BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Amer Palace is located in Amer located high on a hill 11

from Jaipur, Rajasthan state, India.
Amer Fort was built by Raja Man Singh I.
known for its artistic style of Hindu elements. With its large ramparts, series
of gates and cobbled paths, the fort overlooks the Maota Lake, at its forefront

ARCHITECTURE

The Palace is divided into four main sections each with its own entry gate and
courtyard.

View of the Amer fort.

Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace)

Main entry is through the Suraj Pole (Sun Gate) which leads to Jaleb Chowk,
which is the first main courtyard. This was the place where armies would hold
victory parades with their war bounty on their return from battles, which were
also witnessed by the Royal family women folk through the latticed windows.
This gate was built exclusively and was provided with guards as it was the
main entry into the palace.
It faced the eastern direction towards the rising Sun and hence the name.
Royal cavalcades and dignitaries entered the palace through this gate. [15]
Jaleb Chowk is an Arabic usage, which means a place for soldiers to
assemble. This is one of the four courtyards of the Amer Palace, which was
built during Sawai Jai Singhs reign (16931743 AD
At this location, the horse stables were also located where its upper level
rooms were occupied by the guards.[16]

First courtyard[edit]

Left: Latticed screens above Ganesh Pol. Right: View of Ganesh Pol.

Ganesh Pol Entrance

An impressive stairway from the Jaleb Chowk leads into the main palace
grounds.
Ganesh Pol or the Ganesh Gate, is the entry into the private palaces of the
Maharajas. It is a three level structure which has many frescoes and was also
built at the orders of the Mirza Raja Jai Singh(16211627) and leads to the
private quarters of the royal family.
Above this gate is the Suhag Mandir where ladies of the royal family used to
watch through the latticed windows functions held in the Diwan-i-Am. [16]

Sila Devi temple

Embossed double leaf silver door entry in to the Sila Devi temple
On the right side of the Jaleb Chowk there is a small but an elegant temple
called the Sila Devi (an incarnation of Kali or Durga) temple.
The entrance to the temple is through silver sheet covered double leaf gate
with raised relief. The main deity inside the sanctum is flanked by two lions
made in silver.

Second courtyard[edit]

The second courtyard, up the main stairway of the first level courtyard,
houses the Diwan-i-Am or the Public Audience Hall.
Built with double row of columns, the Diwan-i-Aam is a raised platform with
27 colonnades, each of which is mounted with elephant shaped capital with
galleries above it.

Third courtyard[edit]

Left: Mirrored ceiling in the Mirror Palace. Right: Sheesh Mahal Interior.
The third courtyard is where the private quarters of the Maharaja, his family
and attendants were built.
This courtyard is entered through the Ganesh Pol or Ganesh Gate, which is
embellished with mosaics and sculptures.
The courtyard has two buildings, one opposite to the other, separated by a
garden laid in the fashion of the Mughal Gardens.

The building to the left of the entrance gate is called the Jai Mandir, which is
exquisitely beautified with glass inlaid panels and multi-mirrored ceilings. The
mirrors are of convex shape and designed with coloured foil and paint which
would glitter bright under candle nights at the time it was in use.
Also known as Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace), the mirror mosaics and
coloured glasses were "glittering jewel box in flickering candle light".
Carved marble relief panels are placed on walls around the hall.
The hall provides enchanting vistas of the Maota Lake. [14]
The other building seen in the courtyard is opposite to the Jai Mandir and is
known as the Sukh Niwas or Sukh Mahal (Hall of Pleasure).
This hall is approached through asandalwood door with marble inlay work
with perforations.
A piped water supply flows through an open channel that runs through this
edifice keeping the environs cool, as in an air conditioned environment. The
water from this channel was led into the garden.
Magic flower
A particular attraction here is the magic flower fresco carved in marble at
the base of one of the pillars around the mirror palace which is identified by
two hovering butterflies depiction; the flower has seven unique designs of
fish tail, a lotus, a hooded cobra, an elephant trunk, a lions tail, a cob of corn
and a scorpion, each is viewed by a particular way of partial hiding of the
panel with hands.[4]
Garden
The garden, located between the Jai Mandir on the east and the Sukh Niwas
on the west, both built on high platforms in the third courtyard, was built by
Mirza Raja Jai Singh (162368).
It is patterned on the lines of the Chahar Bagh or Mughal Garden.
It is in sunken bed, shaped in a hexagonal design.
It is laid out with narrow channels lined with marble around a star shape pool
with a fountain at the centre. Water for the garden is led from the Sukh Niwas
cascades of water channel and also from the cascade channels called
the "chini khana niches" that originate from terrace of the Jai Mandir. [11]
Tripolia gate
Tripolia gate means three gates. It is an access to the palace from the west. It
opens in three directions, one to the Jaleb Chowk, another to the Man Singh
Palace and the third one to the Zenana Deorhi on the south. [18]
Lion gate
The Lion gate, the premier gate, was once a guarded gate, leads in to the
private quarters in the palace premises and is titled 'Lion Gate' indicative of
strength. It was built during the reign of Sawai Jai Singh (16991743 AD). It is
covered with frescoes and its alignment is zigzag, probably made so from
security considerations to attack intruders. [19]

Fourth courtyard[edit]

The fourth courtyard is where the Zenana (Royal family women, including
concubines or mistresses) lived.
This courtyard has many living rooms where the queens resided .all the
rooms open into a common corridor. [14]
Jas Mandir, a hall of private audience with floral glass inlays
and alabaster relief work is also located in this courtyard[4]