Het fort staat bekend als Fort Amber of Ajmer Fort.
Het is een van de forten die op een heuvel staan en die
samen deel uitmaken van de World Heritage List van UNESCO.
Dit is de toegang tot het paleis. Dit is een fort en paleis dat door veel toeristen bezocht wordt. Dat heeft denk ik vooral te maken met de toegankelijke ligging. Maar een paar kilometer buiten Jaipur, een grote stad in India met vliegveld.
Snel volgt er nog een poort: Singh Pol of leeuwenpoort.
Singh Pol (Lion Gate)
Singh Pol is the gateway to the palace proper.
The lion symbolizes strength.
Hence, often, the premier gate to a palace was called by this name.
It was built on the orders of Sawai Jai Singh (1599 – 1743 AD).
Singh Pol has frescoes on its outer surface.
The passageway through it does not lead in a straight line into the palace for reasons of security, perhaps the defenders on top of this structure would find it easier to attack the rear of an intruding force.
Sentinels were posted on guard-duty over the gate.
Over de heuvels in de omgeving lopen muren. De oppervlakte van het fort is dus groot. Het geeft de indruk dat er meerdere forten op de heuveltoppen liggen.
Dit is de achterkant van Singh Pol.
Dit is de Diwan-I-Aam, de publieke audientieruimte.
Wederom zien we olifanten als kapiteel op de kolommen.
Diwan-I-Aam (Hall of Public Audience)
Patterned after similar halls in Mughal palaces, the Diwan-I-Aam was the court where the Raja gave audiences to his subjects and met his officials.
Festivities on certain special occasions, like the celebrations following a victory in battle, Dussehra, the birthday of the Raja, were held here.
The building was constructed on the orders of Mirza Rajaman Singh (1589 – 1614 AD) in red sand stone and marble masonry.
Beautifully ornamented in carved patterns of elephant heads and vines, the details are charming confluence of the decorative features found in the Mughal and Rajput styles of architecture.
The distinctively constructed roof is supported by two rows of columns.
The outer ones, in coupled pairs, are of red sand stone and the inner ones of cream marble.Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II (1835 – 1880 AD) converted the rear portion of the hall into a billiard room.
South of Diwan-I-Aam are 27 “Kachehris” or offices (Toshakhana) running in a series.
These colonnaded arches housed the Government Secretariat from where the administration of Amber State was carried out.
De volgende poort is de Ganesh Pol.
Ganesh Pol
Ganesh Pol or the Ganesh Gate, provides access to the inner ans private parts of the palace.
Covered with frescoes, it was constructed on the orders of Mirza Raja Jai Singh (1621 – 1667 AD).Lord Ganesh is the deity who, it is believed, removes obstructions likely to come in the way of huming beings in their every-day life.
His likeness is therefore traditionally painted or placed over the main entry into a building.Suhag Mandir is situated over the Ganesh Pol.
It was used as a chamber by the royal ladies to witness, through lattice screens, the state functions held below in the Diwan-I-Aam.
Zo ga je de poort binnen.
We zijn nog niet eens echt binnen en je wordt overweldigd door de pracht en praal.
Dit is de centrale afbeelding van Ganesh op de poort.
In het volgende bericht over deze reis naar India
gaan we de privé-vertrekken bekijken.
Argusvlinder 