Amber Fort in Jaipur. Fort Jaigar. Jal Mahal is a palace surrounded by thousands of cercals. We visit in one day in Jaipur. We create spring mood

Are you ready to go back to India and wander with us through the unknown 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 eat. This is all me in my search for where to stick my nose, where it can be more interesting =)) But we were not just not driven away, but on the contrary, they gave us a rather cordial welcome, mistaking for foreign journalists. Me and a three-year-old child ... Well, a strange bunch for journalists)) Well, okay, we fulfilled our blogging duty - we looked into every corner, filmed everything, did not pay for anything. What else do you need for a good report? ;)

We drove up to the ancient walls of the Amber fortress ourselves as maharajas - by taxi, but rented for the whole day. It was the first and only time in my life when we even rode around India by car)

But the day before, we honestly tried, as usual, to move around Jaipur on our own and it was wildly expensive (Jaipur rickshaws take money only in this way), wildly tiring (noise and exhaust gases from everywhere), and wildly long (it turned out that the city is so big, that walking at all in any way). In general, when one driver offered to take us for 8 hours in a brand new air-conditioned car to all popular attractions for only 1000 rupees (then it was ~ 550 rubles), I immediately agreed. In general, feeling like at least millionaires, we drove up to the gates of the fort importantly) You can enter them absolutely free of charge. Inside the Amber Fort is large area walled.

In my article When is it better to go to India, I already wrote about the climate of the state of Rajasthan, that it is very dry and deserted here. Behind the walls, "bald" hills are really noticeable. Vegetation is tight.

Not quite to the Sahara, but nevertheless ...

Although, in my opinion, this has its own zest. Rajasthan is the most vibrant and colorful state. This is where the multi-colored saris for women and luscious turbans for men. And all this looks incredibly picturesque against the backdrop of such yellow sands. Inside the fortress, for the delight of the eyes of the Maharaja, some trees were still planted.

Not to say that there are many, but from a certain angle it may really seem like a green oasis here;)

Or even the whole jungle :))

Of course, all the buildings are built in the traditional Mughal style. You can best understand it by watching the Soviet cartoon "Golden Antelope", where the atmosphere and even all the patterns of the Raja's palace are incredibly conveyed. By the way, Raja from Hindi is translated as "prince"))

The gates to the fort are exactly the same as in the Taj Mahal, or in other great buildings of the Mughal empire - in Lal Qila (Red Fort) in Delhi and in Agra.

No wonder the word "Moguls" is similar to "Mongols", that's what they are, just in the Indian way they are called a little differently) In fact, it was also the Mongol yoke, which India also underwent. This confrontation between the ancient Indian empire and the Mongols is especially visible in Hampi, where the state of Vijanayagara kept the siege to the last.

The Hindus then fought on horseback, it was an invincible army, before which Alexander the Great himself fell several centuries earlier. Yet, somehow, a handful of Mongols "made" all of Asia. Interesting fact that today the Mongols are mostly Buddhists, at the same time they were Muslims and imposed their religion on the conquered territories. Something in ancient times, Islam was a very aggressive religion: / In Rus', after all, Islam also appeared from the Tatar-Mongols.

Mishutka and I walked around, looked around, the entrance to the Maharaja's palace was paid ...

Musicians were sitting in the back streets, it's a pity that without cobras. After all, it is in Rajasthan that there are especially many snake charmers.

But I didn’t want to go there at all, because. this was my fifth trip to India and I had seen enough before of all sorts of luxurious and beautiful bless you. I'm already bored with it all. Therefore, I went along the walls of the fort in order to look into all sorts of doors and windows, maybe I’ll find something interesting))

And, yes, we really found something with Mishutka)

The sign at the entrance eloquently announced limited access, but can you scare me or stop me with such things?))

As we found out, this is a functioning restaurant of the Jaipur Maharajas, who still manage the city, being the legislative power. It was not possible to find out for certain whether they get chairs by voting or by inheritance, but there is no doubt that these chairs are luxurious.

Yes, yes, we even kissed our butts on these high-ranking pillows))

From the walls next to us, the mustachioed men with daggers looked sternly at us - the true owners of this lodge)

I don’t know how often officials come here, but the table is always set for them.

