Amber Fort (Amer Fort)

Amber Fort stands on a ridge above Maota Lake in the town of Amer, about 11 km north-east of central Jaipur in Rajasthan. Raja Man Singh I of the Kachwaha dynasty began the present fort in 1592, on the site of earlier defences, and it served as the seat of the Kachwaha rulers.

Later rulers, including Jai Singh I, extended the palace over roughly 150 years. In 1727 the court moved to the newly planned city of Jaipur, and Amer was gradually left as a ceremonial and historic site. The fort is linked by a fortified wall and an underground passage to Jaigarh Fort on the hill above, which offered a route of escape in wartime.

Built of red sandstone and white marble, the palace combines Rajput design with Mughal influences and is laid out around four main courtyards. Visitors pass through the Suraj Pol and Ganesh Pol gateways to reach the Diwan-i-Aam, a pillared hall of public audience, and the Diwan-i-Khas, the hall of private audience. The Sheesh Mahal, or Mirror Palace, is covered with small pieces of mirror set into the walls and ceiling that glitter in low light. The Sukh Niwas was cooled by water channels running through the rooms.

In 2013 UNESCO listed Amer Fort as part of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan World Heritage Site, along with Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore, Gagron and Jaisalmer. It is one of the most visited monuments in Rajasthan.

Tickets are sold at the entrance, with separate rates for Indian and foreign visitors, and a composite ticket covers several Jaipur monuments. Visitors can walk up the ramp from the lake or go by jeep. Elephant rides to the gate have been widely criticised on animal welfare grounds. An evening light and sound show is held below the fort. Arrive early to avoid heat and crowds.

Shila Devi temple and Man Singh's palace

Start at the Shila Devi temple beside the Ganesh Pol, which has a silver double door and is linked to Man Singh I's victory over the Raja of Jessore in 1604. Man Singh's own palace, the oldest part of the complex, was completed in 1599 and centres on a pillared pavilion, the Baradari. The Diwan-i-Aam has 27 colonnades.

In the Jai Mandir, also called the Sheesh Mahal, the convex mirror pieces were designed to glow by candlelight. Nearby, look for the so-called magic flower, a carved marble panel with seven designs that each appear only when part of the panel is covered with your hands. Across the garden, the Sukh Niwas, or hall of pleasure, kept cool by water running through channels in the floor.

The fourth courtyard was the zenana, the quarters of the royal women. Man Singh I is said to have had 12 queens, and each had her own room opening onto a shared corridor. Below the fort, the Kesar Kyari, or saffron garden, lies in Maota Lake. The fort draws about 5,000 visitors a day, and 1.4 million came in 2007. Some 87 elephants lived around the fort in 2005, which explains the scale of the elephant-ride trade at the gate.