Palace on Wheels itinerary covers Jaipur as the first destination in the tour. The iconic attractions of Jaipur are numerous and one among those is the mighty Amer Fort (also called as Amber Fort), which would cover your second day’s full evening. This article will probe deeper into the tour to Amer Fort.
About the fort
The fort was built in 16th century, when Maan Singh started to rule the surrounding region, which was then called as the Amer State. The fort was entirely built with red and white sandstone in Indian architectural style and Muslim ornamentation. The fort has ceiling carvings, paintings, sculptures, portraits of ancient rulers and other unique art and architectural features.
The top sites of attraction of Amer Fort are:
- Hall of public audience
- SukhMandur
- Sheesh Mahal or the mirror palace
- KesarKyaari or the Mughal gardens
- Gates of the fort
- Stairways
And others.
Tour
There are two ways to reach Amer Fort. You can choose to either ride on an elephant or take a jeep safari. Either way, you would enter via the Sun Gate. Once you are through the gate, you would reach the Jaleb Chowk, the ancient courtyard. You can find a ticket counter in the courtyard. As mentioned in the tariff of tour package Palace on Wheels takes care of the ticket cost and camera entry cost. If you are choosing to bring your video camera, you need to buy a ticket. After the formalities, you would reach the main palace.
A small stairway in the entrance will take you to the historic temple of Siladevi, which is a famous pilgrimage site and famous for relief works. After the temple visit, walk towards the palace and you would end up in the Hall of Public Audience. It is the hall, where the king listened to his subjects. From the hall, you can spot many royal buildings inside the fort. Beyond the hall, you will find Ganesh Gate. It will lead you to the Hall of Victory. This hall is famous for ceiling artwork, relief works, marble structures and others.
Near Hall of Victory, you will find Hall of Pleasure, which give a good view of Maota Lake and the garden near it. From there, you would reach the last courtyard, which contains the apartments of the queen and other female members of the royal family.
Best Time To Visit
The fort has stood proud with passage of time and climatic conditions. Thus, the climate has a little effect on the beauty of the fort. However, people choose winter and early summer for the aesthetic value of Jaipur.
In general, the best time to visit the fort is before afternoon as the elephant rides halt by late afternoon. However, jeep rides will be open throughout the day, until the end of the visiting hours. No matter when you visit, bring a bottle of water with you, as you would be walking a lot inside the fort. Also, never forget your camera.
Embark your journey and plan your trip through Palace on Wheels train which is the famous luxury train for Rajasthan.
