The Amber Palace is one of the most picturesque. Amber Fort and other forts of Jaipur - Phototravel independent travel. The vaulted ceilings are made of mirror mosaics. Thousands of small mirrors, gilded tiles and glass are laid out so that the slightest ray of light
Amber (or Amer in some sources) - the fortified residence of Raja Man Singh in the suburb of Jaipur of the same name, on the ridge of a rocky hill behind Lake Maota. Despite the formidable appearance, the interior chambers of the fortress amaze with the sophistication of the lush decoration, made simultaneously in Indian and Muslim styles. Amber Fort is deservedly the main attraction of the Indian state of Rajasthan...
You can climb to the fort on elephants, either on foot or by car. Moreover, all three ascent options are 3 different roads, so if you are an athlete who does not like animals, then don’t worry - you won’t have to dodge cars or step over elephant waste products...
View of the elephant's dashboard, elephant's mahout's turban... 
Motorists can drive up to the fortress from the back side and enter through the entrance formerly used for women's entry ( warriors and aunts could not use the same gates). Pedestrians will climb the stairs leading from the Amber Gardens located near Lake Maota ( in winter it dries out a little more than completely). The elephant drivers use the main, once front, road to the palace, so I recommend taking a ride on an elephant... 
Man Singh, who began the construction of a fortress-palace here in 1592, was one of the first military leaders of Emperor Akbar the Great, the ruler of the Great Mughals, whose mausoleum I talked about last time. For many years, the administration of the Jundhara principality was carried out from here, and only in the early 1700s the capital of the principality was moved to the newly founded Jaipur, just 11 km from here... 
Initially, the fort now known as Amber Fort was only a palace complex, an appendage of the military fortress now known as Jaigarh Fort. Jaigarh and Amber were ( yes to this day) are connected by protected transition walls and underground tunnels... 
Between Amber and Jaigarh lies a whole block of ancient houses and buildings, only a small part of which is inhabited. The rest are picturesque ruins scattered on the slopes of the hill... 
If you come to Jaipur for more than one day, then you can safely devote a couple of days to a pedestrian exploration of the old walls and towers of the neighboring rocky ridges. The views that you will see from there will be 100% unique, which will not be available to any “organized” tourist. By the way, about the name of the fort, and indeed the city in general - there are at least 2 versions of the origin of the name, which the guides will stuff you with: (1) They will show you in the direction of the town, that somewhere there ( the guide's finger makes a circle covering an area twice as large as the several thousand people of Amber) there was a great temple in which there was a statue ( I don't remember who, sorry) from a single piece of amber ( Amber in English is amber, just in case anyone doesn’t know); (2) You will come across a very stupid guide who will say that amber is yellow and the palace is made of yellow sandstone, which is why the type was named amber. You can only believe in these versions if you believe in Santa Claus... 
Main entrance to Amber ( in the photo the gate is on the right) - Surajpol brings you to palace square Jaleb chowk. In ancient times, the square was the site of a parade of troops returning victoriously from campaigns and battles. If you nevertheless arrive on an elephant, the driver will lead the elephant almost along the perimeter of the square and, before parking at a special ramp, will definitely tell a heart-warming story about what the animal needs to eat. At the same time, the elephant begins to sniffle and stagger ( because the bastard driver imperceptibly stabs him with a lance), the pale-skinned tourist becomes even pale-skinned, gives the driver a tip and, as if by magic, the elephant calms down and parks at the ramp... But this is not necessary, you don’t have to give anything and let your conscience bite you that the elephant will go to bed hungry... 
In theory there should be beautiful lake, surrounding an equally beautiful garden on an artificial island. However, it is now January and everything is dry. And it looks something like this ( photo not mine, opens in a new window) ...
All the ridges of the hills as far as the eye can see are covered with battlements of fortifications and towers... 
One of the inner chambers of the palace is called the "Room of a Thousand Mirrors". Its walls and ceiling are lined with mosaics of mirrors. Just one candle was enough to brightly illuminate the entire hall... Also on the photo card you can notice that a white woman with a slightly open back is almost porn for local youth ( and not only young people), they will quietly take pictures on their mobile phones and follow on their heels... 
All military power and defensive potential were held, as you already understood, not by Amber Fort, but by Jaigarh. In addition, the treasury of the principality was kept here. I will tell you a little about Jaigarh, I will show you in one of the following stories... 