Schaub I lived like that! :)

Although, most likely, she would not be able to live in such conditions. I do not like pretentiousness and I do not know how to command people. Once I was in Delhi visiting Russian girls who married Indians and have been living there for many years. So they all have servants at home, bringing water with a tray and bowing, so I shied away and bowed guiltily in front of them. Maybe over time you get used to issuing commands to servants? Although I always thought it could only be in the blood, no? In general, I am a caveman, but real maharajas should have a desire for luxury from childhood;) Mmmmm, antique furniture ...

Around a lot of vintage decor details. That's what I love, yes) I'm happy to drag any rubbish into the house =)

Once an Indian girl gave me an old box in the form of a wooden chest, so I almost died of happiness) True, then I looked at it for a long time and the officers at Sheremetyevo turned it around when they searched my luggage upon arrival)))) I can imagine what questions they would ask me if you see something like this.

Various gems are mined in the vicinity of Jaipur. Especially a lot of rubies. Not all of them are very valuable, and they are not processed in the way that connoisseurs of jewelry like, but they are used quite often in the inlay of all kinds of products, including clothes.

Everywhere the crystal shimmers in the rays of the sun.

In general, due to the abundance of glass, an impression of a certain airiness and lightness is created.

Of course, they didn’t feed us, but what they let in at all and even led us through different halls and rooms was already hoo, how unusual and interesting) At the end, they just timidly clarified that they say you are from some kind of publication, right? Well, something like that, uh-huh)))

I’m not sure that I told what you wanted to hear about Amber Fort, but if you are reading this article because you are going to go there, then you will visit anyway, why do you need to show all the cards, right? And if you ended up on this page just to learn about new places and countries, then believe me, you will not read about such a fort of Amber Jaipur anywhere else, because with our eyes in 99% of cases everything is completely different, because we are fans of climbing into uncharted places;) Maybe the journalist in me really died? :)

Amber Fort Jaipur - how to get there

Amber Fort is located in the north of Jaipur, quite noticeably from the city center and historical center pink city. Of course, the most convenient way to get here is by rickshaw, I'm afraid there is no other transport. Prices are likely to be exorbitant, because Jaipur rickshaws are greedy and it will be far to go by their standards. Perhaps it will be possible to bargain up to 150-200 rupees, but this is one way, it is unlikely that the rickshaw will be waiting for you. There is also no guarantee that he will take you up the mountain to the very gate with the entrance. Most likely, he will drop you off at the foot of the mountain, because. the capacity of an ordinary rickshaw tarantary may not be enough - the climb is really quite steep, and you will have to climb up on your own.

The cheapest option to see Jaipur, in my opinion, is to rent a rickshaw for the whole day (8 hours), so that he would take you everywhere and wait. It costs only 500 rupees, and where to find such a rickshaw, I wrote in my article about Jaipur hotels, where I wrote a review about the guest house where we lived and the staff who offered to rent a rickshaw for the whole day for 500 rupees. Well, in fact, Amber Fort is on the map to understand and estimate how far it is from the center of Jaipur.

Article text updated: 05/29/2018

Ready Plan traveling in India caused me only one gripe: in most places we stayed after dark, which means that it will be more difficult to bargain with rickshaws. Yes, and in the dark it is difficult to look for housing - I had to book hotels in advance. In Delhi, the administrator, awake, could not find my reservation at the Vivek Hotel. Settling in Jaipur also did not go smoothly.

But first things first. Train No. 14659 "Delhi Jaisalmer Express" arrived at the Jaipur station almost without delay: approximately at 12 o'clock in the morning. They went out into the street and were immediately surrounded by a ring of noisy rickshaws, who wanted to take two white tourists wherever they pleased for some miserable 300 rupees. And it pleased us to get into a wonderful inexpensive hotel Rawla Mrignayani Palace, which is located just half a kilometer from such hyped attractions of Jaipur as the City Palace (City Palace), the Palace of the Winds (Hawa Mahal, Hawa Mahal) and the Jantar Mantar Observatory. Paying 300 rupees was not part of our plans and there was no desire to bargain from fatigue. Therefore, we agreed with Katya that we would leave the station square for the “city”, and there the rickshaws should be more accommodating.

