AMER FORT, JAIPUR
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Amer Fort is located in
Amer, a town with an area of 4 square kilometres located 11 kilometres from
Jaipur,
Rajasthan state,
India. Located high on a hill, it is the principal tourist attraction in the Jaipur area. The town of Amer was originally built by
Meenas, and later it was ruled by Raja
Man Singh I
Amer Fort is known for its artistic Hindu style elements. With its large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths, the fort overlooks
Maota Lake. It is the main source of water for theAMER FORT.
The aesthetic ambiance of the palace is seen within its walls. Constructed of red
sandstone and
marble, the attractive, opulent palace is laid out on four levels, each with a courtyard. It consists of the Diwan-e-Aam, or "Hall of Public Audience", the Diwan-e-Khas, or "Hall of Private Audience", the Sheesh Mahal , or Jai Mandir, and the Sukh Niwas where a cool climate is artificially created by winds that blow over a water cascade within the palace. Hence, the Amer Fort is also popularly known as the
Amer Palace. The palace was the residence of the Rajput Maharajas and their families. At the entrance to the palace near the fort's Ganesh Gate, there is a temple dedicated to Sila Devi, a goddess of the Chaitanya cult, which was given to Raja Man Singh when he defeated the Raja of Jessore, Bengal in 1604.
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This palace, along with
Jaigarh Fort, is located immediately above on the Cheel ka Teela of the same
Aravallirange of hills. The palace and Jaigarh Fort are considered one complex, as the two are connected by a subterranean passage. This passage was meant as an escape route in times of war to enable the royal family members and others in the Amer Fort to shift to the more redoubtable Jaigarh Fort.
Annual tourist visitation to the Amer Palace was reported by the Superintendent of the Department of Archaeology and Museums as 5000 visitors a day, with 1.4 million visitors during 2007.
At the 37th session of the
World Heritage Committee held in
Phnom Penh,
Cambodia, in 2013, Amer Fort, along with five other forts of Rajasthan, was declared a
UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the group
Hill Forts of Rajasthan.
Amber, or Amer, derives its name from the Ambikeshwar Temple, built atop the Cheel ka Teela. However, local folklore suggests that the fort derives its name from Amba, the Mother Goddess who was the protector of the world.Amer palace is situated on a forested hill promontory that juts into Maota Lake near the town ofo Amer, about 11 kilometres from Jaipur city, the capital of Rajasthan. The palace is near National Highway 11C to Delhi.A narrow 4WD road leads up to the entrance gate, known as the Suraj Pol of the fort. Elephant rides are taken through the narrow Sun Gate.Earlier to the Kachwahas, Amer was a small place built by Meenas in the town they consecrated to Amba, the Mother Goddess, whom they knew as `Gatta Rani' or `Queen of the Pass'.]The fort is originally believed to have been built by Raja Man Singh during 967 CE. Amer Fort, as it stands now, was built over the remnants of this earlier structure during the reign of Raja Man Singh, theKachwaha King of Amber. The structure was fully expanded by his descendant, Jai Singh I. Even later, Amer Fort underwent improvements and additions by successive rulers over the next 150 years, until the Kachwahas shifted their capital to Jaipur during the time of Sawai Jai Singh II, in
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1727.According to Todthis region was known as Khogong. The Meena King Raja Ralun Singh also known as Alan Singh Chanda of Khogong kind-heartedly adopted a stranded Rajput mother and her child who sought refuge in his realm. Later, the Meena king sent the child, Dhola Rae, to Delhi to represent the Meena kingdom. The Rajput, in gratitude for these favours, returned with Rajput conspirers and massacred the weaponless Meenas on Diwali while performings rituals i.e. Pitra Trapan, it is customery in the Meenas to be weaponless at the time of PitraTrapan, "filling the reservoirs in which the Meenas bathed with their dead bodies" and thus conquered Khogong.This act of Kachwaha Rajputs was termed as most coward and shameful in history of Rajasthan.
The first Rajput structure was started by Raja Kakil Dev when Amber became his capital in 1036 on the site of present day Jaigarh Fort of Rajasthan. Much of Amber's current buildings were started or expanded during the reign of Raja Man Singh I in the 1600s. Among the chief building is the Diwan-i-Khas in Amber Palace of Rajasthan and the elaborately paited Ganesh Poll built by the Mirza Raja Jai Singh I.
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The current Amer Palace, was created in the late 16th century, as a larger palace to the already existing home of the rulers. The older palace, known as Kadimi Mahal is known to be the oldest surviving palace in India. This ancient palace sits in the valley behind the Amer Palace.
Amer was known in the medieval period as
Dhundar and ruled by the Kachwahas from the 11th century onwards – between 1037 and 1727 AD, till the capital was moved from Amer to Jaipur. The history of Amer is indelibly linked to these rulers as they founded their empire at Amer.
Earlier to the Kachwahas, Amer was a small place built by [Meenas] in the town they consecrated to Amba, the Mother Goddess, whom they knew as `Gatta Rani' or `Queen of the Pass'. The Amer Fort, as it stands now, was built over the remnants of this earlier structure during the reign of
Raja Man Singh, the
Kacchwaha King of Amber. The structure was fully expanded by his descendant,
Jai Singh I. Even later, Amer Fort underwent improvements and additions by successive rulers over the next 150 years, until the
Kachwahas shifted their capital to Jaipur during the time of
Sawai Jai Singh II, in 1727.
Many of the ancient structures of the medieval period of the Meenas have been either destroyed or replaced. However, the 16th century impressive edifice of the Amer Fort and the palace complex within it built by the Rajput Maharajas are very well preserved.
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