Amer Fort Jaipur: History, Architecture, and Complete Visitor Guide

About eleven kilometres north of Jaipur on the Delhi road, the Aravalli hills close in and Amer Fort appears above you: honey-coloured walls on a ridge, with Maota Lake at its foot and older fortifications running along the hilltops behind. Amer Fort Jaipur was the seat of the Kachhwaha Rajputs until they moved to the plains in 1727, and today it is one of the most visited monuments in Rajasthan and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Who built Amer Fort Jaipur?

The Kachhwahas had held Amber (the older spelling of Amer) for several centuries before the present palace existed. The fort you see today was begun in 1592 by Raja Man Singh I, one of the most trusted generals of the Mughal emperor Akbar. He needed a residence strong enough to defend his kingdom and grand enough to receive Mughal princes and officials.

Over the next century and more his successors kept adding to it, above all Mirza Raja Jai Singh I, who built many of the finest private apartments, and later Sawai Jai Singh II. That is why Amer feels layered rather than planned: each ruler added a courtyard, a hall or a gateway to what was already there.

In 1727 Sawai Jai Singh II founded the new city of Jaipur on the plain to the south and moved his court there. Amer was kept up but became quieter, which is partly why so much of it survives unaltered.

Amer and the Mughals

Amer’s wealth came from its close tie to the Mughal court. In 1562 Raja Bharmal of Amer married his daughter to Akbar, and the Kachhwahas became among the most important Rajput allies of the empire. Man Singh commanded Mughal armies from Kabul to Bengal, and led the Mughal side at the Battle of Haldighati in 1576 against Maharana Pratap of Mewar.

Mirza Raja Jai Singh I served Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb and is remembered for negotiating the Treaty of Purandar with Shivaji in 1665. You can see the Mughal connection in the buildings themselves: the pillared Diwan-i-Aam, the formal gardens and the use of white marble all follow Mughal models, set inside a Rajput hill fort.

The four courtyards: what to see, in order

Amer is a series of four main courtyards, each reached through a gate and each more private than the last.

Jaleb Chowk is the first courtyard, entered through the Suraj Pol (Sun Gate). This is where the army assembled and where, according to local tradition, returning troops were received. Today it is where visitors arrive, whether on foot, by jeep or on an elephant.

The Diwan-i-Aam, or Hall of Public Audience, stands in the second courtyard. It is an open pavilion on a double row of columns, in red sandstone and marble, where the ruler held court and heard petitions.

Ganesh Pol leads into the third courtyard and the royal apartments. The gate is covered in painted decoration, with a figure of Ganesh above the arch, and is one of the most photographed spots in the fort. Beyond it, on either side of a formal garden, are the Sheesh Mahal and the Sukh Niwas.

The zenana, the women’s quarters, is the fourth and innermost courtyard, built in the time of Man Singh. The apartments open onto a shared courtyard, and guides will tell you that Man Singh’s twelve queens each had a separate suite, linked by corridors that let the king visit any of them unseen by the others.

The Sheesh Mahal: Amer’s Hall of Mirrors

The Sheesh Mahal is the room most people come to see. Its walls and ceiling are covered in thousands of small pieces of convex mirror and coloured glass set into plaster, worked into flowers, vines and geometric patterns. The famous claim is that a single candle lit in the room reflects across the ceiling like a sky full of stars, and some guides still strike a match to show you.

The Sheesh Mahal is usually credited to Mirza Raja Jai Singh I, although some guides give it to Man Singh. The story told with it is that a queen wanted to sleep under the stars but custom did not allow her to sleep in the open, so the mirrored ceiling was made to bring the night sky indoors. Treat it as a legend, but a good one.

Maota Lake, Kesar Kyari and the Sukh Niwas

Maota Lake, at the foot of the hill, was the fort’s main water source. In it sits the Kesar Kyari, a garden laid out in geometric beds where, the story goes, saffron was once planted so that its scent would reach the palace terraces above.

Water from below was lifted up into the palace. In the Sukh Niwas, the hall of pleasure facing the Sheesh Mahal, it ran through marble channels cut into the floor, and the moving water and breeze through the doors kept the hall cool in summer.

How to visit Amer Fort

Amer Fort is usually open daily from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm, with a separate night viewing from about 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Tickets have been around 200 rupees for Indian citizens and 550 rupees for foreign visitors, with the night visit around 100 rupees. Prices and timings change, so check the Rajasthan Tourism website before you go.

From the parking area below, the walk up the ramp to Jaleb Chowk takes about ten minutes. Jeeps also go up. Elephant rides up the ramp are still offered but are now restricted for animal welfare reasons, with a limited number of elephants and trips, and run only in the morning. Wear shoes with grip; the stone floors and ramps get slippery and very hot by afternoon.

Best time to visit Amer Fort

October to March is the comfortable season, when daytime temperatures in Jaipur are mild. In summer the heat can cross 45 degrees Celsius, and the open courtyards give little shade. Arrive at opening time if you can: the morning light on the walls is good, and you get ahead of the tour buses that fill Jaleb Chowk by late morning. Two to three hours is enough for the main courtyards, the Sheesh Mahal and the zenana.

What to see near Amer Fort

Amer is the lowest part of a larger hill defence system. On the ridge above it is Jaigarh Fort, linked to Amer by a fortified passage, which holds the Jaivana, one of the largest cannons on wheels ever made. Jaigarh was built mainly by Sawai Jai Singh II to protect Amer.

Down in the old town of Amer, a short walk from the fort, is the Panna Meena ka Kund, a deep stepwell with criss-cross staircases on three sides. It is worth going early or late, when the shadows on the steps are sharpest. With a full day you can combine Amer, Jaigarh and Nahargarh Fort, which looks down over Jaipur from the same range of hills.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Amer Fort the same as Amber Fort?

Yes. Amber is the older spelling, and both names refer to the same fort and town just north of Jaipur.

Which UNESCO site is Amer Fort part of?

Amer Fort is one of six forts in the “Hill Forts of Rajasthan” group, inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2013. The others are Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore, Gagron and Jaisalmer.