Monuments
Amer
Amber was the capital of Kachhawa Rajput Kings. Amer is a city of natural hill fortifications, and red stone palaces. The entrance to the historic Amber Fort is through the arched gateway of Surajpol leading into the Jaleb Chowk or the grand square courtyard, now inhabited with shops. A few steps to the right lead to the beautifully carved silver doors of the sacred Shila Devi Temple, which enshrines the war-goddess Kali, the family deity of the Kachhawa clan. Raja Man Singh I from Bengal brought the image in the form of a stone. The second courtyard takes us to the spectacular Diwan-I-Am built by Jai Singh I. This open pavillon with double row of marble and red sandstone pillars with finely carved elephant brackets; frescoes and latticed galleries speal of a strong Mughal influence. The the right is Ganesh Pol, a massive two-storeyed ceremonial gateway, exuberantly embellished with floral motifs, glass mosaics, frescoes, latticed-stoned galleries and a painting of Lord Ganesh, the god of learning and good fortune, which leads to the third court. Here, three private palace apartments are built around Aram Bagh, an ornamental Mughal garden. To the right is Sukh Niwas or the hall of pleasure with ivory-inlaid fragrant sandalwood doors. Its elaborate fountains and black and white marble chutes keep the interiors cool and refreshing. At the other end of the garden is Jai Mandir, the private apartments of Jai Singh I, said to be the most exquisitely decorated of all Rajasthani palaces. The Jai Mahal, on the ground floor, has scalloped arches decorated with flowers and butterflies and the exotic Sheesh Mahal is embedded with mirrors that twinkle like a starlit sky when a candle flame is lit inside its closed doors.
The Jas Mandir close by, is famous for its glass inlay, alabaster relief work on its ceiling, latticed windows and very fine marble screens which bring in fresh breeze and also provide a panoramic view of Dilaram Bagh set amidst the Maota Lake. Narrow passages from the garden court lead to the fourth court surrounded by Raja Man Singh's palace and the zenana or the apartments for his 12 queens.
The Chand Pol, right opposite the Suraj Pol leads to a pathway overlooking the Kadmi Palace, the earlier citadel of the Kachhawas. Amer is also well known for temples that are still in use, like the 15th century Narsimha temple, the famous Jagat Siromani temple built by Man Singh in the memory of his son and a Shiva temple of Ambikeshwara, from which the city is said to have derived its name.
The Jas Mandir close by, is famous for its glass inlay, alabaster relief work on its ceiling, latticed windows and very fine marble screens which bring in fresh breeze and also provide a panoramic view of Dilaram Bagh set amidst the Maota Lake. Narrow passages from the garden court lead to the fourth court surrounded by Raja Man Singh's palace and the zenana or the apartments for his 12 queens.
The Chand Pol, right opposite the Suraj Pol leads to a pathway overlooking the Kadmi Palace, the earlier citadel of the Kachhawas. Amer is also well known for temples that are still in use, like the 15th century Narsimha temple, the famous Jagat Siromani temple built by Man Singh in the memory of his son and a Shiva temple of Ambikeshwara, from which the city is said to have derived its name.
City Palace
The City Palace or Chandra Mahal is in the center of Jaipur and covers 1/7th or 15% of the Pink City's area. It was built at the time of Jai Sing between 1729 and 1732. A high wall within which are a series of courtyards, garden and other buildings surrounds the palace. Successive rulers have made additions to the existing complex. Some of the maharajas filled the palace with scientific and artistic treasures, while others focused on public works. The palace is now a museum.
The complex built in a delightful mix of Rajput and Mughal styles of architecture, can be entered through the Sirekh-ki-Deorhi gate on the eastern side leading to the outer court or Jaleb Chowk which also houses several other buildings like the Nakkar Khana or the drum house. In the center of the courtyard lies the Mubarak Mahal, a two-storeyed marble building built by Madho Singh II in 1900. This beautiful palace has exquisitely-carved screens and scalloped arches on its exterior walls to give it a delicate appearance. Earlier, functioning as a state secretariat and then as a guest house, today it is a textile museum displaying an exciting range of dresses work by the royalty. The Sileh Khana in the northwest corner of the courtyard contains an awesome collection of traditional armoury, which is among the finest in the country.