Harem courtyard. Of course, before it was not so dull and scorched by the sun. There were a lot of fabrics used as awnings and walls. Children were playing on the veranda in the middle. The balcony in front on the left is the Shah's room. Small balconies around the perimeter are his wives' apartments. A network of complex passages, corridors and doors along the perimeter of the courtyard allowed the Shah to get to one of his wives without anyone else knowing about it and without them being offended... 
To view the fortress from space, click
Amber is famous for its fort, which is immediately associated with 2 misunderstandings.
Amber - city, and not a fort, although Amber Fort is often written, but the fort has its own name - Jaigarh, i.e. glory.
Amber's Fort in English it means both the Amber Fort and the Amber Fort, the second name is not correct, since it came several centuries after the founding of the city and its name has nothing to do with amber.
Amber was the capital of the Rajput Kachhwaha clan from 1037 to 1728, after which it moved to neighboring Jaipur when Jai Singh founded a new city there.
Although the buildings of Amber are less impressive than those of Jaipur, the city is unforgettable - it is located on narrow rocky ridges among the hills, and its high walls seem to continue the natural surroundings.
Amber Palace
Entrance ticket to the palace: 200 rupees, there is also a ticket for 300 rupees for 2 days, which includes 4 more Jaipurs. Palace opening hours: daily from 8 am to 6 pm.
Entrance to the palace complex through Suraj Pol (Sun Gate) on main square Jaleb Chowk. In the courtyard on the left, Sri Sila Devi (a form of Kali), a statue of the goddess is located in an unusual arch of stylized carved banana leaves. There is a staircase nearby, steep steps leading to Lion Gate (Singh Pol), where the entrance to the palace is located.
The architectural style of the palace is traditionally Rajput, although Mughal influence in the design is very noticeable. Passing through the first of three courtyards you will see on the opposite side the Diwan-i-Am (public audience hall), built in 1639, an open pavilion similar to the Mughal-era halls in Delhi and Agra.
Exquisitely decorated with mosaic panels Gate of Ganesh (Ganesh Pol) lead to the second courtyard, on the left Sheesh Mahal, created by Raja Jai Singh, it has mosaic panels inlaid with glass and mirrors and marble. There are also doors made of sandalwood (!) wood, inlaid with ivory.
Man Singh Palace- the old part of the palace, with an interlacing of narrow stairs and passages, interesting place for studying.
Amber Fort - Jaigarh
Opening hours: daily from 9 to 5 pm, entrance is 75 rupees, 50 is charged for, by and large there is nothing to shoot there, 100 rupees.
Rising above Amber, Jaigarh Fort, built in 1600 or even in the 11th century (according to various estimates), offers breathtaking panoramas of the neighboring hills and plains.
The fort contains two ancient temples- Ram Harihar (10th century) and Kala Bhairava (12th century).
Small museum filled with old maps and photographs, as well as cannons - dating back to 1588 - Jaigarh was important center weapons production. At the top of the fort there is a huge Jaivana cannon, the largest in Asia, which requires 100 kilograms of gunpowder for 1 shot, the cannonball flies 35 km, but no one has ever fired from it.
You can get to the Jaigarh fort by jeep (asked for 750 rupees), on an elephant - like the Rajput rulers (strongly not recommended, they suffer greatly from such walks) or you will have to walk for about 30 minutes along steep road, which is what we did.
How to get to Amber
Regular ones to Amber leave from Jaipur from the Hawa Mahal Palace, go frequently, travel time is about 20 minutes, the price was 7 rupees in the fall of 2010.
Guidebooks advise arriving in Amber in the morning so as not to encounter tourist groups and I support this recommendation, large groups of tourists are brought on excursions to Amber, who shout, flicker, are filmed in front of the sights and greatly interfere with seeing what you want.
India, Amer, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302001, India
Show on the map 300 rupees, photo and video shooting are paid additionallyIn India, only rupees are accepted. Mon-Sun 09:00-16:30general information
"Amber Fort", "Great indian wall"as soon as they don't call local residents a huge citadel located 11 km from the Pink City of Jaipur. The fortress stands at the very top of a rocky hill. This creates a wonderful contrast between the clean lines and austere forms of the formidable walls of the Amber Fort in the Rajput architectural style and the light water surface artificial lake Maota.
From the height of the fortress walls it opens beautiful view to the hills, city, ancient ruins. In the XII-XVIII centuries, the fort was the capital of Jaipur. Now it is a popular attraction in India, to which about half a million tourists climb every year along the wide stone road in jeeps, riding elephants or simply on foot.
How to get to Amber Fort
A flight from Delhi to Jaipur will take about 30 minutes or 6 hours by train, and the walk to the massive gates of the fortress will take about the same. A bus will take you to the very walls of Amber in 5.5 hours; the cost of such a trip from Delhi will be at least 500 rupees.
