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Amber Fort
 Location
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Jaipur, Rajasthan
Built In :
16th Century
Started By :
Maharaja Man Singh
Overlooking the Delhi Jaipur Highway, the image of the Amber Fort is beautifully reflected in the lake below. Within the Amer Fort lies the famous Jai Mandir (Temple) with its world renowned Sheesh Mahal, a hall full of Mirrors.
The walls and the ceiling of the Mahal are covered with a beautiful array of mirrors, which reflect any streak of light, so as to illuminate the entire room. Located 9 Kms north west of Jaipur, the Amber Fort was once the Capital of the Minas.
Falling under the Golden Triangle, and being visited by millions of domestic and foreign tourists, the city of Jaipur is a place of high tourist interest. The Pink City, as commonly known, has all sorts of amenities for domestic and foreign tourists. Hotels ranging from 5 stars to low budgets are available, as it attracts high tourist traffic in winters.
The front courtyard of the complex, is adorned with the magnificent, pillared hall of the Diwan - i - Am, and the two - tiered painted gateway Ganesh Pol. The palace of mirrors, Sheesh Mahal, is of special interest. It has walls inlaid with exquisite mirrors. The Jas Mandir, perched on the upper floor, is a superb amalgam of Mughal and Rajput style of architecture, as is evident from the exquisitely carved Jali screens, and fine mirror and stucco work.
 The fort is entered through the 'Dil-e-Aaram' Garden, laid out in the traditional Mughal style. An imposing flight of stairs leads to the 'Diwan-E-Am' (hall of public audience) which has latticed galleries and double row of columns each having a capital in the shape of elephants on the top. To the right are steps that lead to the small Kali Temple. Maharaja Man Singh was a great devotee of Goddess Kali and prayed to the goddess for victory during battles. The temple has huge doors made of silver. The larger white marble Shila Mata temple, has the image of Goddess Kali, brought by Raja Man Singh from Jessore in East Bengal (now Bangladesh).
The Fort also has remnants of its rich past and the oldest of ruins dates back to the 16th century. The fort can be divided into four segments and there are two ways of reaching - one is by climbing the daunting flight of steps and the other is by riding on elephant back through the expansive passageway. The intriguing Jaleb Chowk is the central courtyard and in the days of yore the victorious royal armed forces were received and greeted here and presented their war booty to the general public.
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