Best time to visit kashmir at 08:16, 15 July 2025

2025-07-15T08:16:22Z

New page

{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Short description|World Heritage Site in India}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Amer Fort
| image = 20191219 Fort Amber, Amer, Jaipur 0955 9481.jpg
| caption =
| partof = Rajasthan
| location = [[Amer (India)|Amer]], [[Rajasthan]], [[India]]
| map_type = India Jaipur##India Rajasthan
| map_size = 300
| map_caption = India
| type = [[Fort]] and [[Palace]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|26.9859|N|75.8507|E|display=inline,title}}
| code =
| built = {{start date and age|1592}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PTEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA39 | title=Outlook | date=December 2008 | publisher=Outlook }}</ref>
| builder = [[Man Singh I]]
| materials = [[Sandstone]] and [[marble]]
| condition = Good
| open_to_public = Yes
| controlledby = [[Government of Rajasthan]]
| footnotes = {{designation list | embed=yes
| designation1 = WHS
| designation1_partof = Hill Forts of Rajasthan
| designation1_date = [[List of World Heritage Sites by year of inscription#2013 (37th session)|2013]] <small>(37th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
| designation1_type = Cultural
| designation1_criteria = ii, iii
| designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/247 247]
| designation1_free1name = Region
| designation1_free1value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Asia|South Asia]]
}}
}}
'''Amer Fort''' or '''Amber Fort''' is a fort located in [[Amer, India|Amer]], [[Rajasthan]], [[India]]. Amer is a town with an area of {{Convert|4|km2}}<ref name="Publishing2008">{{cite book|author=Outlook Publishing|title=Outlook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PTEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA39|year=2008|publisher=Outlook Publishing|page=39}}</ref> located {{Convert|11|km}} from [[Jaipur]], the capital of [[Rajasthan]]. Located high on a hill, it is the principal tourist attraction in Jaipur.<ref name="Mancini2009">{{cite book|last=Mancini|first=Marc|title=Selling Destinations: Geography for the Travel Professional|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kp6ceVRUg8UC&pg=PA539|year=2009|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-1-4283-2142-7|page=539}}</ref><ref name="Abram2003">{{cite book|last=Abram|first=David|title=Rough guide to India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kAMik_6LbwUC&pg=PA161|year=2003|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-84353-089-3|page=161}}</ref> Amer Fort is known for its artistic style elements. With its large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths, the fort overlooks [[Maota Lake]],<ref name="Abram2003" /><ref name="BruynBain2010">{{cite book|author1=Pippa de Bruyn|author2=Keith Bain|author3=David Allardice|author4=Shonar Joshi|title=Frommer's India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HlqM2CR4vfUC&pg=PA521|year=2010|publisher=Frommer's|isbn=978-0-470-55610-8|pages=521–522}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hoteldekho.com/blog/amber-fort-jaipur/|title=Amer Fort - Jaipur|language=en-US|access-date=2017-11-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://amerjaipur.in/Amer-monuments-description.php?mid=4&name=Maota%20Sarover|title = Maota Sarover -Amer-jaipur|access-date = 2015-09-25|publisher = Agam pareek}}</ref> which is the main source of water for the Amer Palace.

