Amber Fort and other forts of Jaipur - Phototravel independent travel. Amber Fort in Jaipur
Amber fort
Amber Fort is located 11 kilometers from Jaipur. The fort-palace, a classic example of a romantic Rajasthani fort, stands on a terraced plateau at the southwestern foot of the mountain. At the top is the Jaigarh fortress (Victory Fort), which guards the approaches to both Amber and Jaipur, located on the other side of the mountain. Amber is surrounded on all sides by hills, along the ridges and peaks of which a fortress wall with ramparts and watchtowers winds like an endless snake for many kilometers. Construction of the fort began in 1592 by Raja Man Singh I, the commander of the Rajput units in the army of Emperor Akbar. The construction of the grandiose structure was completed by Man Singh's descendant, Jaya Singh I. The fort was named after the goddess Amba, better known in Indian mythology as Durga, and was built according to all the canons of the Rajput architectural style, which was developed in the state of Rajasthan in the Middle Ages. Only local material was used for the construction, which made it possible to achieve an unusual effect - natural and man-made are almost impossible to distinguish from afar.
With military attacks that often happened in those days, this had a special defensive significance. The Rajput architectural style is characterized by impeccable proportional lines and strict, clear external forms. However, the massive fortress walls hid rich interior decoration, exquisite workmanship and decorations that were inaccessible to the casual eye. Inside the fort, the buildings are complemented by many balconies covered with stone grilles, thin columns connected by scalloped arches, small gazebos at the corners of the roofs and awnings, as well as barred arched windows made into the walls to enhance ventilation. In the palace, the dream of paradise, giving delight to the soul and peace to the heart, found its true embodiment.
Rajput forts were built according to a fairly rigid pattern. The central part was occupied by a multi-tiered residential building - prasada, next to it there were one- or two-story pavilions, isolated or representing wings of prasada. The territory of the palace complex was divided into three parts: the first - a service yard with stalls, warehouses, weapons storage facilities, a palace square and a pavilion for official audiences. The second is one or two courtyards with personal apartments, rooms for the treasury and a small home chapel. The third part housed the zanana (women's apartments) with terraces and gardens for walking.
The path to Amber begins on the shores of the artificial Lake Maota with a small island in the center - the Dalarama Garden (named after the architect of Jaipur). A wide road leads to the palace, along which elephants still move at a leisurely pace, delivering visitors to the first entrance gate - Jaya Pol. There is also a staircase with unusually large steps for riders and their horses, but not for pedestrians. The huge courtyard is followed by the Suraj Pol (Gate of the Sun), revealing Jaleb Chowk, a service courtyard with barracks and stables. Chandra Pol (Moon Gate) leads to a temple dedicated to Narasingha (the lion man, one of the incarnations of the god Vishnu), as well as to Jagat Shiromani (Treasure of the World), a temple with a huge prayer hall.
After passing Singh Pol (Lion's Gate), visitors emerge to the pavilion for official audiences (diwan-i-am). Its vaulted roof rests on 40 columns, the central ones made of white marble and the side ones made of red sandstone. It is noteworthy that the upper parts of the columns are made in the shape of elephant heads; their raised trunks serve as a natural support for the roof vault. The sofa-i-am ends with a terrace framed by a decorative lattice, from which a grandiose panorama of the surrounding landscape opens.
Behind the gate of Ganesh Paul begins a courtyard with a cozy small garden and the personal chambers of the rulers. WITH right side the graceful Sukh Nivas (Place of Joy) can be seen, whose carved wooden doors are inlaid with ivory and sandalwood. The room is cooled by water flowing through a channel built directly into the floor, which ends in a small waterfall flowing into the char bagh (traditional Islamic indoor garden). The floor of the canal is paved with alternating strips of white and black marble. Resembling a zigzag wave, this pattern further enhances the effect of flowing water.
The Jaya Niwas Palace is made of the purest white marble and with its elegant outlines is reminiscent of the famous pavilions of the Mughal emperors of the Agra fort. Jaya Niwas houses the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) and the Yash Mandir (Chamber of Glory), a diwan-i-khas whose walls are almost completely covered with various designs. At the same time, the lower panels of the walls are decorated with floral relief patterns. The edges of the panels are framed with a border lined with semi-precious stones. The upper sections of the walls are either painted (which is typical of the Indian tradition) or inlaid with colored mosaics, pieces of glass or semi-precious stones (this is an Islamic cultural influence).