Two extraordinary marble elephants carved out of a single piece of marble standing at the gleaming entrance of Rajendra Pol are significant because they were gifted at the birth of ertwhile Maharaja Bhawani Singh. There was tremendous jubilation because a male heir was born in the royal family after nearly a century. Beyond the gateway is the pillared courtyard of Diwan-I-Khas, which was used during special occasions. Built on an open-arched plan, it houses two massive silver urns, each weighing more than 2,000 kilos having a capacity to hold 1,800 gallons of water each. These were used to carry the holy Ganga Jal when Madho Singh II went to Britain in 1900, the first Kachhawa ruler to do so. The famous Ridhi Sidhi Pol has a courtyard with four beautifully decorated gates depicting the moods of the peacock in exquisite frescoes. Close to it, lies the luxurious and opulent Chandra Mahal built by Jai Singh II with further additions made by successive rulers. The creamy-white ornamental palace has seven storeys, each floor having been decorated differently. One section of the magnificent palace is still the royal residence of the ex-Maharaja. On the other side of the palace complex lies the Diwan-I-Am now converted into a museum exhibiting a rare collection of ancient manuscripts, portraits, palaquins, chandeliers, a golden throne and a fascinating range of priceless miniature paintings in the Rajput style. To the north of Chandra Mahal lies the famous 18th century temple of Govind Devji, which enshrines the idol of Lord Krishna, the family deity of the Jaipur royalty. The palace opened to tourists in 1950s and to motion pictures. Northwest and Errol Flynn's Kim have shot 400 films here including "North".
The complex built in a delightful mix of Rajput and Mughal styles of architecture, can be entered through the Sirekh-ki-Deorhi gate on the eastern side leading to the outer court or Jaleb Chowk which also houses several other buildings like the Nakkar Khana or the drum house. In the center of the courtyard lies the Mubarak Mahal, a two-storeyed marble building built by Madho Singh II in 1900. This beautiful palace has exquisitely-carved screens and scalloped arches on its exterior walls to give it a delicate appearance. Earlier, functioning as a state secretariat and then as a guest house, today it is a textile museum displaying an exciting range of dresses work by the royalty. The Sileh Khana in the northwest corner of the courtyard contains an awesome collection of traditional armoury, which is among the finest in the country.
Two extraordinary marble elephants carved out of a single piece of marble standing at the gleaming entrance of Rajendra Pol are significant because they were gifted at the birth of ertwhile Maharaja Bhawani Singh. There was tremendous jubilation because a male heir was born in the royal family after nearly a century. Beyond the gateway is the pillared courtyard of Diwan-I-Khas, which was used during special occasions. Built on an open-arched plan, it houses two massive silver urns, each weighing more than 2,000 kilos having a capacity to hold 1,800 gallons of water each. These were used to carry the holy Ganga Jal when Madho Singh II went to Britain in 1900, the first Kachhawa ruler to do so. The famous Ridhi Sidhi Pol has a courtyard with four beautifully decorated gates depicting the moods of the peacock in exquisite frescoes. Close to it, lies the luxurious and opulent Chandra Mahal built by Jai Singh II with further additions made by successive rulers. The creamy-white ornamental palace has seven storeys, each floor having been decorated differently. One section of the magnificent palace is still the royal residence of the ex-Maharaja. On the other side of the palace complex lies the Diwan-I-Am now converted into a museum exhibiting a rare collection of ancient manuscripts, portraits, palaquins, chandeliers, a golden throne and a fascinating range of priceless miniature paintings in the Rajput style. To the north of Chandra Mahal lies the famous 18th century temple of Govind Devji, which enshrines the idol of Lord Krishna, the family deity of the Jaipur royalty. The palace opened to tourists in 1950s and to motion pictures. Northwest and Errol Flynn's Kim have shot 400 films here including "North".