Amer Palace is great example of [[Rajput architecture]]. Some of its buildings and work have influence of [[Mughal architecture]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Amer-India|title=Amer {{!}} India|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2019-06-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oXa60HtlNOYC&pg=PA195|title=Great Monuments of India|last=DK|date=2009-11-02|publisher=Dorling Kindersley Limited|isbn=9781405347822|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p0NJAAAAIAAJ&q=amer+fort+mughal+influence|title=Rise of the Kachhawas in Dhundhār (Jaipur): From the Earliest Times to the Death of Sawai Jai Singh (1743 A.D.)|last=Bhargava|first=Visheshwar Sarup|date=1979|publisher=Shabd Sanchar|language=en}}</ref> 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 (mirror palace), 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''.<ref name="BruynBain2010"/> The palace was the residence of the [[Rajput]] [[Maharaja]]s and their families. At the entrance to the palace near the fort's Ganesh Gate, there is a temple dedicated to [[Shila Devi]], a Goddess of the Chaitanya cult, which was given to Raja Man Singh when he defeated the Raja of Jessore, [[Bengal]] in 1604. ([[Jessore (city)|Jessore]] is now in [[Bangladesh]]).<ref name="Abram2003"/><ref name="Prasad1966">{{cite book|author=Rajiva Nain Prasad|title=Raja Mān Singh of Amer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FsA5AQAAIAAJ|year=1966|publisher=World Press|isbn=9780842614733}}</ref><ref name="Babb2004">{{cite book|author=Lawrence A. Babb|title=Alchemies of violence: myths of identity and the life of trade in western India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=74tUY0le33UC&pg=PA230|year=2004|publisher=SAGE|isbn=978-0-7619-3223-9|pages=230–231}}</ref> Raja Man Singh had 12 queens so he made 12 rooms, one for each Queen. Each room had a staircase connected to the King’s room but the Queens were not to go upstairs. Raja Jai Singh had only one queen so he built one room equal to three old queen’s rooms.

This palace, along with [[Jaigarh Fort]], is located immediately above on the Cheel ka Teela (Hill of Eagles) of the same [[Aravalli Range|Aravalli]] range 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<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-09-09|title=Glorious Amber Fort Breath Taking Place To Visit In Jaipur 2020|url=https://www.forttrek.com/amber-fort/|access-date=2020-09-20|website=Fort Trek|language=en}}</ref> to shift to the more redoubtable Jaigarh Fort.<ref name="BruynBain2010"/><ref name=Jaivan>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jaipur.org.uk/forts-monuments/jaigarh-fort.html|title= Jaipur|access-date=16 April 2011|publisher=Jaipur.org.uk}}</ref><ref name="Ruggles2008">{{cite book|author=D. Fairchild Ruggles |author-link=D. Fairchild Ruggles |title=Islamic gardens and landscapes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PgbjhGwfXBEC&pg=PA205|year=2008|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=978-0-8122-4025-2|pages=205–206}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Publishing2008"/> 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 [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Site]] as part of the group [[Hill Forts of Rajasthan]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Singh|first1=Mahim Pratap|title=Unesco declares 6 Rajasthan forts World Heritage Sites|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/unesco-declares-6-rajasthan-forts-world-heritage-sites/article4838107.ece|access-date=1 April 2015|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=22 June 2013}}</ref>

==Etymology==
Amer, or Amber, derives its name from the Ambikeshwar Temple, built atop the Cheel ka Teela. Ambikashwara is a local name for the god [[Shiva]]. However, local folklore suggests that the fort derives its name from Amba, the Mother Goddess [[Durga]].<ref>Trudy Ring, Noelle Watson, Paul Schellinger (2012). ''[Asia and Oceania: International Dictionary of Historic Places]''. {{ISBN|1-136-63979-9}}. pp. 24.</ref>

==Geography==
Amer Palace is situated on a forested hill promontory that juts into Maota Lake near the town of Amer, about {{Convert|11|km}} from Jaipur city, the capital of Rajasthan. The palace is near National Highway 11C to Delhi.<ref name="Tour">{{Cite web|url=http://www.tourism.rajasthan.gov.in/amber-palace.html|title=Amer Palace|publisher=Rajasthan Tourism: Government of India|access-date=31 March 2011}}</ref> A narrow 4WD road leads up to the entrance gate, known as the Suraj Pol (Sun Gate) of the fort. It is now considered much more ethical for tourists to take jeep rides up to the fort, instead of riding the elephants.