The path to the personal apartments of the palace passes through the amazingly beautifully decorated gate - Ganesha Pol. Their façade is richly decorated with arches decorated with jali (carved stone grilles) and a bangaldar-type roof (such a roof has low domed ends with eaves far forward, which makes it look like a hat). On the top floor of the gate is the Sohag Mandir - its specially designed windows allowed the women of the court to observe public audiences without being noticed. On the same floor there is a Bhojan Shala (meal room) with paintings depicting scenes from Hindu mythology and images of the holy cities of India.
Sheesh Mahal, as well as the Yash Mandir located above, make the most impressive impression. Their walls and vaulted ceilings are covered with inlay using small mirrors, glass and gilded tiles, and the pattern is laid out in such a way that the light from even a single lit match creates a stunning effect of a starry sky.
At the very top of Jaya Niwas is the Nat Mahal terrace. With the onset of winter, darbars - court meetings - were held on it. Located near Jaya Niwas, the zanana is a veritable labyrinth of bedrooms, storage rooms, service areas, bathrooms, kitchens and covered terraces. When you enter this part of the palace, you invisibly feel the former presence of maharani (queens) and kumari (princesses). They led a solitary life, revealing themselves only by the gentle ringing of anklets heard in the depths of the zanana.
From the numerous open terraces and flat roofs of the palace (they were also used for walking), a breathtaking panorama of hills, ancient citadels and fortification towers stretching beyond the horizon opens. And far below you can see the calm surface of Lake Maota, in which, as in a huge mirror, the impregnable harsh walls of Amber are reflected.
PALACE OF THE WINDS
The Palace of the Winds (Hawa-i-Mahal) is an architectural gem of Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan. The Pink City is what Jaipur is called for the unusual color of the buildings in the old, princely part. Pink is the color of the local sandstone building stone, from which the Hawa-i-Mahal was built. It was built by Maharaja Pratap Singh in 1799 for his harem and the women of the court so that they could admire street processions and festivals without appearing in public. The five-story facade of the Air Palace, just one room deep, overlooks one of the main streets of Jaipur. The trapezoidal shape of the facade and original finishing techniques create the impression of lightness and upward direction.
The palace has an unprecedented number of windows and lantern windows covered with carved stone grilles - 953! The windows are intricately curved at the top, and the lanterns are crowned with small domes. All this, as well as many passages, balconies and stairs, suggests a comparison of the Palace of the Winds with lace.
Hawa-e-Mahal is integral part the princely palace complex Chandra Mahal - a building and structures made of red sandstone in the center of Jaipur. The Palace of the Winds has another unique feature: even on the hottest days, a cool wind blows through all its rooms. This is facilitated by the unusual location of the barred windows (the bars enhance ventilation) and the thickness of the façade wall is only 0.2 m. They say that this is what suggested the name - the Palace of the Winds - to the world-famous building.
The air palace is so unique that in last years the opinion spread that in fact the structure was decorative, not intended for housing. Be that as it may, the Palace of the Winds continues to give people the opportunity to enjoy its unique beauty to this day.
The Water Palace (Jag Niwas), the summer residence of the Maharajas of Udaipur (Rajasthan, India), was built on an island of Lake Pichola approximately 250 meters from the shore.
Rajput architects knew how to build princely palaces in the middle of lakes and ponds on natural or artificial islands, creating the complete illusion of a structure literally growing out of the water. This technique made it possible to achieve two goals: firstly, the water space was an additional obstacle and provided defensive advantages; secondly, the water created a special microclimate in the buildings.
From a distance, the white marble complex looks like a single whole, but in fact it is two palaces - Dilaram and Bari Mahal. They are connected to each other by gardens and charming courtyards with fountains and gazebos. The famous traveler J. Tod, one of the first foreigners to see this architectural miracle, wrote: “The palace on the lake... was built entirely of marble: columns, baths, water paths and fountains - everything is made of this material, in many places paved with mosaics, and some the monotony is pleasantly dispelled by the rays of the sun passing through the glass, colored with all the colors of the rainbow... The walls are richly decorated with carved stone medallions, which depict the main historical events of the family... Flower beds, orange and lemon groves, interrupting the monotony of the buildings, are framed by thickets of tamarind and evergreen trees. Special dining rooms with columns and extensive baths for the Rajput rulers were built on the very shore...”
