Pride of the Pink City: Amer Fort, Jaipur

The City of Jaipur, popularly known as the Pink City is famous for its mighty forts and stunning architecture. Among all the magnificent structures the city homes, one cannot rule out the beauty of the fascinating Amer fort. The Amer Fort Jaipur is made up of white marble, pink and pale yellow sandstone and is located quite high on a hill. You can either take a walk up the hill to reach the fort which will take you around 10-15 minutes or the second option you have is to ride an elephant up to the fort. The elephant ride is very famous among the tourists and costs you around Rs. 900 for two people. However, there was a lot of criticism by the various Animal Welfare Groups on the take of elephant rides for tourists to go up to the fort as animal abuse. So, you may want to rethink your idea of going up to the fort by an elephant.

(Picture Courtesy- Wikipedia)

The Amer fort, Jaipur is also widely known and spelled as Amber Fort Jaipur, Amber Palace and Amer ka Kila.

Jaipur to Amer Fort Distance

Amer Fort is located in the town of Amer. Jaipur to Amer Fort distance is of about 11 kilometers. You can travel from Jaipur to Amer Fort via bus or hire a taxi which is easily available in the city of Jaipur.

Amber Fort History

The Amer Fort Jaipur is the brainchild of Man Singh I who was the one of the ‘9 Navratnas’ of Emperor Akbar. He built the fort in the 16th century.

Amer ka Kila is famous for its spectacular halls and palaces. It comprises of four courtyards in all. When you reach the fort on foot or by an elephant, you will enter the Amber Palace through Suraj Pol or the Sun Gate that will lead to the Jaleb Chowk which is the main courtyard. The ticket office is located there across the first courtyard from the Sun Gate or Suraj Pol. There exist many blind alleys and therefore, hiring a guide would be a good option. From the main courtyard, the staircase will lead you to the Main palace of the fort and to the right stands the Gorgeous Sila Devi temple. Next is the second courtyard, known as ‘Diwan-i-Am’. It is a Hall of Public and is amazingly decorated.

The King’s Apartments surround the Third Courtyard in the Amber Palace. There is also a Jai Mandir which is the Hall of victory and is admired for its beautiful ceiling. Opposite to it stands the Sukh Niwas or the Hall of Pleasure.

The secluded apartments for women or the Zenana are located around the Fourth courtyard in the Amer fort Jaipur. The apartments are quite secluded but they open into a common corridor to which the King had an easy access.

(Picture Courtesy- Wikipedia)

The Sheesh Mahal or the Palace of Mirrors is the most alluring part of the Amber Fort Jaipur. The whole Palace is made up of glass and it was made especially for the wives of the King. It is a magnificent piece of art, leaves you spellbound and it is famous as one of the songs from the movie Mughal-e-Azam was shot here.

Now, The Amer Fort is one of the six forts of Rajasthan which were included in the UNESCO world heritage sites.

Amer Fort Haunted

There are quite a few speculations of Amer Fort Jaipur being haunted. It is believed that it was haunted by the spirit of Prince Nahar. But in reality, there is no such truth. Amer Fort is completely safe and tourist friendly. Just because the Fort was built hundreds of years ago, these rumors have been in the air. In reality, the story behind Amer Fort Haunted holds no truth.

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Amber fort light and sound show: To maintain the grandeur of the fort, there is committee which holds the light and sound show at the Amber Palace Jaipur. Entry fee is Rs.100 per person for Indians and Rs. 200 per person for foreigners. Amer Fort Jaipur timings are 6:30 pm for the show in Hindi language and 7:30 pm for the show in the English language. Duration of Amber Fort light and sound show is approximately 50 minutes.

Scoop out 2-3 days from your busy schedule and explore the dynamic city of Jaipur. Visit the Grand Amer Fort and feel the pride!