==History==

===Early history===
[[File:Amber1860.jpg|thumb|A view of the fort at Amer in Rajasthan; a watercolor by [[William Simpson (Scottish artist)|William Simpson]], {{circa|1860}}]]
'''Amber''' was a Meena state, ruled by a [[Susawat]] clan. After Kakil Deo defeated the Susawats he made Amber the capital of Dhundhar after [[Khoh]]. Kakil Deo was a son of Dulherai.<ref>{{cite book|title=Jaigarh, the Invincible Fort of Amber| year=1990 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hkBuAAAAMAAJ&q=Khoh|page=18|publisher=RBSA Publishers, 1990| isbn=9788185176482 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Jaipur: Gem of India| date=7 July 2016 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5tCeDAAAQBAJ&q=khoh|page=24|publisher=IntegralDMS, 2016| isbn=9781942322054 }}</ref>

In early times, the state of Jaipur was known as [[Amer, India|Amber]] or Dhundhar and was controlled by [[Meena]] chiefs of five different tribes. They were under suzerainty of the Bargurjar Rajput Raja of Deoti. Later a [[Kachhwaha]] prince, Dulha Rai, destroyed the sovereignty of Meenas and also defeated Bargurjars of Deoli and took Dhundhar fully under Kachwaha rule.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sarkar |first=Jadunath |author-link=Jadunath Sarkar |title=A History of Jaipur: C. 1503–1938 |publisher=Orient Longman Limited |pages=23,24 |year=1994 |orig-year=1984 |isbn=81-250-0333-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O0oPIo9TXKcC&pg=PA23 }}</ref>

The Amber Fort was originally built by Raja Man Singh. [[Jai Singh I]] expanded it in the early 1600's. Improvements and additions were made by successive rulers over the next 150 years, until the Kachwahas shifted their capital to [[Jaipur]] during the time of [[Jai Singh II|Sawai Jai Singh II]], in 1727.<ref name="Publishing2008"/><ref name="Maria">{{cite web|url=https://www.mariatours.in/golden-triangle-tour-package-by-car|title=Golden Triangle|publisher=mariatours.in|access-date=2019-10-15|archive-date=15 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015060829/https://www.mariatours.in/golden-triangle-tour-package-by-car/|url-status=dead}}{{|date=October 2019|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

In the medieval period, Amer was known as [[Dhundar]] (meaning attributed to a sacrificial mount in the western frontiers) and ruled by the Kachwahas from the 11th century onwards – between 1037 and 1727 AD, until the capital was moved from Amer to Jaipur.<ref name="BruynBain2010"/> The history of Amer is indelibly linked to these rulers as they founded their empire at Amer.<ref name="KhangarotNathawat1990">{{cite book|author1=R. S. Khangarot|author2=P. S. Nathawat|title=Jaigarh, the invincible fort of Amer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hkBuAAAAMAAJ|year=1990|publisher=RBSA Publishers|isbn=978-81-85176-48-2|pages=8–9, 17}}</ref>

==Layout==
[[File:Courtyard of Amer Fort, India.jpg|thumb|Zenana courtyard of Amer Fort]]
The Palace is divided into six separate but main sections each with its own entry gate and courtyard. The main entry is through the Suraj Pol (Sun Gate) which leads to the first main courtyard. This was the place where armies would hold victory parades with their war bounty on their return from battles, which were also witnessed by the Royal family's womenfolk through the latticed windows.<ref name="BrownThomas2008">{{cite book|author1=Lindsay Brown|author2=Amelia Thomas|title=Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zz0_zXPb68kC&pg=PA178|year=2008|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74104-690-8|page=178}}</ref> This gate was built exclusively{{clarify|date=March 2015}} and was provided with guards as it was the main entry into the palace. It faced east towards the rising sun, hence the name. Royal cavalcades and dignitaries entered the palace through this gate.<ref name="Narveer Tanwar">{{Cite web|url=https://www.blogpark.in/places-around-jaipur/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208003554/https://www.blogpark.in/places-around-jaipur/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 February 2020 |title=Places around Jaipur |access-date=17 April 2011 |publisher=Archaeology Department of Rajasthan }}</ref>