On the street, the fare started at 200 rupees, but agreed for 60 Indian rubles. We load the luggage and rush through the night city. However, I must admit, the worm of doubt gnaws at me: the auto rickshaw, as it seemed to me, did not read the address of the hotel quite sure (opposite the Silver Art Palace Hotel next to Subhash Chowk).

And exactly! He drove about two kilometers from the station, slows down and asks a passerby for directions, then turns to us:

- Wow, sir! The hotel, as it turned out, unusually far away! I can deliver for 160 rupees.

- No, brother, we agreed for 60 ...

“Well, I didn't know. I won't take you that far.

- Then drop it off!

- Yes, please!

A motor rickshaw, humming with displeasure, hides in the dark, and we, with a suitcase and a photo backpack full of expensive photographic equipment, remain at some overpass, under which local homeless people, wrapped in rags, light fires to keep warm on a cold February night.

Mm-yes... A good friend of mine told me: "Kroilovo leads to the popadalovo!" Nothing to do, passing from the side railway station rickshaws are busy, so we cross the road and wait on the other side of the overpass, hoping to return to the starting point of the Jaipur journey. Here, out of the darkness, like an iron green-yellow swan, our savior auto rickshaw swims up:

Where would you like, sir?

- Hotel "Rawla Mrignayani Palace", 150 rupees.

- Go! - we agree willingly, because we want to go to bed faster.

Here's the trouble! We arrived in one place - there is no hotel there, in another - too. The rickshaw stopped several times and asked rare passers-by at night - he could not find it.

As luck would have it, I didn’t print out the booking voucher and didn’t even download it to my netbook, and we didn’t buy an Indian SIM card, the driver doesn’t have a navigator on his phone, the Maps.me application, for some reason, does not connect to satellites.

In general, we drove into some slums, stopped and ... it feels like the rickshaw will now say: “Go to hell with your 150 rupees, I already dashed off 300. Free vehicle gentlemen, white-skinned tourists!”

No, he didn't give up. And I opened the map in Maps.me and, without connecting to satellites, showed close-up how to get to "Rawla Mrignayani Palace". So, in the second hour of the night, we still found our hotel.

Excursion to Amber Fort (Amber Fort, Amer Fort)

Rawla Mrignayani Palace really looks like a palace. And the walls are pink, as everywhere in Jaipur, and the architecture is arches, as in many ancient Indian cities.

Slept well. In the morning I noticed how tightly all the shutters were closed, opened the door and understood the reason: right under the windows there was a flock of macaques. If you don't close, they'll steal more documents! We overslept breakfast time, the administrator offered to choose from the menu. Hey, we don't want to! Let's find something to eat outside...

No matter how! Along the road there are only workshops and ugly shops. We probably walked a kilometer until we found a quarter with a terrible-looking restaurants ... Well, time is ticking, we only have half a day to visit Jaipur, so there is nothing to be capricious, and we had to have breakfast in such an unsanitary place that we still shudder. And it is surprising that we did not have problems with the stomach.

According to tourists, getting to this fortress by bus does not leave any difficulty at all: next to the square near the Palace of the Winds (Hawa Mahal) is bus stop ordinary PAZs. The fare costs 20 rupees, but we have no time to look for a stop, we go to Amer by rickshaw (150 rupees - 10-15 minutes on the way, obviously overpaid).

To be honest, Amber Fort was the trigger that made me decide to go to India for the first time, in the fall of 2015. Open Misha Shmakov's report (link below): amber walls, emerald hills with a meandering "Chinese wall", a black and blue stormy sky and a flock of birds over the towers of the citadel... That's what melted my heart and made me buy tickets to Delhi...

The road to Amber Fort runs through picturesque hills. On the way to the right you can see the Palace on the water (Jal Mahal, Jal Mahal), on the shore of the lake there are countless flocks of pelicans, tall camels ride tourists. Guys, I like Jaipur twice as much as Delhi. Very beautiful!

Half a kilometer before reaching the entrance, the rickshaw stopped for me to capture famous view fortress of Amber.

There is a cliff right below me. If you want to take off amazing photo Ambera, come here during regime hours, from the entrance return to this place, but to the lake shore, and take a picture of the frame with the reflection of the fortress in the water. Then it will be "oh, beauty"!

Jaigarh Fort (or Jaigarh Fort) rises above Amber, we will also definitely get into it, climbing the fortress wall.