Currently, Jag Niwas is one of the most romantic hotels in the world and gives visitors a unique opportunity to admire the water surface of the lake directly from the windows.
Jaipur is the city we liked most in India. In Jaipur, our driver buckled up and started paying attention to the traffic lights again. In Jaipur we first saw people sweeping the streets, for this reason it is much cleaner than Delhi or Agra. An elevated metro is being built in Jaipur. The Silk Road passed through Jaipur and its rulers quickly figured out how to make money from it. They built huge blocks of buildings with two-story shops on top of which were living rooms and rented them out to merchants for free. It is not surprising that the city quickly became a commercial center. Even now, the volume of those buildings is impressive. You can imagine how busy trade was here before. But the main attraction of Jaipur is still different.
Amber Fort
The main attraction of Jaipur on our list, Amber Fort is located 11 km north of Jaipur and is a beautiful complex of palaces, halls, pavilions, gardens and temples, built over two centuries.
Amber Fort is located on the slope of a mountain and to get to it you need to travel a long way from Lake Moata, located at the foot. Usually tourists are lifted on elephants, but this time there was some kind of holiday, so a countless number of local people came and there weren’t enough elephants for everyone.
After jostling in the queue, the guide made a wise decision to replace the elephants with jeeps and go up using gasoline traction.
Having fought off the annoying sellers, we hit the road.
Double headdress At the same time, the tired elephants began to leave with us. It turns out that the poor animals used to work all day, lifting tourists up the mountain. It is clear that in this mode they worked for wear and tear. And after some time, an accident occurred when a tired elephant killed a tourist from Japan who approached him to take a photo. After this incident, the elephants were moved to half-time work. To be honest, even after half a day the elephants look far from cheerful.
Are they lined up by height or is it just me? Unlike a jeep.
The lens sticking out of the jeep seems to remind us that there are still several gigabytes of unprocessed video on the disk. The path to the fort lies along narrow streets along which hardworking Indian women hurry. By the way, the color of the sari differs in different parts of India. Here everyone wore mostly yellow. And not always with a bag on my head, there were also without bags.
Here, for example, without a bag The fort is actually almost a palace. There was a lot going on there, except for the local rulers entertaining themselves in the absence of TV and the Internet. There are also rooms with heated floors. It would be more accurate to say a room inside a heated room for cold periods.
One of the courtyards 
Rare group shot 
Rooms for wives who watched their husbands' entertainment:
Those who, due to their status, should not have been seen by mere mortals had to be content with spying through such windows According to the guide, this fort did not participate in military battles; the stone wall covering the nearby mountains primarily protected the predators that once lived in the jungle from the inhabitants of Jaipur. Now there is no jungle or living creatures on the mountain slopes. It is safe to say that the wall failed in its great mission.
Walking through the buildings of the fort, we noticed the low ceilings. For example, to go down to the basement where the water storage was located, you had to bend double!
Apparently Indians in those days were short. And they didn’t care about safety precautions. All the balconies had railings that barely reached the knees, and some stairs had no railings at all.
I will not retell everything stated by the guide, I will only note the following interesting fact. After India gained independence, numerous Indian kings and Shahs lost their wealth. Their real estate for the most part became state property, and the royal families were left with relatively modest houses. Some people opened hotels there to make a living; others rent out ancient buildings for parties, weddings and banquets. For example, we were offered dinner with real royal family for only $200 per person. But for some reason we were not tempted...
And so that you don’t get the wrong impression about the difficult life of Indians, here are a couple more photographs. For example, this lady earns her living...
Not at all like sweeping the floor. 20-30 rupees per photo and the model is ready to pose for you as much as you like in any shot. Fixed at 35 mm. By the way, for those interested:
I didn't whiten my teeth. In Jaipur we finished our journey through the Golden Triangle. To save time and not bother ourselves with a long journey by car, we flew to Goa on a direct flight from Jaipur. We flew with SpiceJet, but we were a little worried, since the Internet is full of various rumors about their carelessness. Like if there aren’t enough passengers, the flight can easily be cancelled. But since there were already 8 of us, we decided that the risk of cancellation due to no-show of passengers was minimal. For those who will buy tickets on their own, I would like to note that we were unable to buy tickets on the airline’s website, no matter how hard we tried. The card simply didn’t go through, that’s all. Therefore, we took tickets from one of the aggregators. Unfortunately, the aggregator did not allow us to immediately buy food on board, so we had to fight with the flight attendants during the flight.
