Simply spectacular. . .
Amber is located amongst the hills about 7 miles north of Jaipur and was originally the capital of Jaipur state. Amber Palace was constructed in 1592. Jaigadh Fort, built in 1726, sits above the palace and served as the first point of lookout and the last line of defense for Amber. Amber Palace is all about form, Jaigadh Fort is all about function. , the fort is solid and sturdy. The fort was never captured or even breached. The original city of Amber is surrounded by great fortress walls that crisscross the surrounding hills.
Amber Palace
The Palace is all whimsy and fantasy. The first views of the palace from the hired car are pretty incredible. It reminds me of a lavish sandcastle draped along the little hilltop ridge. I know there's no way for these photos to do it justice, but it's the best I can do. . .
There's a small courtyard down at the very bottom with some interesting architectural elements. . .
There's really no bad view of the palace. . .
Let's begin the hike up to the palace. . .stopping every few minutes to admire the view and snap some photos. . .
Inside the main palace courtyard, looking back at the entrance gate. . .
Yes, that's an elephant in the courtyard. It's one of the ways you can make the trip up to the palace (however, my guidebook says that the treatment of the animals is suspect, so I choose to use my own two feet). This should start to give you a good sense of just how big this palace actually is. The entrance gate is actually visible in the very first photo at the top of the page: it's that little opening just right of center.
Looking up at the next level of the palace to be explored. . .
which all begins at the top of these stairs through another intricately decorated entry gate. . .
the first inner courtyard. . .and yet another gate up to the next level of palace grounds. . .
and then the following next courtyard reveals the Jai Mandir (Hall of Victory). . .
and then it's up to the next level, where the actual residencies begin. . .
The whole residence portion is a series of narrow passageways, narrower stairways, and very short doorways. I bang my head twice climbing a stairway or stepping through a door from one room to another. The second time is hard enough for me to want (maybe need) to check the top of my head every minute or so for the next while just to make sure I'm not bleeding. So be forewarned: if you visit the palace. . .mind your head!
Most places within the palace offer stunning views of the fort perched on the hilltop above. . .
which is a great segue to our next stop: Jaigadh Fort. . .
Jaigadh Fort
The first view of Jaigadh Fort from the road leading to Amber Palace. . .
It's about a 20 minute walk from the palace up to the fort, but it's all uphill. The rewards are well worth the effort. . .
Again, the fort is all about function, so it may not be much to look at, but you can imagine how daunting it would be to be an invader and see this thing lurking up on top of the hill knowing that you needed to breach this place to truly capture Amber.
The entire fort is ringed by a walkway, with it's crenellated battlements, watchtowers (including the Diwa Burj noted in the informational sign above), and spy holes. . .
I don't see any invading hordes anywhere. . .I think the fort is safe for another day. . .
The watchtowers directly above the palace, with their spectacular views. . .
Some photos of the "residence" portion of the fort. The royals needed to have some bit of comfort should they ever be forced to flee up here. . .marble floors and well-kept gardens are the order of the day. . .
The Jaya Vana. . .the world's largest wheeled cannon. . .(seriously, I wouldn't make something like that up!)
Even the camels need to break in the midday sun. The only difference seems to be that they don't necessarily need to find some shade, as we mere humans do. . .
And Finally. . .
One last look at Amber Palace from high above in one of the lookout towers of Jaigardh Fort. . .
Oh. . .wait. . .one last final thing. . .
On the way out of Amber Palace. . .a snake charmer charming his snake. . .not the greatest photo, but this was as close as I was going to get. . .(it's just below the guy-in-white's screen right elbow). . .
1 comment:
well, ok, nice attempt.
I still do not see a snake.
[altho, pretty sure I would have been ok with not seeing a snake were _I_ there in person... (lovely basket... what could be in there?... oh, of course, lovely... no, no! no need to actually _show_ me the cobra!)]
;]
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