In my notes, collected while preparing a trip to India, it is noted: entrance 50 rupees for foreign tourists, photography - 70 rupees. Amber Fort opening hours: from 9:30 to 16:30. Strange, but there were no ticket offices at the entrance, they passed freely.

I will say this: despite the abundance of tourists, the atmosphere here is somehow special, and it is very pleasant to be at the foot of these hills and ancient walls. The only pity is that we arrived in Jaipur for one day, did not have time to climb that mountain with a fortress wall and watchtowers. The view must be extraordinary from up there.

Attraction for tourists - the entrance to the Amer Fort on elephants. When we climbed, apparently, it was already too hot - only "empty" drovers were returning from above.

The Amber fortress was originally the capital of the state, before Jaipur became it. Construction began under Raja Man Singh I (on the shores of Maotha Lake in 1592). Later, the structure was rebuilt and expanded under Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II.

E-he-he, unfortunately, in the afternoon, we planned an excursion to the Palace of Winds, so we did not have time to climb to the top of that hill in the back. And I really wanted to! I would bring pictures from Jaipur with an unusual angle to both citadels.

We did not quite understand the intricacies of the architecture of the fort: somewhere there was a reconstruction, somewhere a restaurant, somewhere at the “mirror gate” a guard was sitting and almost beat me with a stick when I tried to photograph them.

In 2013, the architectural complex of the fortress was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, as evidenced by the plaque.

In general, we wandered around, stared at the wonderful architecture and at the tourists who came here, probably from all over India.

It's time to climb to the second attraction on our list, for this we go down to Maotha Lake and, along the fortress wall, which for some reason is called Sagor Road (Sagawr Rd) on Google maps, we begin climbing under the scorching rays of the Rajasthani sun.

How we climbed to Jaigarh Fort

If we compare the excursions to Delhi and the Amber Fort in Jaipur in terms of the degree of fascination, then in the second it was 2 times more interesting than in the capital. And climbing the fortress wall to Jaigarh Fort is generally a delight.

As soon as you move away from the main staircase to Maotha Lake and the Kesar Kyari Gardens, the hum of tourists subsides, only natural sounds remain: birds, grasshoppers in the grass, a warm breeze. We climb the fortress wall and slowly move up, incessantly gasping, looking around the picturesque surroundings.

Somewhere in the middle of the path we meet a monkey sitting on the teeth. During the excursion to national park in Thailand, we almost got into a fight with a pack of formidable primates, so we treat them with caution. I had to go down into the bush to look for a stick for self-defense.

Langur sat and looked around, completely ignoring our presence. And he did not move his eyes, even when we carefully walked past along the edge of the wall. And he only looked contemptuously after him when we passed him.

Well, my friends, it was worth climbing in spite of the heat! Where else can you see such beauty?

Photo 15. View of the Amber Fort. Behind - "The Great Wall of China of India". Reports about independent excursions. 1/800, -0.67, 8.0, 100, 70.

Entrance to the territory of Jaigarh Fort is paid: the ticket price is 200 rupees with foreign tourist. Opening hours: from 9:00 to 17:00 daily.

Oh, what a pleasure to go there! There are almost no people, the view of the surroundings is breathtaking. Thinking back to the Middle Ages...

Jaigarh Fort was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1726. It is located on a mountain called Chell ka Tella (Hill of Eagles) and is clearly visible to all who enter Jaipur.

During the time of the Great Mughals, located 240 km from the capital, it became the main foundry for the manufacture of cannons and the storage of military ammunition. It is a pity that before traveling to India, I did not come across an article that the Indian Tsar Cannon Jaivana (Jaivana cannon) is now installed in this fortress.

The guidebooks write that it is the largest in the world made on wheels. The dimensions of the barrel are 6.5x2.2 meters, which is larger than the guns in the Kremlin (5.34x1.2 meters). And she fired, unlike ours, once in her history, though it was a trial shot.

There are several palaces on the territory of the complex: (Laxmi Vilas, Lalit Mandir, Vilas Mandir and Aram Mandir).

Lovers of antiquity will be especially pleased to wander through the narrow corridors and stairs, similar to an ancient prison.

To be honest, we climbed to Jagar Fort first of all for the canonical, postcard view of Hanuman Sagar Lake.

It seems that the beauties of Rajasthan are liked not only by people, but also by the more ancient inhabitants of these lands.

