Amer Fort Visit in Jaipur: Guide with Best Things to Do
Amer Fort is yet another stunningly beautiful fort of Jaipur Rajasthan made of marble and red sandstone. Amer Fort and Amber Fort are one and the same fort in Jaipur Rajasthan. The fort is in Amer town of Jaipur city, hence the name Amer Fort too.
Amber Fort or Amer Fort Jaipur
Amber Fort is named so in honor of Goddess Amba Ji. It took two centuries of dedicated efforts by three kings, Raja Man Singh, Mirza Raja Jai Singh and Sawai Jai Singh to complete this gigantic fort.
The fort is a fusion of Hindu and Muslim architectural styles. This Amber Fort was home to 28 kings of Kachwaha dynasty, if the walls could speak I am sure they would have many tales to tell.
Amber Fort Jaipur – Grand Doorway to the right of Ganesh Pol
Tour of Amer Fort Jaipur
Amer Fort is a huge one; if you are planning to complete touring it in a couple of hours then I am afraid you will be missing out on several interesting parts of the fort. A little bit of homework, like reading this and some more blogs will help you tour the Amber Fort well.
Gather information at the ticket counter too. A map too will help. If you are armed with all these information I assure you your tour of the fort will be a long and worthwhile one.
Series of Courtyards in Amber Fort
There are 4 courtyards in the fort. The first one has 2 gates, Chandrapol for commoners and Surajpol for royal family members. Fortunately or unfortunately for me this courtyard had all the elephants in royal attire participating in a film shoot. The famous Shila Devi Mandir is in this level. It was here the kings offered their prayers. Observe the latticed windows, it was the Suhag Mandir, where the queens sat to watch the happenings in the courtyard.
-
- local artiste amber fort
-
- Diwan-e-aam second courtyard Amber Fort
-
- First courtyard of Amber Fort
The second courtyard has the Diwan-e-aam which was made of red sandstone with 27 collonades and a gallery above it. The intricately designed Ganesh Pol is in this courtyard.
Crossing Ganesh Pol you arrive at the 3rd courtyard. Inside the palace, right in front of Sheesh Mahal is the Chahar Bagh. It has an unusual design built in white marble that form hexagrams and other complicated patterns. We walked through the beautiful walkways surrounding this typical Mughal garden, the Jai Mandir(Hall of Victory) on one side and the Zenana Mahal(Queen’s Palace) on the other side.
The picture below shows how water was used to cool the rooms in those days. They artificially created cool climate by winds that blow over the water cascade within the palace. Water conservation was in vogue in those days too. The drains, which are now covered with glass panes, carried the water to the garden.
As you climb up the fort you can see the Kesar Kyari (saffron garden). It seems to float like a huge Persian carpet on a large stone terrace rising up from the center of Maotha Lake.
-
- One of the domes or watch tower of Amber fort Jaipur.
-
- Patterns in Sheesh Mahal Amber Fort Jaipur.
-
- Chahar Bagh in front of Sheesh Mahal Amer Fort Jaipur
-
- Water used for coolong the rooms
Sheesh Mahal in Amber Palace Jaipur
Without doubt Sheesh Mahal of the Palace of Mirrors is the most beautiful part of Amber Palace. Raja Man Singh built this Sheesh Mahal in 16th century. However it took long to finish because of the fine work involved in the making of it and was completed in 1727.
Details in Ceiling of Sheesh Mahal Jaipur
Ceiling of Sheesh Mahal in Jaipur
Queens in those days had the fascination of sleeping under star lit skies. Since they were not allowed to sleep in the open, the Kings ordered the architects to make something similar. Architects came up with the brilliant idea of building the palace room with stones and mirrors. At night with just 2 candles the whole hall gets lit up! It surely must be magical!
At Sheesh Mahal we were stunned by the minute mirror work in the walls. We were told that the entire room can be illuminated with a single match or candle. There was maximum crowd of tourists at this place. Renovation was on at some of the places, the workers deeply involved in their work, totally unmindful of the staring visitors.
Amber Fort Elephant Ride
One of the controversial part of Amer Fort visit in Jaipur is the elephant ride. As you approach the foothills of Amber Fort you will find elephants waiting to take you up the hill.
Though this elephant ride is one of the most popular must do activity of Jaipur, I leave it to you whether you wish to take it. One thing you will experience is that kingly feeling; how once the kings of Jaipur went to their palace through this very path on elephant back.
However the day we visited, we witnessed the Brazillian TV serial shooting. The crew was using all decorated elephants there to picturise a festival scene. Tourists and kids there got no ride that day. There is ample parking space and we drove up the hill to the fort.
Elephant Ride Tickets
Elephant ride at Amber Fort comes with a price tag of 1000INR for 2 people and the ride time is 20 to 30 minutes. Government has imposed lot of restrictions now, so there are just 80 elephants doing the trips and each elephant is allowed only few trips per day. So if you have plans to avail the elephant ride in Amber Fort – arrive early!