Attractions of Amber Fort
The interior decoration of the citadel reveals to the guest complex patterns in a mixed style, characteristic of all Indian architecture: there are elements of traditional Mongolian architecture, and traces of Hindu and Muslim influence.
Inside the fortress, the buildings are richly decorated with thin columns, stone lattices, balconies, arches and gazebos, many mirrors and paintings carved from solid coral.
Chamber of Mirrors
This architectural complex, also called the Sheesh Mahal Palace, undoubtedly evokes the strongest emotions among visitors. All rooms of the Chamber are decorated with mirror mosaics from floor to ceiling. In the hall you can see complex designs with floral motifs, with monochromatic glitter, as well as interspersed with colored glass.
Jaigarh Fort
The name of the citadel is translated as “victory fortress.” It is located just above the Amber Fort, but within its walls. This was once a defensive bunker attached to the main fort. That’s why you won’t find any special luxury in decoration here.
There is a museum in the fort, where you can see one of the largest wheeled cannons in the world - the 50-ton Jayvan cannon.
Audience halls
The complex is represented by two spacious pavilions: Diwan-e-Aam or “Hall for the Public” and Diwan-e-Khas (Hall for Private Audience). Both rooms are located under vaulted roofs, each supported by 40 columns.
The public hall has an extension in the form of an open terrace with panoramic views of the surrounding area. The walls of the private audience hall are decorated with ornate carvings, and on the ceiling you can see a unique mirror mosaic surrounded by traditional Indian stucco.
Are you ready to go to India again and wander with us through the unexplored passages of the ancient fort? To be honest, Mishutka and I were not ready ourselves, but it so happened that quite by accident we taxied into the closed area of the Amber Fort, where only maharajas now dine. This is all me in my search for somewhere to stick my nose, where it might be more interesting =)) But they not only didn’t drive us away, but on the contrary, they gave us a rather warm welcome, mistaking us for foreign journalists. Me and a three-year-old child... Well, what a strange bunch for journalists)) Well, okay, we fulfilled our duty as bloggers - we looked into every corner, filmed everything, and didn’t pay for anything. What else is needed for a good report? ;)
We drove up to the ancient walls of the Amber fortress ourselves as maharajas - in a taxi, and rented for the whole day. This was the first and only time in our lives that we even drove around India by car)
But a day earlier, we honestly tried, as usual, to move around Jaipur on our own and it was wildly expensive (Jaipur rickshaws are the only way to get money), wildly tiring (noise and exhaust fumes are everywhere), and wildly long (it turned out that the city is so big, that there is no way to walk at all). In general, when one driver offered to take us for 8 hours in a brand new car with air conditioning to all the popular attractions for only 1000 rupees (then it was ~550 rubles), I immediately agreed. In general, feeling at least like millionaires, we importantly drove up to the gates of the fort) You can enter them absolutely free. Inside Amber Fort is large area surrounded by walls.
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Elephant ride to Amber Fort
To Amber Fort on elephants
My acquaintance with the sights of Jaipur began from the Amber Fort. It is 11 km from the city, recalls Lyudmila.
Amber Fort is also called the Amer fortress-palace. It used to be the capital of the state of Rajasthan. But since 1727, the state capital was moved to Jaipur.
The excursion began when a guide picked me up in a taxi in the morning, says Lyudmila. Together with two Kyrgyz girls who were already sitting there, we went to the fort.
Just outside the city, the flat terrain gave way to hills with sparse vegetation. We didn’t drive for long, and soon we saw ancient defensive structures. They were located on the hills, and many kilometers of defensive walls with towers wound along the ridges. If I were in China, I would think that in front of me is the famous Chinese Wall.
View of Amber Fort from the town at the foot of the hill
At the very top of a large hill, the Jaigarh fort is firmly entrenched. And on the slope, just below the middle, Fort Amber lies on a plateau, surrounded by powerful amber-colored fortress walls.
Rumor has it that it got its name from a translation into English language words amber. But opponents claim that it was named after the goddess Amer. Be that as it may, the walls of the fort are yellow, and they were built from local sandstone. They are very well reflected in Lake Maota, which is located below. And next to the lake, at the very foot of the hill, nestled an ancient town.
There were three roads leading to Amber Fort: one for pedestrians, another for cars, and the third for elephants. By the way, it was a very convenient idea - no one bothers each other. The road is not difficult, it only takes 10 minutes to climb on foot. But where can we go on foot if we can ride on elephants!