Jaleb Chowk is an [[Arabic]] phrase meaning a place for soldiers to assemble. This is one of the four courtyards of Amer Palace, which was built during Sawai Jai Singh's reign (1693–1743 AD). Maharaja's personal bodyguards held parades here under the command of the army commander or ''Fauj Bakshi''. The Maharaja used to inspect the guards contingent. Adjacent to the courtyard were the horse stables, with the upper-level rooms occupied by the guards.<ref name=Jaleb>{{Cite web|url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amer_Fort_-_Jaleb_Chowk_-_Information_plate.jpg |title=Information plaque at Jaleb Chowk |access-date=17 April 2011 |publisher=Archaeology Department of Rajasthan }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===First courtyard===
[[File:Amer Fort - Ganesh Pol (2022) - img 01.jpg|thumb|Ganesh Pol Entrance]]
An impressive stairway from Jalebi Chowk leads into the main palace grounds. Here, at the entrance to the right of the stairway steps is the Sila Devi temple where the Rajput Maharajas worshipped, starting with Maharaja Mansingh in the 16th century until the 1980s, when the animal sacrifice ritual (sacrifice of a buffalo) practiced by the royalty was stopped.<ref name="BrownThomas2008"/>

Ganesh Pol, or the Ganesh Gate, named after the Hindu deity [[Lord Ganesh|Ganesha]], believed to remove all obstacles in life, is the entry into the private palaces of the Maharajas. It is a three-level structure with many frescoes that were also built at the orders of the Mirza Raja Jai Singh (1621–1627). Above this gate is the Suhag Mandir where ladies of the royal family used to watch functions held in the Diwan-i-Aam through latticed marble windows called "[[:fr:Glossaire de l'art moghol|jâlîs]]".<ref name=Jaleb1>{{Cite web|url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amer_Fort_-_Ganesh_Pol_-_Information_plate.jpg |title=Information plaque on Ganesh Pol |access-date=17 April 2011 |publisher=Archaeology Department of Rajasthan }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

; Sila Devi temple
[[File: Silver door in Amber Fort, Rajasthan.jpg|left|thumb|Embossed double leaf silver door entry into the Sila Devi temple]]
On the right side of the Jalebi Chowk, there is a small but an elegant temple called the Sila Devi temple (Sila Devi was an incarnation of [[Kali]] or [[Durga]]). The entrance to the temple is through a double door covered in silver with a raised relief. The main deity inside the sanctum is flanked by two lions made of silver. The legend attributed to the installation of this deity is that Maharaja Man Singh sought blessings from Kali for victory in the battle against the Raja of Jessore in Bengal. The goddess instructed the Raja, in a dream, to retrieve her image from the sea bed and install and worship it. The Raja, after he won the battle of Bengal in 1604, retrieved the idol from the sea and installed it in the temple and called it Sila Devi as it was carved out of one single stone slab. At the entrance to the temple, there is also a carving of Ganesha, which is made out of a single piece of [[coral]].<ref name="BrownThomas2008"/>

Another version of the Sila Devi installation is that Raja Man Singh, after defeating the Raja of Jessore, received a gift of a black stone slab which was said to have a link to the [[Mahabharata]] epic in which [[Kamsa]] had killed older siblings of [[Lord Krishna|Krishna]] on this stone. In exchange for this gift, Man Singh returned the kingdom he had won to the Raja of Bengal. This stone was then used to carve the image of [[Durga]] [[Mahishasuramardini]], who had slain the [[asura]] king [[Mahishasura]] and installed it in the fort's temple as Sila Devi. The Sila Devi was worshiped from then onwards as the lineage deity of the Rajput family of Jaipur. However, their family deity continued to be Jamva Mata of [[Jamwa Ramgarh|Ramgarh]].<ref name="Babb2004"/>