Amber Fort a Movie Shooting Location
Famous Hindi movie, Jodha Akabar movie (2008) was filmed here. But long before this Mughal-e-azam movie (1960) was filmed here. Since then this has been one of the favorite movie shooting destination of Bollywood.
But the most unfortunate part is that this 16th century fort is neither listed in the national heritage sites nor is it protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The star struck officials of this fort keep letting out the monument for all kinds of shootings and the edifice is crumbling little by little. Read the damage done to the fort was by Salman Khan’s movie unit ‘Veer‘.
However since 2013 Amer Fort is classified as UNESCO World Heritage site and is a part of Hill Forts of Rajasthan. Lot of new projects have been implemented. Often movie shooting too goes on within the premises. If you time your visit may be you can witness one of the movie sets there.
Kesar Kyari (saffron garden) and Maotha Lake Amber Fort Jaipur
Barren rooms of Jai Mandir Amer Fort Jaipur
Secret Tunnel of Amer Fort
Most exciting part of tour of Amber Fort is exploring the secret tunnel connecting Amber Fort with Jaigarh Fort. Since Oct 2012, a part of the tunnel measuring 325m is open to public.
Night Tour of Amer Fort Jaipur
The fort is open to tourists in night for 3 hours, 7PM to 10PM. Visit to Amber Fort on a full moon night makes it one of the most attractive romantic destination in Jaipur. The sound and light show portrays the history and traditions of Amber Fort very well. The shows are both in English and Hindi, both shows last for half an hour.
Location of Amer Fort
Amer Fort is located on a hill just beside the Maota Lake in Amer town. Distance between Amer Fort and Jaipur airport is 22km. Distance from Delhi by road is 259km and takes 4hr 45min.
Tips for Amer Fort Visit in Jaipur
- Reach early in the morning to avoid crowd and mid day heat.
- Weekdays have lesser crowd compared to weekends.
- Months September to March are the best months to visit Amber Fort.
- There are night tours of Amber Fort between 7PM to 10PM.
- Sound and light shows are conducted both in English and Hindi for half an hour every evening. Book your seats in advance to avoid disappointment.
- Search out a marble fresco depicting 7 different animals.
Tickets and Timings to Amer Fort
Tickets for just Amer Fort costs 100INR.
Combined ticket to Amer Fort, Nahargarh Fort, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar observatory, and Albert Hall Museum costs 300INR and is valid for 2 days.
You can hire a tour guide at the ticket counter in Jaleb Chowk courtyard. Alternately you can buy tickets online too.
Timings – Open 8.30AM to 5PM. For night tour – 6.30PM to 9.15PM.
Pin this for later…
(Updated post. This was first published on May 18 2009.)
Namaskara! Chennagi deera?! Just a little leftover Kannada language from my 4 weeks in Bengaluru in Feb/March this year. I made it to Delhi and Agra but NOT to Jaipur. Bummer! Love your Jaipur snaps! Just discovered your blog. Fun to look through your photos! Dhanyavadagalu! Regards from EAGAN daily photo in Minnesota, USA
@Byrningbunny…..
this is a protected monument and one of the monuments well preserved…infact only a portion of it is open to the general public which has been shown here in pics to you…
Well this is just one aspect which you have seen…Infact there is one aspect of AmberFort which remains hidden from entire world and that is it’s exquisite drainage system…
actually out of the most things that you might have seen…there is a massive wall on the other side of the fort…which is quite beautiful
the other side you would also see a place known as Upper Sagar and Lower Sagar which are actually much more beautiful than the original fort itself…and then if you have seen….there is the entire movie shooting of Bhool Bhulaiyya done there on it’s backside….
TV Globo, Brazilian TV Channel, has shown Indian people and beautiful buildings: a TV series “Caminho das Indias”.
Beautiful Country and People.
Luiz Ramos
Each and every image depicts how beautiful the fort is.
How can this not be protected?!! How sad. Thanks for sharing this.
I can’t remember if I answered your question or not, but the photo you commented on were seeds of the Manitoba Maple tree.
And now water is being used to heat rooms in some green technologies. I am fascinated by the idea of rooms lit by reflection..what possibilities! Light is magical.
It does look as if there are attempts being made to conserve the fort, even with the filming going on.
The mirror walls part sounds amazing and the time taken to built the fort. I too remember glass floors in Mysore palace, the picture reminds it.
I hope they will do something to keep the place high on their list of priority because it is grand and deserves to be categorize as a National Heritage. Very impressive architectural design. I love the mosaic windows and overall.
Thanks all for the lovely comments. 🙂
Jenn: We toured the Amber Fort for around two hours. It was a fascinating experience. 🙂
How sad for the deterioration. The water was quite innovative. The fort looked so majestic. It looked so huge, how long did it take to see the whole place or rather were you able to see the whole place? Great post as always!
Gorgeous! I’ve really got the travel bug now.
