Distance from airport is 23 km (via JLN Marg).
Cab or auto will take around 60 to 70 min to reach Amber
Charges for one side is approx. for auto Rs 300 to 320 Indian rupee
Charges for one side is approx. for cab Rs 300 to 350 Indian rupee

Via Public Transportation

Bus service is also available is available for Amber Fort.
You can take auto and reach Jawahar Circle, than from Jawahar circle you can take bus AC-1 towards Kukas, it will drop you at Amer Palace from there 190 m (2 minutes walking distance of Amer Fort),
It will take more than 80-90 minutes.
For Tickets & Information please contact: +91 141 223 3509

From Railway Station

Via Cab or Auto

Distance from railway station is 12.6 km (via Amer Road) by cab or auto.
Cab or auto will take around 40 to 45 minutes to reach Amber.
Charges for one side is approx. Rs. 100-150 for cab or auto.

Via Public Transportation

No direct bus facility is available.
If you want to use public transport follow below steps
Reach railway station circle and from station circle take Mini Bus towards Galta Gate, it will drop you at Badi Choper.
From Badi Choper take another bus AC-5 towards Amer,
It will drop you at Amer Palace,
It will take around 75-85 minutes.