Only from above you can understand that in Amer Fort we visited only a few most territory, the rest remained “behind the scenes”.

Below is the city of the same name Amer, it reminded me of the blue city of Jodhpur - also in Rajasthan, and I want to visit there in the future.

In all Jaipur guidebooks they write that on the territory of the Jaigar fortress there is underground reservoir and, according to rumors, the untold riches of the Kachchava dynasty, which ruled this region for many centuries, were stored there. So, the rumors were so convincing that in 1977, by order of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, a delegation went to the fort to search for the treasure, but the owner of the fortress Maharani Gayatri Devi (the last queen of Jaipur) opposed this. And then troops were sent to Jaigarh.

The search continued for 3 months, but, as announced, were unsuccessful. When the army units retreated, the road from Jaipur to Delhi was closed for three days, and evil tongues said that they saw trucks plying along it, heading to the residence of the prime minister. The answer to the question of whether there were treasures in Jaigarh Fort still excites Indian heads.

Having been around the territory of the fortress, we took off a tall dromedary as a keepsake and rushed down, not forgetting to photograph the local wildlife along the way.

At 17:10 our train departed from Jaipur to Bharatpur, where the Keoladeo Ghana bird sanctuary is located. national park). Until that time, we still managed to look at the Palace on the Water (Jal Mahal) and the Palace of the Winds (Hawa Mahal), but I will talk about this in the next part of the review.

Well, friends, today you learned how to get to the Amber and Jaigarh fortresses in Jaipur, how much tickets cost and what time these attractions are open, you saw their photos. Now you are ready for self-guided tour along the Golden Triangle of India. If you travel in our footsteps, then please write in the comments fresh "news from the fields" - it will come in handy for other tourists, and clean your karma. See you on the pages of the site!

Amber Fort is one of the main attractions on the Indian Golden Triangle route. The fortress is located 11 km from Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan in the north of the country. Amber is a classic example of a Rajasthani fort-palace, located on a mountain above the valley in which Jaipur is located. At the top of the mountain there is another fortress - Jaigarh, which guards the approaches to Amber and Jaipur. The fortress wall stretches from one fort to another and encircles the nearby hills. The length of the walls is about 20 km. The locals call it the "Great Indian Wall" by analogy with the famous landmark of China.

Amber Fort was the capital of these parts before the founding of Jaipur and still allows you to imagine the luxury and beauty in which the Rajas lived. The fort was built in the classical Rajput architectural style, which is characterized by impeccable proportional lines, strict, clear external forms. For the construction of the fort, only local materials were used, which created an unusual effect - against the background of the surrounding mountains, the fortress looks like a creation of nature, not human hands. At sunset, the yellow sandstone turns orange, which may have been the reason for one of the misinterpretations of the name of the fort. Some guides say that the name comes from English word amber ("amber") because of the color of the walls. This is one of the myths surrounding the fortress.

The fort was named after the goddess Amba, better known in Indian mythology as Durga.

Story

On the crest of the rock on which the Amber Fort now stands, fortified settlements existed more than 1,000 years ago. In the 11th century, the principality of Dhundhar was founded here, the rulers of which fought for a long time with the Delhi Sultanate. Amber was on main road to Delhi, so its strengthening was a strategically important task. In the XIV century, the capital was transferred here and the principality is now called Amber. In the valley behind the fort, the princely residence of Kadimi Mahal was built. And for additional protection - the Jaigarh fortress, located higher on the rock and connected to the Amber Fort by underground passages.

The heyday of the principality came in the 16th century, when the rajah became an ally of the Mughal dynasty. In 1588, a large-scale production of cannons began in Jaigarh, which brought material prosperity to the principality and a large-scale reconstruction of the Amber Fort by Raja Man Singhe I began, which was continued by his grandson Raja Jai ​​Singh I. It was then that the fortress turned into a magnificent palace complex with four isolated courtyards, an artificial lake Maota, gardens and temples.

In 1727, the Raja moved the capital of the principality from Amber to Jaipur, after which the fort-residence began to fall into disrepair. Not only the princely family moved to the new capital, but also noble courtiers. Only the servants of the temple remained. Jaigarh Fort played a prominent role for a long time due to its favorable strategic position. In 2013, Amber Fort was listed world heritage"UNESCO".

