Amber Fort (Amer Fort)

Amber Fort is the most magnificent fortress-palace in Rajasthan — a massive 16th-century complex of red sandstone and white marble on a hilltop 11 kilometres north of Jaipur that was the capital of the Kachwaha Rajput rulers before Jai Singh II founded Jaipur in 1727. The fort combines Hindu Rajput military architecture (high walls, defensive gates, watchtowers) with Mughal decorative refinement (mirror work, carved marble, painted ceilings) in a fusion that reflects the political alliance between the Rajput kings and the Mughal emperors.

The Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace) is Amber's most celebrated room — a chamber whose walls and ceiling are inlaid with thousands of convex mirror fragments and coloured glass that, when illuminated by a single candle, create a shimmering constellation of reflected light. The Diwan-i-Aam (Hall of Public Audience) and the Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience) demonstrate the ceremonial architecture of Rajput court life, and the Sukh Niwas (Hall of Pleasure) features a door of sandalwood and ivory and a cooling system that channelled water through the walls.

The approach to Amber Fort — either on foot up the steep cobblestone path, by Jeep, or (controversially) by elephant — provides views of the surrounding Aravalli hills and the Maota Lake below. The fort walls extending up the hillside to the Jaigarh Fort above create a defensive complex that was never successfully besieged.