Amer, India

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Amer

Amber
Town
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Amer
Location within Rajasthan
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Amer
Amer (Rajasthan)
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Amer
Amer (India)
Coordinates: 26°59′N75°52′E / 26.983°N 75.867°E / 26.983; 75.867 Coordinates: 26°59′N75°52′E / 26.983°N 75.867°E / 26.983; 75.867
Country India
State Rajasthan
District(s) Jaipur
Time zone UTC+05:30 (IST)

Amer or Amber, is a city in Rajasthan state, India. It is now a part of the Jaipur Municipal Corporation.

Contents

The picturesque situation of Amer at the mouth of a rocky mountain gorge, in which nestles a lake, has attracted the admiration of travellers, including Victor Jacquemont and Reginald Heber. [1] It is seen to be a remarkable example for its combined Rajput-Mughal architecture. The Amer Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the top tourist attraction in the Jaipur area.

History

View of city, temple and fort. Le ville d'Amber (Rajasthan) (8490832100).jpg
View of city, temple and fort.
Amer Fort Jaipur 03-2016 04 Amber Fort.jpg
Amer Fort
Amer Fort Amber Fort.jpg
Amer Fort
Interior of one of the palaces in Amer Fort Amber Fort interior.jpg
Interior of one of the palaces in Amer Fort
The fort in 1985 1985.04.15 31 Fort Amber India.jpg
The fort in 1985
Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell 3 step stepwell.jpg
Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell

The first structure was started by Raja Kakil Dev when Amer became his capital in 1036, on the site of present-day Jaigarh Fort.[ citation needed ] Around 1037 AC, Amer was conquered by the Kachwaha clan of Rajputs. [2] [ unreliable source? ]Much of the present structure known as Amer Fort is actually the palace built by Raja Man Singh who ruled from 1590 to 1614 AD. The palace contains several spectacular buildings, such as the Diwan-i-Khas, and the elaborately painted Ganesh Pole built by the renowned warlord Mirza Raja Jai Singh I (Man Singh I's grandson). The old and original fort of Amer, dating from earlier Rajas or the Mair or Maidh period, is what is known in the present day as Jaigarh Fort, which was actually the main defensive structure rather than the palace itself. The two structures are interconnected by a series of encompassing fortifications.

Amer was capital of the Kachwaha until 1727 when the ruler of Amer, Sawai Jai Singh II founded a capital Jainagara (Jaipur), named after him, about nine kilometers south of Amer. After the founding of this new town, the royal palace and houses of prominent persons were shifted to Jaipur. The priests of Shila Devi temple, who were Bengali Brahmins, continued to live in the fort (to this date), while the Jaigarh fort above the palace also remained heavily garrisoned. The capital of Kachwaha was supplanted by the modern city of Jaipur, which is the capital of the Rajasthan state in India.

Controversy over renovation practices

Poor site management and development pressures have dramatically altered the historical integrity of Amer. The building that rings around the Jaleb Chwok courtyard "has been converted to a market place with shops selling showpieces and dresses. They have cafeterias, cyber cafés, etc.", according to the Times of India. [3] In the summer of 2009, the Rajasthan High Court launched a three-member panel charged with investigating the controversial renovations and determining to what extent the cultural heritage of the site was compromised. [4]

Amer City. Amer City.jpg
Amer City.

List of villages

Visitor attractions

Nahargarh Biological Park

This park is home to species whose numbers have declined over the years, such as the Indian leopard. The flora is representative of the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion. [5] [6]

In media

Various scenes were produced for the 2011 British film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in and around Amer. [7] [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Jai Singh II was the ruler of the Kingdom of Amber, who later founded the fortified city of Jaipur and made it his capital. He was born at Amber, the capital of the Kachwahas. He was the 29th Kachhwaha ruler. He became ruler of Amber at the age of 11 after his father Raja Bishan Singh died on 31 December 1699.

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Nahargarh Fort Historic military fortress in Rajasthan, India

Nahargarh Fort stands on the edge of the Aravalli Hills, overlooking the city of Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Along with Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh once formed a strong defence ring for the city. The fort was originally named Sudarshangarh, but it became known as Nahargarh, which means 'abode of tigers'. The popular belief is that Nahar here stands for Nahar Singh Bhomia, whose spirit haunted the place and obstructed construction of the fort. Nahar's spirit was pacified by building a temple in his memory within the fort, which thus became known by his name.

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Bishan Singh Raja of Amber

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Ramgarh Lake

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Kanak Vrindavan

Kanak Vrindavan is a garden in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. It is built in a valley surrounded by Aravali hills and is located on the way to the Amer Fort at the bottom of the Nahargarh hill. The place is approx 8 km north of the Jaipur city. The garden complex is having many nearby tourist attractions as the Amer fort Palace, Jaigarh fort and Nahargarh fort along with much lush greenery. The garden was coined by Kachchwaha Rajput Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur, approximately 275 years ago, at the time when the complex was built. It includes term 'Vrindavan' as the garden resembles the descriptions of the place, where God Sri Krishna had performed MahaRaas near Mathura, and word Kanak came from Maharaja's one of the Maharani Kanakde. This garden is compared to the valley of Vrindavan and the maharaja, consecrated an idol of Sri Krishna in a temple in the Kanak Vrindavan valley called the Shri Govind Deoji Parisar. The garden has a temple, a series of fountains and intricate marble decorations. It is managed by the Government of Rajasthan.

Man Sagar Lake

Man Sagar Lake is an artificial lake, situated in Jaipur, the capital of the state of Rajasthan in India. It is named after Raja Man Singh, the then ruler of Amer, who constructed it in c. 1610 by damming the Dravyavati river. The Jal Mahal is situated in the middle of the lake.

Prithviraj Singh I, also known as Prithvi Singh I, was a sixteenth-century Rajput ruler of Amber. He was a monarch of strong religious inclinations and during his reign, Amber became increasingly politically active. He took part in the Rajput alliance against the Mughal emperor Babur, fighting against the latter in the Battle of Khanwa alongside Rana Sanga of Mewar in 1527. Three of Prithviraj's sons successively followed him as ruler of Amber, with many of his descendants also populating the kingdom's highest aristocracy in subsequent centuries.

Rajput architecture

Rajput Architecture is a architectural style notable for the forts and palaces of the many Rajput rulers, which are popular tourist attractions, many of the Rajput forts are UNESCO World Heritage Site.

References

  1. Wikisource-logo.svg One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Amber". Encyclopædia Britannica . 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 792.
  2. "Rajputana(amer)".
  3. The Times of India (21 February 2009). "Barbarians at Work in Amer?". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 11 August 2011.
  4. The Times of India (5 May 2009). "Three-member Panel to Probe Amer Fort Restoration". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 11 August 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Nahargarh Fort of Jaipur in Rajasthan, India". Travel India. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  6. "Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  7. "Filming Locations for the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), in India".
  8. "Experience the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel". 11 February 2017.

Further reading

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Amber, India at Wikimedia Commons