Attractions

Visitors enter Jaleb Chowk Square through the Sun Gate (Suraj Pol), which was intended only for the passage of the Raja and his dignitaries. Guards parades were held on the square, and military successes were also celebrated. On top of the surrounding buildings are galleries, through the lattice windows of which the women of the Raja's harem could watch the celebrations. By law, women could not be shown to outsiders.

Coming through lion gate(Singh Paul) you can get to the Divan-i-Am pavilion, where the raja holds public audiences. Special attention draw on the columns, which end with elephant heads beautifully carved from marble. It seems that the elephants support the arches of the roof with their trunks. Nearby is a terrace from which you can see the surroundings and the city, as well as the artificial lake Maota and the garden on the island. A fountain once worked in the center of the garden, and the waters from the lake brought coolness to the palace.

IN private courtyard Rajas can be passed through the Ganesha Gate. The upper part of the gate building, which has three levels, is decorated with a statue of the god Ganesha, made of whole piece coral. The gates themselves are decorated with mosaics and openwork stone carvings.

The two residential palaces of the Maharajas, Shish Mahal (Mirror Palace) and Sukh Niwas, are located in the third courtyard and are lined up opposite each other.

The Shish Mahal hall is decorated with mirror patterns on the walls and ceiling in such a way that even one lit candle can cause the effect of a "starry sky" and illuminate the entire hall.

Mirrors at that time were made only in Europe and their delivery to India was very expensive. This hall alone speaks of the luxury in which the rajas lived.

Sukh Niwas translates as "House of Joy". Here the ruler met with the women of his harem. Moreover, the rooms were arranged in such a way that he could come to one of the wives unnoticed by others. To save from the eternal heat, a cooling system was invented here - a water channel that passes through the palace and flows down into the courtyard.

The main building of the inner quarters of the Maharajas is Jai Niwas (Victory Palace). Its main building is the Yash Mandir (Room of Glory). The palace was built entirely of white marble, richly inlaid precious stones and decorated with stone carvings. The walls of the Glory room are additionally decorated with paintings. There is a terrace on the roof of Jai Niwas. Court meetings were held here during the winter season.

Nearby is the zanana (women's section), where there are bedrooms, pantries, kitchens, bathrooms and covered terraces.

Thanks to Google-panoramas, you can see the Amber Fort from the inside.

Prices

You can get to the territory of the fort for free, but the entrance to the courtyards is paid.

The ticket price for tourists is 200 rupees. For tourist students 100 rupees.

Official English-speaking guide - 200 rupees. You can take an audio guide, the cost is 150 rupees.

In the evenings, the fort hosts a light and sound show on English language at 19:30 (cost 200 rupees) and in Hindi at 20:00 (100 rupees).

How to get there

Amber Fort is located 11 km from Jaipur. You can get there by bus, tuk-tuk and taxi.

By bus

The stop at the square at the foot of the cliff on which the fort is located is called Fort Amer. Buses 3B, AC1, AC5 go here from Jaipur. All of them pass through the city center. The cost of the trip is 10 rupees. Buses are often crowded. In particular, the AC5 bus passes by central park capital Cities.

On a tuk tuk

Travel time is approximately 30-45 minutes (depending on the situation on the roads). Cost from 150 rupees (do not forget to bargain).

By taxi

The cost of a trip from Jaipur is around 500 rupees. You can arrange with the driver to take you all day and go to nearby attractions - the Jaigarh fortress and the "palace on the water" Jal Mahal. It will cost you about 900 rupees.

How to get to the fort

From the square at the foot of the mountain, where all transport arrives directly to the fort, you can get in 3 ways.

On foot

The journey will take about 10 minutes, but the road is uphill. According to Google-panoramas, the path looks like this.

on elephants

The journey will take about 15 minutes. The cost is 900 rupees for two.

Elephants "work" from 8:00 to 11:00 and from 15:30 to 17:30.

Jeep

The climb will cost you 200 rupees.

April 11th, 2013

Of course, I still associate the word “Amber” with “Chronicles of Amber” by Roger Zelazny, but now I will probably have to slightly adjust my ideas.

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 Fort (Victory Fort), guarding 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.