The flight to Goa is not direct, but with an intermediate landing in Ahmedabad. It doesn't take much time, and you don't have to get off the plane; transit passengers remain in their seats.
This is where I’ll probably finish the educational part completely and move on to life in Goa. I’ve already touched on it partially, now let’s relax completely....
I almost forgot - last photo our guide, the coordinates were in . The best recommendations from us.
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 ascend to the fortress from reverse side and enter through the entrance previously used for women to enter ( 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 takes you to the palace square of 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 a beautiful lake, washing 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 a mosaic 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 the defensive potential was 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
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 won't say that it was very nice walk, because of the corresponding smells, because a whole line of painted elephants was rising along the road. 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! The buildings of the palace complex perfectly combined Hindu and Mughal architectural styles. 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 Nivas.
I was amazed by the beauty of the Palace of Mirrors - 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 room and lights up 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.
Cooling off the marble Pleasure Palace with water
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, it is the embodiment of an 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.
April 11th, 2013
Of course, I still associate the word “Amber” with “The Chronicles of Amber” by Roger Zelazny, but now I’ll probably have to adjust my ideas a little.
Amber Fort is located 11 kilometers from Jaipur. The fort-palace, a classic example of a romantic Rajasthani fort, stands on a terraced plateau at the southwestern foot of the mountain. At the top is the Jaigarh fortress (Victory Fort), which guards the approaches to both Amber and Jaipur, located on the other side of the mountain. Amber is surrounded on all sides by hills, along the ridges and peaks of which a fortress wall with ramparts and watchtowers winds like an endless snake for many kilometers.
Construction of the fort began in 1592 by Raja Man Singh I, the commander of the Rajput units in the army of Emperor Akbar. The construction of the grandiose structure was completed by Man Singh's descendant, Jaya Singh I. The fort was named after the goddess Amba, better known in Indian mythology as Durga, and was built according to all the canons of the Rajput architectural style, which was developed in the state of Rajasthan in the Middle Ages.
Only local material was used for the construction, which made it possible to achieve an unusual effect - natural and man-made are almost impossible to distinguish from afar. With military attacks that often happened in those days, this had a special defensive significance. The Rajput architectural style is characterized by impeccable proportional lines and strict, clear external forms.
However, the massive fortress walls hid the rich interior decoration, exquisite workmanship and decorations that were inaccessible to the casual eye. Inside the fort, the buildings are complemented by many balconies covered with stone grilles, thin columns connected by scalloped arches, small gazebos at the corners of the roofs and awnings, as well as barred arched windows made into the walls to enhance ventilation. In the palace, the dream of paradise, giving delight to the soul and peace to the heart, found its true embodiment.
Rajput forts were built according to a fairly rigid pattern. The central part was occupied by a multi-tiered residential building - prasada, next to it there were one- or two-story pavilions, isolated or representing wings of prasada. The territory of the palace complex was divided into three parts: the first - a service yard with stalls, warehouses, weapons storage facilities, a palace square and a pavilion for official audiences. The second is one or two courtyards with personal apartments, rooms for the treasury and a small home chapel. The third part housed the zanana (women's apartments) with terraces and gardens for walking.
The path to Amber begins on the shores of the artificial Lake Maota with a small island in the center - the Dalarama Garden (named after the architect of Jaipur). A wide road leads to the palace, along which elephants still move at a leisurely pace, delivering visitors to the first entrance gate - Jaya Pol. There is also a staircase with unusually large steps for riders and their horses, but not for pedestrians. The huge courtyard is followed by the Suraj Pol (Gate of the Sun), revealing Jaleb Chowk, a service courtyard with barracks and stables. Chandra Pol (Gate of the Moon) leads to a temple dedicated to Narasingha (the lion man, one of the incarnations of the god Vishnu), as well as to Jagat Shiromani (Treasure of the World), a temple with a huge prayer hall.
After passing Singh Pol (Lion's Gate), visitors emerge to the pavilion for official audiences (diwan-i-am). Its vaulted roof rests on 40 columns, the central ones made of white marble and the side ones made of red sandstone. It is noteworthy that the upper parts of the columns are made in the shape of elephant heads; their raised trunks serve as a natural support for the roof vault. The sofa-i-am ends with a terrace framed by a decorative lattice, from which a grandiose panorama of the surrounding landscape opens.
