I was on a one day tour of Jaipur on my Rajasthan trip. The day started with Hawa Mahal and later Amber Fort. Hawa Mahal was a gorgeous to visit. Masterji picked us from Hawa Mahal and left for Amber Fort rather Amer Fort as called by locals. The fort is a bit at a distance from the old city of Jaipur. Road leading to the fort is shaded with trees on both sides, nicely laid tarmac sort of a curvy hill road.
Within half an hour we were at the base of Amber Fort. The fort has two options to arrive at the main entrance gate. One makes use of elephants and another one is for motorcars. People take the Elephant ride from the base to the entrance. The elephant walks up a narrow slope zig-zagging to the entrance. But it costs on the pocket.
View from Amber Fort – Jaipur
Lake in Amber Fort
Amber Fort huge boundary wall
Temple in Amber Fort
Masterji dropped us near the entry gate. Punched our composite ticket which we had purchased from Hawa Mahal.
Took a guide to get the things explained. Right after the entry gate is a big courtyard. On the opposite end lies the elevated seat for Rajas and Rani to overlook any function or military parade in the courtyard.
A folk artist outside Amber Fort entrance
Decorated entrance in Amber Fort
This area has been used extensively in Bollywood movies. Remember Jodha Akbar, Sabse bada khiladi, Bol Bachhan, Lamhe, Veer, Bajirao Mastani, etc
Sheesh Mahal
After the decorated entrance gate, comes the courtroom. A pillared hall where the day to day proceedings and state affairs use to happen. On moving further is a room decorated with glass and reflective material. This is Sheesh Mahal.
Sheesh Mahal Amber Fort Jaipur
Ceiling of Sheesh Mahal decorated with thousands of tiny mirrors
The Queen palace
Queen palace has 9 rooms. One for each queen. The courtyard of queen palace has unwalled pillared shed of 9 partitions. One for each queen. Their rooms were cooled with small water canals. This place is also known as Sukh Niwas. Things seem mind blowing considering all this was done 300 years before.
Garden inside Amber Fort. This is where the queens used to relax during sunny days.
Bathroom
The bathroom is one interesting piece in the Amer fort. Water for the bathroom was fetched from the Maota lake below the fort using hydraulics. A big cylindrical bathtub was used for a relaxing bath. Warm water was not filled in directly. Instead, hot water was let slowly through small holes spread in the circular walls, which was then mixed with cold water to get a perfect temperature for bathing.
Highest quality of Saffron was planted in the Maota lake which is in front of the Fort. This was done to keep the Palace aromatic with sweetest smell of Saffron coming along with the cool breeze.
Everything in this palace is so grand and huge that our eyes remain wide open. The luxury enjoyed by these kings would shame the richest people on earth on that time.
If you happen to visit Amer Fort, do hire a government guide. Otherwise, the place is just walls and doors 🙂
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