Having stood in line at the ticket office to board such an exotic “taxi,” and having paid 450 rupees, we perched ourselves on a device in the form of a rocking chair on the back of an elephant, and, swaying strongly, slowly set off.
I can’t say that it was a very pleasant walk, because of the corresponding smells, because along the road there was a whole line of painted elephants. But everything is so unusual! I remembered Thailand, where I had my first experience of riding elephants. At the end of the road, at the gate of the fort, an Indian ran up and, with the dexterity of a juggler, placed a turban on our heads, of course not for free, and immediately demanded 100 rupees for the headdress.
Turban worth 100 rupees - an application for an exotic taxi
Amber Fort is divided into 4 parts. Each part has its own gate and its own courtyard.
We entered the fortress through the main gate - Suraj Pol (Sun Gate), and found ourselves in a courtyard with ticket offices and parking for elephants.
Taxi rank in the fortress
Here we dismounted, bought entrance tickets to the royal chambers for 150 rupees (these are the prices for tourists, 25 rupees for locals), and walked through the three-tiered famous Ganesh Gate, brightly painted with floral designs. Previously, only the Raja himself, his family members and servants passed through these gates, but now thousands of tourists come through them.
Just above the entrance of the gate there is a figurine of the elephant-like god Ganesh, because according to legend, it ensures good luck in all matters, eliminating various obstacles. The figurine is made by skilled craftsmen from solid coral.
Outside the gates, the entire palace complex opened up to our eyes. I was simply stunned by the beauty of the palaces that were hidden behind the harsh walls of the formidable fortress. The luxury and grace were amazing. Architectural buildings made of marble and red sand flaunted in mirrors and gilding! In buildings palace complex Hindu and Mughal architectural styles were perfectly combined. Main palaces:
General Audience Hall – Divan-I-Am;
private audience hall - Diwan-I-Khas;
the hall of victory, or the Palace of Mirrors - Jai Mandir;
entertainment hall, or Palace of pleasures - Sukh Niwas.
I was amazed by the beauty of the Mirror Palace - Jai Mandir. These are the chambers of the Raja himself.
Mirror Palace
The walls of the palace are decorated with inlaid Indian panels of carved marble depicting flowers and graceful figurines.
The vaulted ceilings are made of mirror mosaics. Thousands of small mirrors, gilded tiles and glass are laid out so that the slightest ray of light illuminates the entire hall and lights up the starry sky. The effect is amazing.
At the time when the hall was built, such mirrors were made only in Europe. They were expensive, and their delivery to the fort cost the rulers a considerable amount. Legends were made about the wonderful view of the hall; many dreamed of visiting it!
In the public audience hall - Divan-I-Am, beautiful double marble columns with elephant heads at the top surprise you. The elephants' trunks seem to be holding up the ceiling.
And next to it, 27 offices with snow-white marble columns. The local nobility met here.
Opposite the Mirror Palace is the Palace of Pleasures - Suks Niwas, also an unusual building. It is all snow-white marble rooms.
Palace of pleasures
Sandalwood doors with ivory inlay. There are a lot of holes in the walls of the rooms for cool air and gutters through which water flows, cooling the rooms. We can say that this cooling system is the predecessor of modern air conditioners.
Water cooling Marble Palace pleasures
In the women's quarters (zenana), the rooms are designed quite cleverly. The Raja visited one of his wives or concubines in her room without being noticed by the other wives.
On the third tier of the Ganesh Gate there are gazebos that offer excellent panoramic views.
Panoramic view from the gazebo windows
From the windows of the gazebos, women had the right to watch the guests of the palace. Behind the beautiful openwork bars they were not visible from the outside.
Here I am sitting alone by the open window
In one of the courtyards there is the royal garden Char Bagh (Garden of Earthly Joys). It is completely different from the gardens we are used to. Once lush and beautiful, now he looked boring. Among the marble paths that divided the garden creating a strict pattern, stunted plantings grew. They were once watered by a fountain, but unfortunately it did not work.
Garden near the Mirror Palace
Amber Fort left an ambivalent impression in my memory. On the one hand, this is a powerful fortification with outbuildings: with stables, elephants, large cauldrons, where food for the servants was cooked in the courtyard and the fort guards lived.
This is the pot
On the other hand, the embodiment eastern paradise, where the nobility enjoyed peace and quiet, surrounding themselves with the luxury of palaces with elegant columns, openwork grilles, carved balconies, countless arches and secluded gazebos on the corners of the roofs. Different worlds- different life.
