Amber, India

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Amber Fort

Interior of one of the palaces in Amber Fort

Amber is a ruined city of Rajasthan state, India. It was the former capital of Jaipur state.

Amber was founded by the Meenas and was a flourishing settlement as far back as in 967 AD. Around 1037 AD, it was usurped by the Kachwaha clan of Rajputs, who ruled it until it was deserted (apart from the Bengali Brahmins of the Shila Devi temple and the gate keepers). In 1728, it was supplanted by the modern city of Jaipur, from which it is 5 miles distant.

The picturesque situation of Amber at the mouth of a rocky mountain gorge, in which nestles a lovely lake, has attracted the admiration of all travellers, including Victor Jacquemont and Reginald Heber. It is seen to be a remarkable example for its combined Rajput-Mughal architecture. The old palace was begun by Raja Kakil Dev when Amber became his capital in 1036, although much modification was added during the reign of Raja Man SinghI in the 1600s. Among the chief building is the Diwan-i-Khas and the elaborately paited Ganesh Poll built by the Mirza Raja Jai Singh I.

[edit] Legend

"No sooner had Mirza completed the Diwan-i-Khas" it is related ^{[citation needed]} "than it came to the ears of the emperor Jahangir that his vassal had surpassed him in magnificence, and that this last great work quite eclipsed all the marvels of the imperial city; the columns of red sandstone having been particularly noticed as sculptured with exquisite taste and elaborate detail. In a fit of jealousy the emperor commanded that this masterpiece should be thrown down, and sent commissioners to Amber charged with the execution of this order; whereupon Mirza, in order to save the structure, had the columns plastered over with stucco, so that the messengers from Agra should have to acknowledge to the emperor that the magnificence, which had been so much talked of, was after all pure invention. Since then his apathetic successors have neglected to bring to light this splendid work; and it is only by knocking off some of the plaster that one can get a glimpse of the sculptures, which are perfect as on the day they were carved." ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

	State of Rajasthan Rajasthan Topics
Capital	Jaipur
Divisions	Ajmer \| Bharatpur \| Bikaner \| Jaipur \| Jodhpur \| Kota \| Udaipur
Districts	Ajmer \| Alwar \| Banswara \| Baran \| Barmer \| Bhilwara \| Bikaner \| Bharatpur \| Bundi \| Chittorgarh \| Churu \| Dausa \| Dholpur \| Dungarpur \| Ganganagar \| Hanumangarh \| Jaipur \| Jaisalmer \| Jalore \| Jhalawar \| Jhunjhunu \| Jodhpur \| Karauli \| Kota \| Nagaur \| Pali \| Rajsamand \| Sawai Madhopur \| Sikar \| Sirohi \| Tonk \| Udaipur
Major cities	Alwar • Bhilwara • Bikaner • Jaipur • Jaisalmer • Jodhpur • Udaipur