Behind the gate of Ganesh Paul begins a courtyard with a cozy small garden and the personal chambers of the rulers. On the right side is the graceful Sukh Niwas (Place of Joy), whose carved wooden doors are inlaid with ivory and sandalwood. The room is cooled by water flowing through a channel built directly into the floor, which ends in a small waterfall flowing into the char bagh (traditional Islamic indoor garden). The floor of the canal is paved with alternating strips of white and black marble. Resembling a zigzag wave, this pattern further enhances the effect of flowing water.
The Jaya Niwas Palace is made of the purest white marble and with its elegant outlines is reminiscent of the famous pavilions of the Mughal emperors of the Agra fort. Jaya Niwas houses the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) and the Yash Mandir (Chamber of Glory), a diwan-e-khas whose walls are almost completely covered with various designs. At the same time, the lower panels of the walls are decorated with floral relief patterns. The edges of the panels are framed with a border lined with semi-precious stones. The upper sections of the walls are either painted (which is typical of the Hindu tradition) or inlaid with colored mosaics, pieces of glass or semi-precious stones (this is an Islamic cultural influence).
Sheesh Mahal, as well as the Yash Mandir located above, make the most impressive impression. Their walls and vaulted ceilings are covered with inlay using small mirrors, glass and gilded tiles, and the pattern is laid out in such a way that the light from even a single lit match creates a stunning effect of a starry sky.
At the very top of Jaya Niwas is the Nat Mahal terrace. With the onset of winter, darbars - court meetings - were held on it. Located near Jaya Niwas, the zanana is a veritable labyrinth of bedrooms, storage rooms, service areas, bathrooms, kitchens and covered terraces. When you enter this part of the palace, you invisibly feel the former presence of maharani (queens) and kumari (princesses). They led a solitary life, revealing themselves only by the gentle ringing of anklets heard in the depths of the zanana.
From the numerous open terraces and flat roofs of the palace (they were also used for walking), a breathtaking panorama of hills, ancient citadels and fortification towers stretching beyond the horizon opens. And far below you can see the calm surface of Lake Maota, in which, as in a huge mirror, the impregnable harsh walls of Amber are reflected.
Tourists usually get to the fort along the so-called “elephant road,” along which ammunition and provisions were once delivered to the fort. Before boarding the elephants, we were surrounded by numerous merchants offering wooden souvenirs. You can buy cute wooden elephants and camels from them for cheap. To bargain local residents they start with 3 figurines for 1000 rupees, but with special persistence you can reduce the price to 10 figurines for 1000 rupees. These figures are made somewhat crudely, but they are quite suitable as souvenirs for friends and acquaintances.
They immediately warn you that if you buy something before boarding the elephant, then the merchants will chase you for a long time, getting under the elephant’s feet and shouting out more and more advantageous offers. We finally bought several elephants and funny rag dolls of maharajas and maharashis from one of these pesters.
It is better to buy souvenirs on the way back. They will be cheaper there and you won’t have to carry them with you all the time. Before boarding, you can choose an elephant to suit every taste and color... Big or small, menacing or good-natured, decorated with painted patterns or richly decorated with bright fabrics and unusual decorations.
A separate attraction here is the staircase with special wide steps for the convenience of horse riders. Through the Jaya Pol gate, visitors to the fort enter a huge courtyard, followed by the next gate - Suraj Pol (Gate of the Sun). They, in turn, lead to the service yard of Jaleb Chowk, where military barracks and stables were located.
After the Sun Gate comes Chandra Pol - the Moon Gate, which leads us to the Narasinghe Temple. In Indian religious mythology, this is a lion man, one of the incarnations of the god Vishnu. The Jagat Shiromani (Treasure of the World) temple is also located here, with a spacious prayer hall.
After passing the Lion's Gate, guests of the fort find themselves in a pavilion (diwan-i-am), where official audiences were held. The vaulted roof of the pavilion rests on forty columns of red sandstone and white marble. The capitals of the columns are made in the shape of elephant heads, and the upturned trunks support the roof. The pavilion is adjacent to a terrace surrounded by a decorative lattice. The terrace offers stunning views of the surrounding landscape.
