Location of Amer Fort : - The indomitable Amer fort, the dominion of the kachwada Rajput rulers is located eleven kilometers away in the lap of the Arawali hills and is the top attractions of Jaipur Tours. You can hire a car to reach Amer fort. The fort is located high on the terrain of the “cheel ka teela” meaning the “ hill abode of eagle”.
Entrance & timings:-
There are two main categories of visitors the Indians and the foreign visitors.
Indian: - 50 INR per person
Indian Students: - 10 INR per student
Foreigner: - 530 INR per person
Foreign student: - 100 INR per student
The fort opens at 9:00 am in the morning and closes at 6 pm for the tourist visitors.
The elephant are available underneath the amer fort very next to the Maota lake. There is a specific location for the same, the elephant ride is on first come first serve basis, the elephant ride can be availed from 9:30am to 1:00pm every day the fort opens.
The name fort is signified by the towering ramparts and high walls surrounding the Amer city. There are grand gates with huge domes for entering the fort.
The area was once a domain of the meena tribe and the name Amber comes from the goddess Amba. King Bharmal the father of king Man singh kachwaha started constructing the fort and the palaces. The fort has series of palaces and open compounds surrounded by high walls. There are temples venerated by the royalty. The successive tiers of the palace denote the importance.
The innermost and the most inaccessible was reserved for the royal ladies” the zenana”. King Man singh had twelve wives so separate living enclosures for all respective wives were built in the zenana. The king’s living quarter was on the elevation and was connected with all respective wives rooms. Son of king Man singh had only one wife so her room was befitting her stature. The entire palace area can be divided in to four tiers, there are open compounds and grand gates connected with respective tiers of the palace.
Jaleb Chowk
Riding the caparisoned elephant you will ride regally in to the Jaleb chowk the compound where the royal army used to collect for a grand show down in front of the royalty. Grand display of the military might was done at the jaleb chowk on various occasions.
As you ascend to the next tier you can notice the stairs in the right side leading to a temple known as Sila devi temple. King Man Singh won over the king of Jessore (west Bengal) who Handed over the idol of Goddess Sila Devi to Raja Man Singh.
Deewan E aam
A flight of steps will lead you in to the court for the ordinary people “the aam admi”. King seated in his throne used to listen to the pleadings of the common people. The architecture is blend of Hindu and Islam style of architecture. Red sand stone and marble has been used to carve the pillars, flooring is done in marble. The pillars supporting the Hindu arches and the circle shaped cieling done in typical Hindu style of architecture is the hall mark of Deewan E aam.
Sheesh Mahal (Jai mandir)
Very similar to the Agra fort a mirror palace was built by the Maharaja where the mirrors have been inserted in to the plaster stucco of the walls, the single flickering candle thus produced thousands of images amusing the king and his courtesan, this was also called as Deewan e khas a special pavilion of the king where he held meetings with coterie of his Vizier (ministers). The walls also display frescoes and the palace has been recently renovated.
Sukh Niwas
Just opposite the jai mandir across the compound is the palace for the sensual pleasures. The water channels, cascades produced a scintillating cold environment amidst the heat of the desert. The palace was embellished with wood and ivory carvings. King and his queen engrossed themselves in the sensual pleasures at the Sukh Niwas.
Zenana
The inner most tier of the palatial area is reserved for the private room of the king’s wives no outsider was granted access in to this area. The open courtyard was used by the ladies and their accomplice in various merry makings and rejoicing.
Maota lake
Just underneath the Amer fort is the lake called maota lake, Maota lake was used to store and conserve the rain water which was subsequently used in the dry months of the season.
Kesar Kyari
The king impressed by the saffron plantation in Kashmir planted a nursery of the saffron. Unfortunately the climate of jaipur and amer does not supports the growth of saffron so the experiments failed but the name still remains.
Light show
A unique show encasing the history of Jaipur and Amer fort is held every night at the Amer fort. The show is held in English and Hindi language. The duration is of 50 minutes for respective language.
What you can do in the Amer fort?
1. Ride an elephant right up to the Amer fort, A very amazing joy ride on a caparisoned elephant scaling the high elevation of the Amer fort will sure raise your adrenaline level.
2. On your return journey you can ride a four wheel drive Mahindra jeep down the narrow alleys, sit right in front and examine the versatile driver taking sharp bends on a very narrow alley.
3. Enjoy a sumptuous meal at a multi cuisine restaurant inside Amer fort “surabhi” the restaurant operates inside the Amer fort.
4. Enjoy a light and sound show at the Amer fort in the evening.
5. Visit the temples inside the fort complex.
6. Attend a traditional dance show in the evening at the Sukh Mahal palace. The elegant dance moves will not only entertain you but teach a lot about Indian classical dance.
7. If the colorful Rajasthani turban enthralls you then you can get engrossed in the art of turban tying and try your hand on to it at the turban museum at the Amer fort. Don’t forget to take an instagram photo of yours with a Rajasthani turban.
8. Puppets are always interesting, enjoy a puppet show while you dine at a restaurant in Amer fort.