The construction of the fort began in 1592 by Raja Man Singh I, the commander of the Rajput units in the army of Emperor Akbar. Completed the construction grand structure a descendant of Man Singh - Jai Singh I. The fort was named after the goddess Amba, better known in Indian mythology under the name 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.

For the construction, only local material was used, which made it possible to achieve an unusual effect - natural and man-made is almost impossible to distinguish from afar. With frequent military attacks in those days, this was of particular defensive importance. The Rajput architectural style is characterized by impeccable proportional lines, strict, clear external forms.

However, massive fortress walls hid a rich interior decoration refined processing and decorations, inaccessible to casual glance. Inside the fort, the buildings are complemented by many stone-barred balconies, thin columns, connected scalloped arches, small pavilions at the corners of roofs and awnings, and barred arched windows cut into the walls to enhance ventilation. In the palace, the dream of paradise found its true embodiment, giving delight to the soul and peace to the heart.

Rajput forts were built according to a fairly rigid scheme. central part occupied a multi-tiered residential building - prasada, next to it - one- or two-story pavilions, isolated or representing the wings of prasada. The territory of the palace complex was divided into three parts: the first - a service yard with stalls, warehouses, weapons stores, palace square and a pavilion for official audiences. The second - one or two courtyards with private 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 - Dalarama Garden (named after the architect of Jaipur). A wide road leads to the palace, along which elephants are still moving at a leisurely pace, delivering visitors to the first entrance gate - Jai Pol. There is also a staircase with unusually large steps for riders and their horses, and not for pedestrians. The huge courtyard is followed by the Suraj Pol (Gate of the Sun) to reveal the Jaleb Chowk, a service yard with barracks and stables. Chandra Pol (Gate of the Moon) leads to a temple dedicated to Narasingha (a 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 come to the pavilion for official audiences (sofa-i-am). Its vaulted roof rests on 40 columns, the central of which are made of white marble, and the side ones are made of red sandstone. It is noteworthy that the upper parts of the columns are made in the form 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 up.

Behind the gates of Ganesh Paul begins a patio with a cozy little garden and personal chambers of the rulers. To the right 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 arranged right in the floor, which ends with a small waterfall that flows into the char bagh (traditional Islamic indoor garden). The floor of the channel is lined with alternating strips of white and black marble. Resembling a zigzag wave, this pattern further enhances the effect of flowing water.

Jai Niwas Palace is made of the purest white marble and with its elegant outlines resembles the famous pavilions of the Mughal emperors of the fort in Agra. Jai Niwas houses the Shish Mahal (Mirror Palace) and the Yash Mandir (Room of Glory), a divan-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. Along the edges of the panel 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).

The Sheesh Mahal and the Yash Mandir above are the most impressive. Their walls and vaulted ceilings are inlaid with 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 starry sky effect.

At the very top of Jai Niwas is the Nat Mahal Terrace. On it, with the onset of winter, darbars were held - meetings of the court. Located near Jaya Niwas zanana is a real maze of bedrooms, closets, utility rooms, bathrooms, kitchens and covered terraces. Getting into this part of the palace, you invisibly feel the former presence of maharani (queens) and kumari (princesses). They led a secluded life, revealing themselves only by the gentle ringing of anklets that resounded in the depths of the zanana.

Numerous open terraces and flat roofs of the palace (they were also used for walking) offer a breathtaking panorama of hills stretching beyond the horizon, ancient citadels and fortification towers. And far below you can see the calm expanse of Lake Maota, in which, like 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 delivered to the fort at one time. Before boarding the elephants, we were surrounded by numerous vendors offering wooden souvenirs. You can buy cute wooden elephants and camels from them for cheap. To bargain locals they start with 3 figurines for 1000 rupees, but with special perseverance, you can reduce the price to 10 figurines for 1000 rupees. These figurines are made somewhat roughly, but as souvenirs for friends and acquaintances, they are quite suitable.

They immediately warn you that if you buy anything else before landing on the elephant, then the merchants will follow you for a long time, getting under the feet of the elephant and shouting out more and more profitable offers. We still bought several elephants and funny rag dolls of maharajas and maharashis from one of these molesters.

It is better to buy souvenirs on the way back. There they will be cheaper and you will not have to carry them with you all the time. Before landing, you can choose an elephant for every taste and color ... Big or small, formidable or good-natured, decorated with painted patterns or richly decorated with bright fabrics and unusual decorations.

