Jaipur is steeped in history. The capital has a bounty of palatial beauty, magnificent forts & beautiful arched gateways. Walking through the streets feels like wandering through the pages of a history text. Being a history buff I couldn't wait to indulge myself in the mesmerizing world of royalty that was waiting for me.
After having my fill of a sumptuous breakfast of paratha and poha I was greeted at the hotel by my guide/driver for the day Raees. I had done my research beforehand & booked a rickshaw tour around the city of Jaipur. This turned out to be a good idea as Ola and Uber were not very reliable, especially when you have to venture out of the city limits.
I hopped into the rickshaw & set off towards the first stop of the day- Amber Fort also called Amer Fort.
As you drive along the National highway the fort greets you with a splendid first glimpse. The magnificent yellow sandstone perched on the Aravalli hills. Hello! to whoever said history is boring.
Work on the grand structure began under Raja Man Singh I in 1558 & took over two centuries to come to the form we see today.
Raja Sawai Jai Singh II is the one who designated Amer fort as the royal residence of the Rajputana.
I was awestruck as I made my way up the flight of zig-zag stairs. The gigantic fort stood glowing in the morning sun. A couple of equally gigantic & royally decorated pachyderms were marching down the cobbled pathway leading to the palace. A number of gifted street musicians stationed along the path were sending out waves of magical Rajasthani folk music from their Kamaichas & Ravanhatta ( Rajasthani folk music instruments). I was instantly transported by this sensory time machine to the time when the royalties strolled around these grounds gracefully. I swear I could even picture some in their resplendent clothing & jewelry discussing matters of state.
You too can give yourselves a royal treatment by taking the elephant ride up the pavement to Suraj Pol, one of the entrance gates to the palace proper. A quite lethal combination of respect & fear kept me off from doing so & I chose to walk my way up. You can also drive up to the Chand Pol, another gateway, & park there.
The architecture is a marvelous amalgam of Rajputana & Mughal styles. The palace is divided into four main sections with a courtyard each. The main courtyard, the Jalebi Chowk was the assembly point for the army, where it would receive instructions before the war & the returning victorious army would showcase its plunders to the people.
As you make your way to the first level through the Singh Pol aka Lion Gate, what meets your eyes is the Diwan-e- aam, where the Raja & his council used to hear out the public. Few of you may remember this structure from the famous Bollywood movie ' Jodha Akbar'.
Across this structure is Ganesh pol, the gate which leads into the royal quarters. The entire structure is covered with intricate hand paintings of myriad colors, all of which were extracted from vegetables! Even after 400 years of exposure to the elements these paintings still retain their luster.
This spectacular gateway lead me into the Diwan - e - Khas, the hall of private audience. Also called the Sheesh Mahal or Glass Palace.
The walls of Sheesh Mahal are covered with millions of glass mirrors that were brought in from Belgium. These mirrors have a concave face & hence at nightfall only a few lighted candles would turn these mirrors into a million glittering stars creating a spell-binding ambiance.
Fun Fact: The Rajputs of Amer sure knew their hydrology. Water was collected in the Maota lake through special channels from the surrounding hills. The water was then lifted & carried into the palace by an intricate system of pipes, pulleys & Persian wheels.
The palace was kept cool in the summer by covering its arched gateways with screens woven from the roots of an aromatic grass called Khas, which would be moistened periodically with water. The air passing through these screens would carry the cool & the aroma into the interiors.
With awestruck eyes, I climbed the stairway to the fourth courtyard which houses the Zanana Dyodhi aka the ladies quarters. This area is intentionally secluded from the rest of the palace.
I have come to learn from my tours of the Rajputana palaces that these folks took household bliss seriously & as was with the other palaces the queens quarters of Amer Fort were also designed to help protect the fragile threads of matrimony. No one could see the king enter the Zanana Dyodhi and if he stayed with one of his queens, the others would not be aware of it.
As I made my way back down to the first courtyard I came upon a tunnel which leads to the Jaigarh Fort. These tunnels were used by the royals to escape in case of a siege.
I stood by the entrance for a minute contemplating how stupid it would be to step into this scarcely lit tunnel which runs for kilometers at a stretch. But adrenaline got the better of me & I stepped down into it.
I half expected hundreds of bats to come fluttering at me. Shortly the cold dark tunnel forked into two & I took the one which seemed to go north towards the Jaigarh Fort. After a few steps, the dingy space opened up to a cobbled path lit with lamps on the wall which bathed the place in a warm golden glow. It seemed as if a scene from history had unfolded before my eyes. As mesmerizing as this was 10 minutes onto the path I started to get cold feet. With not a soul in sight, I decided to turn back & keep this journey for another day. I literally dashed back to the entrance (Somehow it is easier to walk into the dark than to have your back to it).
I emerged out & had to make do with a beautiful view of the Jaigarh Fort through the jharokhas of Amer.
As the afternoon sun climbed up in the sky, it was time to leave this splendid beauty with a promise to be back again.
Back at the gate, I climbed onto Raees's rickshaw ready to soak myself in the wonders to come. Next on the list are the Royal Gaitor, Jalmahal, Monkey Temple & the Albert Hall Museum.
Stay abroad!