Another practice that is associated with this temple is the religious rites of animal sacrifice during the festival days of [[Navrathri|Navaratri]] (a nine-day festival celebrated twice a year). The practice was to sacrifice a [[Water Buffalo|buffalo]] and also [[goats]] on the eighth day of the festival in front of the temple, which would be done in the presence of the royal family, watched by a large gathering of devotees. This practice was banned under the law from 1975, after which the sacrifice was held within the palace grounds in Jaipur, strictly as a private event with only the close kin of the royal family watching the event. However, now the practice of animal sacrifice has been totally stopped at the temple premises and offerings made to the goddess are only of the vegetarian type.<ref name="Babb2004"/>

===Second courtyard===
The second courtyard, up the main stairway of the first level courtyard, houses the Diwan-i-Aam or the Public Audience Hall. Built with a double row of columns, the Diwan-i-Aam is a raised platform with 27 colonnades, each of which is mounted with an elephant-shaped capital, with galleries above it. As the name suggests, the Raja (King) held audience here to hear and receive petitions from the public.<ref name="BruynBain2010"/><ref name="BrownThomas2008"/>

===Third courtyard===
[[File:Amer palace sheesh mahal.jpg|thumb|Sheesh Mahal front view]]
[[File:Amber Fort interior.jpg|thumb|Mirrored ceiling in the Mirror Palace]]
[[File:Amber Fort - Sheesh Mahal Interior.jpg|thumb|Sheesh Mahal Interior]]
The third courtyard is where the private quarters of the Maharaja, his family and attendants were located. This courtyard is entered through the Ganesh Pol or Ganesh Gate, which is embellished with mosaics and sculptures. The courtyard has two buildings, one opposite to the other, separated by a garden laid in the fashion of the [[Mughal Gardens]]. The building to the left of the entrance gate is called the Jai Mandir, which is exquisitely embellished with glass inlaid panels and multi-mirrored ceilings. The mirrors are of convex shape and designed with colored foil and paint which would glitter bright under candlelight at the time it was in use. Also known as Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace), the mirror mosaics and colored glasses were a "glittering jewel box in flickering candlelight".<ref name="BruynBain2010"/> Sheesh mahal was built by King Man Singh in the 16th century and completed in 1727. It is also the foundation year of Jaipur state.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://amerjaipur.in/Amer-monuments-description.php?mid=9&name=Sheesh%20mahal%20Amer%20palace|title = Sheesh mahal Amer palace|access-date = 2016-01-01|website = www.amerjaipur.in|last = pareek|first = Amit Kumar Pareek and Agam kumar}}</ref> However, most of this work was allowed to deteriorate during the period 1970–80 but has since then been in the process of restoration and renovation. The walls around the hall hold carved marble relief panels. The hall provides enchanting vistas of the Maota Lake.<ref name="BrownThomas2008"/>

On top of Jai Mandir is Jas Mandir, a hall of private audience with floral glass inlays and [[alabaster]] relief work.<ref name="BruynBain2010"/>

The other building seen in the courtyard is opposite to the Jai Mandir and is known as the Sukh Niwas or Sukh Mahal (Hall of Pleasure). This hall is approached through a [[sandalwood]] door. The walls are decorated with marble inlay work with niches called "[[:fr:Glossaire de l'art moghol|chînî khâna]]". A piped water supply flows through an open channel that runs through this edifice keeping the environs cool, as in an air-conditioned environment. The water from this channel flows into the garden.

; Magic flower
A particular attraction here is the "magic flower" carved marble panel at the base of one of the pillars around the mirror palace depicting two hovering butterflies; the flower has seven unique designs including a fishtail, lotus, hooded cobra, elephant trunk, lion's tail, cob of corn, and scorpion, each one of which is visible by a special way of partially hiding the panel with the hands.<ref name="BruynBain2010"/>

; Garden
The garden, located between the Jai Mandir on the east and the Sukh Niwas on the west, both built on high platforms in the third courtyard, was built by Mirza Raja Jai Singh (1623–68). It is patterned on the lines of the Chahar Bagh or Mughal Garden. It is in a sunken bed, shaped in a hexagonal design. It is laid out with narrow channels lined with marble around a star-shaped pool with a fountain at the center. Water for the garden flows in cascades through channels from the Sukh Niwas and also from the cascade channels called the ''"chini khana niches"'' that originate on the terrace of the Jai Mandir.<ref name="Ruggles2008"/>

; Tripolia gate
Tripolia gate means three gates. It is access to the palace from the west. It opens in three directions, one to the Jaleb Chowk, another to the Man Singh Palace and the third one to the Zenana Deorhi on the south.