Wow!
and it takes just a candle to light up the entire room.. brilliant idea in this energy deficit days..[mirrors are cheaper than oil and and other forms of energy aren’t they? :)]
but it is sad to note that these structures are not being preserved for the future generations.. if the govt makes it a Heritage bldg then I am sure the expense for the maintenance can be managed somehow
that beautiful reportage! nice photos, thanx for share!
Luis
its a great fort, I enjoyed looking around admiring so many parts of it, like the mirror room and the mosaic work, but most of all I enjoyed the elephant rides up and down the hillside. That was special.
Yes, it is a stunning fort and palace. The view below from the top is excellent. The snaps are excellent as usual.
The word fusion is very accurate to describe this art of a structure! Beautiful..and the mirrors..WOW
Wonderful & lovely artwork! I especially love the detailed mirror work. 😉
Such delicate, intricate designs on such a large building – amazing beauty!
Wonderful images of amazing art!
Thank you for sharing, it sounds as though you had a wonderful time.
Hi Indrani! Sorry for the absence, but I’ve been busy with my parents’ health; almost 180 years to care… 😉
It was lovely to re-visit Amber Fort now through your lens; so lovely memories!!
Blogtrotter is showing the new Vilnius as well as the old University. Hope you enjoy and have a great week!
It must be hypnotic to work on something as amazingly beautiful as that. A trance-like concentration, forgetting to eat and drink, and forgetting everything and time.
What a magnificent fort. It’s hard to believe that it’s not protected in some way. Thanks for taking us with you on your tour.
What a beautiful building! Such a pity that it’s not on the list of world heritage! It should be kept in good repair.
How ingenious to use water to cool down the palaces. And that mosaic work is intricate and gorgeous.
What a fantastic palace!
Lovely snaps… I have been there… its a lovely place.. nice memories have just been freshened up by you !
Beautiful images and interesting information!!
The mirror work is stunning and will look amazing once it is all restored. The restoration worker is so totally engrossed in his work, isn’t he !! 🙂
Another place to add to my ‘I Want To Visit’ list. !
Stunning. I hope something can be done to preserve it.
Someone must be looking after this incredible fort, because in your photos it looks great. As for filming… beautiful places should be filmed. Nice ork.
Unbelievable handcraft! I just hope all the workers earned a good life…. Very good pictures.
It would be such a shame to lose this treasure!
must visit the fort before it is ruined and/or sold for a multiplex 🙂
Indrani, this is a very nice and informative post. What wonderful places you depict here! Thanks for sharing.
Great pictures i would like to visit myself.
Isn´t it good that there is at least some fort where they can make movies? You can´t have them all protected.
What an amazing fort. Love the mirrored mozaics. Truly conservationists of their time.
Superb fort and a great post. I love the mirror room, a great idea for energy saving, and the gardens are so beautiful.
I am always mesmerized by India’s culture and architecture. You showed us beautiful photos and quite a bit of information.
This was a definite treat. Though I have visited this palace as a child, but my memories are not very clear. Thanks for rekindling them.
I have read about this place countless times and I can truly understand how beautiful it is. It must be magical being there..and I would love to be there one day. hugs…..M
Such a lovely place – and such a pity it is being allowed to crumble away. Film makers will surely ring the death knell to many a place with their indifference and lack of sensitivity towards heritage. It is up to the people who manage/own these places to care for them. But it does take a lot of money to do that , and so they let them out to movie makers – a vicious circle.
I was here in 1984!! and remeber it as a stunningly beautiful place..thanks for the reminder!!
Wow it is so huge, you must have walked a long way. So interesting to see how they cool the room. Amazing building.
Such stunning architecture! You’re right, conservation is the key for posterity to enjoy.
Thnaks for the wonderful pics.
What an amazing place! How much of it is open for the public? I can’t stop thinking of how much work and efforts have been put behind it! Two centuries and three kings? Wow!
What a beautiful place and so interesting to see how it’s used today as A tv setting. Ancient meets the modern
What an eye for detail….I have been fascinated by forts especially after Satyajit Ray’s film ‘Sonar Kella’ (The Golden Fort).
And I feel great at having managed to identify the elephant in your Camera Critters contest. Thanks.
Yes ..
its another beautiful fort 🙂
Its so nice architecture
in your country.
That mirror work in the walls
is very amazing, Wow!!
Thanks for the veryyy good shots!!
Its nice to see it all 🙂
What a shame it would be if all that beauty was allowed to crumble away…
These are amazing. “Ecumenical” is an old idea, to be sure. The mirror work and the garden boggle my mind.
another beautiful post and so enjoyed the commentary with it. a shame that they don’t protect it but, seems someone is greedy for the money from renting the grounds/facitilies out?
You always bing such great sights to us. I hope that the fort will be protected in the future! Awesome photos.
I’m disappointed because not all of the photos are loading for me. I can see the first and the third, and they’re lovely.
Oh, Indrani, what an incredibly beautiful place! Really breathtaking! And your photos, as always, are exquisite! Thanks for sharing a piece of your world with us! Have a great week!
Stunningly beautiful is right. It indeed is that.
What a beautiful fort. All great shots but the details in the second shot were especially beautiful to me.