Amber Palace

Amber Palace

Amer Fort or Amber Fort is a fort located in Amer, Rajasthan, India. Amer is a city with an area of ??4 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi), located 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Situated on a high hill, it is the major tourist attraction of Jaipur. The Amer Fort is known for its artistic style. With its massive ramparts, series of gates and paved paths, the fort faces the Maota Lake, which is the main source of water for the Amer Palace.

The Amer Palace is an excellent example of Rajput architecture. Some of its buildings and works have the influence of Mughal architecture. Built of red sandstone and marble, this imposing, grand palace is built on four levels, each with a courtyard. It consists of the Diwan-i-Aam, or "Hall of Public Audiences", the Diwan-i-Khas, or "Hall of Private Audiences", the Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace), or Jai Mandir, and Sukh Niwas, where a cool climate is artificially created by winds blowing over a waterfall within the palace. Hence, the Amer Fort is also popularly known as the Amer Mahal. This palace was the residence of Rajput Maharajas and their families. At the entrance to the palace near the Ganesh Dwar of the fort, there is a temple dedicated to Shila Devi, a goddess of the Chaitanya cult, which was presented to Raja Man Singh when he defeated the king of Jessore of Bengal in 1604. (Jessore is now in Bangladesh). Raja Man Singh had 12 queens, so he built 12 rooms, one for each queen. Each room had a staircase connected to the king's room, but the queens were not allowed to go upstairs. Raja Jai ??Singh had only one queen, so he built a room equal to the rooms of three queens.

The palace, along with Jaigarh Fort, is situated on Cheel ka Tila (Hill of Eagles) of the same Aravalli mountain range. The palace and Jaigarh Fort are considered to be a single complex, as both are connected by an underground passage. This passage was built as an escape route for members of the royal family and others in times of war to relocate from the Amer Fort[13] to the more formidable Jaigarh Fort. The annual tourist arrivals to the Amer Palace were reported by the Superintendent of the Department of Archaeology and Museums to be 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, the Amer Fort, along with five other forts of Rajasthan, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the group of Hill Forts of Rajasthan.

Etymology

Amber or Aamer is named after the Ambikeshwar temple built on the Eagle's Hill. Ambikeshwar is the local name for Lord Shiva. However, according to local folklore, the fort is named after Goddess Durga, Amba.

Geography

The Amer Palace is situated on a wooded hill rising into the Maota Lake near the city of Amer, about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from the city of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. The palace is located near National Highway 11C leading to Delhi. A narrow 4WD road leads to the entrance of the fort, known as Suraj Pol (Sun Gate). It is now considered more ethical for tourists to ride jeeps to the fort rather than ride elephants.

History

Early history A view of the fort at Amer, Rajasthan; watercolour by William Simpson, circa 1860

Amer was a Meena state ruled by the Susawat dynasty. After defeating the Susawats, Kakil Dev made Amer the capital of Dhundhar after Khoh. Kakil Dev was the son of Dulherai.

In ancient times, the state of Jaipur was known as Dhundhar or Dhundhar and was controlled by Meena chieftains of five different tribes. They were under the Badgujar Rajput king of Deoli. Later a Kachwaha prince, Dulherai, destroyed the sovereignty of the Meenas and also defeated the Badgujars of Deoli and brought Dhundhar completely under Kachwaha rule.

The Amer Fort was originally built by Raja Man Singh. Jai Singh I expanded it in the early 1600s. Over the next 150 years, many improvements and additions were made to Amer, until the Kachwahas shifted their capital to Jaipur in 1727 during the reign of Sawai Jai Singh II.

In the medieval period, Amer was known as Dhundhar (i.e. a sacrificial hill located in the western frontier region) and was ruled by the Kachwahas from the 11th century - between 1037 and 1727 AD, until the capital was shifted from Amer to Jaipur. The history of Amer is indelibly linked to these rulers as they established their empire in Amer.

Layout of Amer Fort Zenana courtyard of Amer Fort
The palace is divided into six distinct but main sections, each with its own entrance and courtyard. The main entrance is through the Suraj Pol (Sun Gate) which leads first to the main courtyard. This was the place where the armies on their return from war held a victory parade with their war prizes, which the royal ladies watched from the latticed windows. This gate was specially built [clarification needed] and being the main entrance to the palace, guards were posted here. It faced the east, towards the rising sun, hence its name Jaleb Chowk. The royal entourage of soldiers and dignitaries entered the palace through this gate.

Jaleb Chowk is an Arabic phrase meaning gathering of soldiers. It is one of the four courtyards of the Amer Palace, built during the reign of Sawai Jai Singh (1693-1743 AD). The Maharaja's personal bodyguards paraded here under the leadership of Senapati or Fauj Bakshi. The Maharaja used to inspect the security entourage. There were horse stables adjacent to the courtyard, and the security personnel lived in the rooms on the upper floor.

Conservation

Six forts of Rajasthan, namely, Amber Fort, Chittor Fort, Gagron Fort, Jaisalmer Fort, Kumbhalgarh and Ranthambore Fort were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list during the 37th meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Phnom Penh during June 2013. They were recognized as a serial cultural property and examples of Rajput military hill architecture.

The town of Amer, which is an integral and inevitable entry point to Amer Palace, is now a heritage town with its economy dependent on the large influx of tourists (4,000 to 5,000 a day during peak tourist season). This town is spread over an area of 4 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi) and has eighteen temples, three Jain mandirs, and three mosques. It has been listed by the World Monument Fund (WMF) as one of the 100 endangered sites in the world; funds for conservation are provided by the Robert Wilson Challenge Grant. As of 2005, some 87 elephants lived within the fort grounds, but several were said to be suffering from malnutrition.

Conservation works have been undertaken at the Amer Palace grounds at a cost of Rs 40 crores (US$8.88 million) by the Amer Development and Management Authority (ADMA). However, these renovation works have been a subject of intense debate and criticism with respect to their suitability to maintain and retain the historicity and architectural features of the ancient structures. Another issue which has been raised is the commercialization of the place.

A film unit shooting a film at the Amer Fort damaged a 500-year-old canopy, demolished the old limestone roof of Chand Mahal, drilled holes to fix sets and spread large quantities of sand in Jaleb Chowk in utter disregard and violation of the Rajasthan Monuments, Archaeological Sites and Antique Act (1961). The Jaipur Bench of the Rajasthan High Court intervened and stopped the film shooting with the observation that "unfortunately, not only the public but especially the concerned (sic) authorities have become blind, deaf and dumb by the glitter of money. Such historical protected monuments have become a source of income."

Gallery

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