Jantar Mantar
East of the Chandra Mahal is the Jantar Mantar. It is an open-air observatory, which was designed by Maharaja Jai Singh in 1728. Before commencing the observatory, he sent scholars abroad to study other foreign observatories so that he would have one that would satisfy his passion for astronomy. In order to accuracy, the instruments were made from stone and marble. Each of these curious sculptures has a specific purpose such as measuring the position of stars, altitudes and azimuths and calculating the times of eclipses. The most striking instrument is the sundial with its 27-m high gnomon (the rod of the sundial).
Jaigarh Fort
Jai Singh built Jaigarh Fort in 1726. Jaigarh was completed in the 18th century, it is perched majestically atop a ragged hill. which enables the viewer a spectacular view of the Amber valley. The armoury in the fort has a large collection of swords and small arms. There is a cannon foundry where the barrels were cast and one can still see the pits. There is also an enormous 50 tonne cannon kown as the Jayvana, which stands on top of a tower and is supposed to be the largest cannon on wheels in the world. The barrel measures 8m in diameter and has a range of around 35 kms, but has never been used. The fort was the treasury of the Kuchhawas and people still believe that some part of the fort still holds gold bullion. During the Emergency in 1976, the government ransacked the fort, emptied the reservoirs of water (where the gold was supposed to have been buried), but found nothing. The central courtyard has three enormous water tanks, one used by prisoners for bathing, one that was said to hold the gold and jewels and one, which was empty. There are also gardens, a granary, the 10th century temple of Ram Harihar and the 12th century temple of Kal Bhairav. There are dark passageways among the palaces and one can see a collection of coins and puppets. It is a remarkable feat of military architecture and is pretty well preserved, mainly because the fort was never captured.
Nahargarh Fort
Another of Sawai Jai Singh's creation, which was later extended by Sawai Ram Singh, Nahargarh or the Tiger Fort, stands atop a sheer ridge. Jai Singh as a retreat built it in 1734 for his wives. Further addition were made in 1868.
The fort itself is in ruins, but some of the original painted floral patterns on the walls remain, and some of the rooms furnished for the maharajas. All the queen's apartments are identical, arranged around the central courtyard in perfect symmetry, each with a room for a personal maidservant. The designs of the apartments are regular and repetitive in contrast to the other royal dwellings in Jaipur.
The fort itself is in ruins, but some of the original painted floral patterns on the walls remain, and some of the rooms furnished for the maharajas. All the queen's apartments are identical, arranged around the central courtyard in perfect symmetry, each with a room for a personal maidservant. The designs of the apartments are regular and repetitive in contrast to the other royal dwellings in Jaipur.
Hawa Mahal
The finest example of his connoisseurship is the unique monuments of Hawa Mahal - the place of the Winds. The Hawa Mahal, part of the City Palace complex, is a familiar landmark, and looks like a series of pierced windows placed in tiers to overlook the street below. Maharaja Pratap Singh built this odd pyramidical-shaped, five storeyed structure in 1799. The top three floors of this uniquely designed building are just room deep while the lower sections have connected rooms and courtyards. The tapering facade with 953 latticed windows; perforated screens and projecting balconies lend a delicate fringe to this airy structure, which is actually the rear portion of the building. Its purpose was simply to allow the royal women a view of ceremonial processions while seated behind the small windows, allowing them to look out without themselves being seen.
Ram Niwas Bagh
In the 1868 A.D. Sawai Ram Singh II built Ram Niwas Bagh a lush spacious garden with a zoo, an aviary, a greenhouse, a herbarlum, a museum and popular sport ground as a famine relief project. The Albert Hall Museum-fine example of Indo Sarcenic style of architecture by Sir Swinton Jacob, was opened later with an exquisite collection of sculptures, painting, decorative wares, natural history specimen, and Egyptian mummy and the celebrated Persian carpet.