; Lion gate
The Lion Gate, the premier gate, was once a guarded gate; it leads to the private quarters in the palace premises and is titled 'Lion Gate' to suggest strength. Built during the reign of Sawai Jai Singh (1699–1743 AD), it is covered with frescoes; its alignment is zigzag, probably made so from security considerations to attack intruders.

===Fourth courtyard===
The fourth courtyard is where the [[Zenana]] (Royal family women, including concubines or mistresses) lived. This courtyard has many living rooms where the queens resided and who were visited by the king at his choice without being found out as to which queen he was visiting, as all the rooms open into a common corridor.<ref name="BrownThomas2008"/>

; Palace of Man Singh I
[[File:Amber Fort, Baradhari Pavilion at Man Singh Palace Square, 2010.jpg|left|thumb|Baradari pavilion at Man Singh I Palace Square.]]
South of this courtyard lies the Palace of Man Singh I, which is the oldest part of the palace fort.<ref name="BruynBain2010"/> The palace took 25 years to build and was completed in 1599 during the reign of Raja Man Singh I (1589–1614). It is the main palace. In the central courtyard of the palace is the pillared [[Baradari (building)|baradari]] or pavilion; frescoes and colored tiles decorate the rooms on the ground and upper floors. This pavilion (which used to be curtained for privacy) was used as the meeting venue by the maharanis (queens of the royal family). All sides of this pavilion are connected to several small rooms with open balconies. The exit from this palace leads to the town of Amer, a heritage town with many temples, palatial houses and mosques.<ref name="Abram2003"/>

The queen mothers and the Raja's consorts lived in this part of the palace in Zanani Deorhi, which also housed their female attendants. The queen mothers took a deep interest in building temples in Amer town.<ref name=Deorhi>{{Cite web|url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amer_Fort_-_Zenani_Deorhi_-_Information_plate.jpg |title=Information plaque on Zenani Deorhi |access-date=17 April 2011 |publisher=Archaeology Department of Rajasthan }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Heritage Status for Forts|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-3028072831.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924204129/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-3028072831.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 September 2015|access-date=5 July 2015|date=28 June 2013|publisher=Eastern Eye }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Iconic Hill Forts on UN Heritage List|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-334781049.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924154401/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-334781049.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 September 2015|access-date=5 July 2015|date=22 June 2013|publisher=Mail Today|location=New Delhi}}</ref>

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 {{Convert|4|km2}} 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.<ref name="Publishing2008"/> As of 2005, some 87 elephants lived within the fort grounds, but several were said to be suffering from malnutrition.<ref name="Ghosh2005">{{cite book|last=Ghosh|first=Rhea|title=Gods in chains|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Av0YQXO1mgC&pg=PT24|year=2005|publisher=Foundation Books|isbn=978-81-7596-285-9|page=24}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-01-03/jaipur/28018732_1_adma-Amer-development-jaleb-chowk|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707041753/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-01-03/jaipur/28018732_1_adma-Amer-development-jaleb-chowk|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 July 2012|title=Amer Palace renovation: Tampering with history?|access-date=19 April 2011|work=[[The Times of India]]|date= 3 June 2009}}</ref>

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).<ref name= High>{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Film-crew-drilled-holes-into-historic-Amer/rssarticleshow/4134002.cms|title= Film crew drilled holes in Amer|access-date= 19 April 2011|work=The Times of India|date=16 February 2009}}</ref>
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."<ref name= High/>

