Amber (Amer) Fort

Amber was the seat of the Kachwaha rulers before the capital moved to the planned city of Jaipur in 1727. Maharaja Man Singh I commissioned the present palace complex in 1592, and later rulers, notably Mirza Raja Jai Singh I in the early seventeenth century, enlarged and embellished it over roughly a century and a half.

The complex is laid out around four main courtyards. Jaleb Chowk served as a parade ground for troops, the Diwan-e-Aam was where the ruler heard petitions, and the inner palaces include the Sukh Niwas, cooled by water channels, and the Sheesh Mahal. Jaigarh Fort on the same hill is linked to Amber by a passage once used as an escape route.

In 2013 Amber was inscribed by UNESCO as one of the six Hill Forts of Rajasthan, recognised as testimony to Rajput military architecture and courtly culture.

Amer town below the fort is a lived-in historic settlement of temples, stepwells and havelis, with craft workshops and small shops serving both pilgrims and visitors. The Sila Devi temple inside the fort remains an active place of worship, and the fort is a favourite outing for Jaipur families and wedding photographers alike.