A separate attraction here is a staircase with special wide steps for the convenience of horse riders. Through the Jai Pol gate, visitors to the fort enter a huge courtyard, followed by the next gate - Suraj Pol (Gate of the Sun). These, in turn, lead to the service yard of Jaleb Chowk, where the military barracks and stables were located.

After the Gate of the Sun, Chandra Pol - the Gate of the Moon follows, which leads us to the Narasingha temple. In Indian religious mythology, this is a lion-man, one of the incarnations of the god Vishnu. The temple of Jagat Shiromani (Treasure of the World) is also located here, with a spacious prayer hall.

After passing the Lion's Gate, the guests of the fort get to the pavilion (sofa-and-am), in which 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 form of elephant heads, and the upturned trunks are a support for the roof. The pavilion adjoins a terrace surrounded by a decorative lattice. The terrace also offers stunning views of the surrounding landscape.

Tourists pass through the Ganesh Pol gate into the inner courtyard, where the rulers' residential chambers stand and a small cozy garden is located. One of the rooms is speaking name- Place of Joy (Sukh Niva). Wooden carved entrance doors are 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 Jai Niwas Palace, built of snow-white marble. It houses the Shish Mahal Palace of Mirrors and the Yash Mandir Hall of Fame. There is also a sofa-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 along 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 mosaics were 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 gratings (jali), which enhance ventilation in the rooms, as well as create a pleasant twilight and protect the rooms from direct sunlight.

indoors amber fort coolness and twilight reigned in contrast to the sun-drenched open courtyards. Perhaps, by European standards, the chambers make a somewhat gloomy impression. But this was the only way to escape from the ruthless, scorching sun for most of the year. As in the old days, to Jai Pol (the main gate Amber Fort) you can ride on an elephant. Dalarama Garden is located on small island 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 the amazingly beautiful decoration of the gate - Ganesha Paul. Their facade is richly decorated with arches decorated with jali (carved stone lattices) and a bangal-dar type roof (such a roof has low domed ends with cornices 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 watch public audiences without being noticed. On the same floor is the Bhojan Shala (dining room) with murals depicting scenes from Hindu mythology and images of the sacred cities of India.

The terrace of the Nat Mahal, located at the top of the Jai Niwas, served in the past as a place where the ceremonial meetings of the court were held. And zanana is a living area, which is a maze of bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, pantries and covered terraces. Here, in seclusion, 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 oriental paradise, created for quiet enjoyment of beauty and peace.

Initially, the fortress, now known as "Amber Fort", was only palace complex, appendage 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 have come to Jaipur for more than one day, then you can safely devote a couple of days to a walking tour of the old walls and turrets of the neighboring rocky ridges. The views that will open up to you 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, with which the guides will stuff you: (1) You will be shown towards the town that somewhere there ( the guide's finger makes a circle covering an area twice as large as the several thousand inhabited Amber) stood a great temple in which there was a statue ( I don't remember who, sorry) from a single piece of amber ( Amber in English amber, just in case someone does not know); (2) You will come across a very stupid guide who will say that the amber is yellow and the palace is yellow sandstone, so the type was named as amber. You can believe in these versions only if you believe in Santa Claus ...

water palace(Jug Niwas) summer residence Maharaja of Udaipur (Rajasthan, India), erected on an island of Lake Pichola about 250 m from the shore. Rajput architects were able to build princely palaces in the middle of lakes and ponds on natural or artificial islands, creating a complete illusion of a structure literally growing out of the water.

This approach served two purposes:

1. body of water was an additional obstacle and provided defensive advantages;

2. Water created a special microclimate in buildings.

From afar, the white marble complex looks like a single whole, but in fact these are two palaces - Dilaram and Bari Mahal. They are connected to each other by gardens and charming courtyards with fountains and gazebos. famous traveler J. Tod, one of the first foreigners who saw this architectural miracle, wrote: “The palace on the lake ... is built entirely of marble: columns, baths, waterways and fountains - everything is made of this material, in many places lined with mosaics, and some uniformity is pleasant scattered 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 buildings, are framed by thickets of tamarind and evergreen trees. Special dining rooms with columns and extensive baths for the Rajput rulers are arranged 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 right from the windows.