Through the gates of Ganesh Pol, tourists pass into the courtyard, where there are the living chambers of the rulers and a small cozy garden. One of the premises has a telling name - the Place of Joy (Sukh Niva). Wooden carved entrance doors inlaid with noble sandalwood and ivory. The room has a water cooling system, with a marble channel and a small waterfall that falls into the inner garden.
A separate attraction of the Amber Fort is the elegant Jaya Niwas Palace, built of snow-white marble. It houses the Sheesh Mahal Palace of Mirrors and the Yash Mandir Chamber of Glory. There is also a diwan-i-khas, a separate room, the walls of which are completely covered with picturesque drawings and patterns.
The lower panels of the walls are framed at the edges with a special border trimmed with semi-precious stones. Well, the upper sections of the walls are painted and inlaid with mosaics, fragments of semi-precious stones, gilded tiles, glass, and mirrors. In the evenings, tourists enjoy lighting candles or lighters and admiring the unexpected effect of the starry sky created by thousands of reflections.
Mirror mosaic was one of the techniques for decorating walls, columns and ceilings in Rajput palaces. The Rajput style (from “raj” - “prince”, “put” - “son”) was formed in Rajasthan during the reign of the Rajputs - princely families. The windows are covered with carved marble grilles (jali), which enhance ventilation in the rooms, and also create a pleasant twilight and protect the rooms from direct rays of the sun.
Indoors amber fort Coolness and twilight reigned in contrast to the open courtyards flooded with rays of sun. Perhaps, by European standards, the chambers make a somewhat gloomy impression. But this was the only way to escape from the merciless, scorching most year of the sun. Just like in the old days, to the Jaya Pol (main gate Amber Fort) you can ride up on an elephant. Dalarama Garden is located on a small island in Lake Maota and is named after the first architect of the city of Jaipur. The path to the private apartments of the palace amber fort passes through a gate of amazing beauty - Ganesha Pol. Their façade is richly decorated with arches decorated with jalis (carved stone grilles) and a bangal-dar type roof (such a roof has low domed ends with eaves far forward, which makes it look like a hat). On the top floor of the gate is the Sohag Mandir - its specially designed windows allowed the women of the court to observe public audiences without being noticed. On the same floor there is a Bhojan Shala (meal room) with paintings depicting scenes from Hindu mythology and images of the holy cities of India.
The Nath Mahal Terrace, located at the top of Jaya Niwas, served as the venue for ceremonial court meetings in the past. And the zanana is the living area, which is a labyrinth of bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, storage rooms and closed terraces. Here, in solitude, lived the queens and their daughters, young Indian princesses.
Graceful balconies, thin columns and stone lattices, numerous arches and gazebos at the corners of the roofs, numerous decorations of the Amber Fort give the impression of a real eastern paradise, created for the quiet enjoyment of beauty and peace.
Initially, the fort now known as Amber Fort was just 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 passage 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 that 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...
Water Palace(Jag Niwas), the summer residence of the Maharajas of Udaipur (Rajasthan, India), was built on an island of Lake Pichola about 250 m from the shore. Rajput architects knew how to build princely palaces in the middle of lakes and ponds on natural or artificial islands, creating the complete illusion of a structure literally growing out of the water.
This technique achieved two goals:
1. The water space was an additional obstacle and provided defensive advantages;
2. Water created a special microclimate in buildings.
From a distance, the white marble complex looks like a single whole, but in fact it is two palaces - Dilaram and Bari Mahal. They are connected to each other by gardens and charming courtyards with fountains and gazebos. The famous traveler J. Tod, one of the first foreigners to see this architectural miracle, wrote: “The palace on the lake... was built entirely of marble: columns, baths, water paths and fountains - everything is made of this material, in many places paved with mosaics, and some the monotony is pleasantly dispelled by the rays of the sun passing through the glass, colored with all the colors of the rainbow... The walls are richly decorated with carved stone medallions, which depict the main historical events of the family... Flower beds, orange and lemon groves, breaking the monotony of the buildings, are framed by thickets of tamarind and evergreen trees. Special dining rooms with columns and extensive baths for the Rajput rulers were built on the very shore...” Currently, Jag Niwas is one of the most romantic hotels in the world and gives visitors a unique opportunity to admire the water surface of the lake directly from the windows.