===Concerns of elephant abuse===
Several groups have raised concerns regarding the abuse of elephants and their trafficking and have highlighted what some consider the inhumane practice of riding elephants up to the Amber Palace complex.<ref>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Amber-Fort-centre-for-elephant-trafficking-Welfare-board/articleshow/45559191.cms ''Amber Fort center for elephant trafficking: Welfare board'' The Times of India, 18 December 2014]</ref> The organization [[PETA]] as well as the central zoo authority have taken up this serious issue. The Haathi gaon (Elephant village) is said to be in violation of captive animal controls, and a PETA team found elephants chained with painful spikes, blind, sick and injured elephants forced to work, and elephants with mutilated tusks and ears.<ref>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/PETA-takes-up-jumbo-cause-seeks-end-to-elephant-ride-at-Amber/articleshow/45469545.cms ''PETA takes up jumbo cause, seeks end to elephant ride at Amber,'' The Times of India, 11 December 2014]</ref> In 2017, A New York-based tour operator announced it would use Jeeps instead of elephants for the trip to Amber Fort, saying "It’s not worth endorsing … some really significant mistreatment of animals."<ref>"Zachary Kussin, "[https://nypost.com/2017/10/09/tour-cuts-indian-elephant-rides-after-peta-reports-abuse/ Tour Cuts Indian Elephant Rides After PETA Reports Abuse]," NY Post, 9 October 2017.</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="160" heights="140">
File:Amber Palace Jaipur Pano.JPG|Bright morning vista of Amer Fort from across the road.
File:Amer fort view during the night lighting.JPG|Amer Fort lit up at night.
File:Maota Lake.JPG|Maota Lake and Kesar Kyari (Saffron Garden).
File:Outer walls of Amer Fort, India.jpg|Outer wall
File:Amer Fort, Architecture, India.jpg|A fusion of Rajputana Hindu and Mughal Islamic style of architecture
File:Amber Fort-Jaipur-India0007.JPG|Sattais Kacheri
File:Amber Fort Second Courtyard Mirror Palace view.jpg|Second Courtyard Mirror Palace Amer Fort.
File:Sheesh Mahal, Amer Fort, India.jpg|Sheesh Mahal Arch
File:Embossed silver artwork in Sheesh Mahal, Amer Fort, India.jpg|Embossed silver artwork in Sheesh Mahal
File:Inner halls of Amber Fort, India.jpg|Windows
File:Amber fort tunnels.jpg|Tunnels inside the fort
File:Door of a gate to Amber Fort, Rajasthan.jpg|An outer door
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Jaigarh Fort]]
*[[Kumbhalgarh]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin|2}}
*{{cite book|author1=Crump, Vivien |author2=Toh, Irene |title= Rajasthan|location=New York|publisher=Everyman Guides|year=1996|type = hardback| isbn = 1-85715-887-3| page = 400}}
*{{cite book|author1=Michell, George |author2=Martinelli, Antonio| title=The Palaces of Rajasthan| year = 2005| publisher=Frances Lincoln| location=London| isbn = 978-0-7112-2505-3| page = 271 pages}}
*{{cite book| last = Tillotson|first = G.H.R| title = The Rajput Palaces – The Development of an Architectural Style| year = 1987| type = Hardback| edition = First| publisher = Yale University Press| location = New Haven and London| isbn = 0-300-03738-4| page = 224 pages}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Amber Fort}}

{{Forts in Rajasthan}}
{{Forts in India}}
{{World Heritage Sites in India}}

[[Category:Rajput architecture]]
[[Category:Forts in Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in India]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Rajasthan]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in India]]
[[Category:Royal residences in India]]
[[Category:Palaces in Rajasthan]]
[[Category:History of Jaipur]]
[[Category:Sandstone buildings in India]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Palaces in Jaipur]]
[[Category:1592 establishments in India]]

Amber Fort - Revision history

Best time to visit kashmir at 08:16, 15 July 2025