Situated on a forested hill promontory in Amer, at 11 kilometres from Jaipur, Amber Fort overlooks Maota Lake. The settlement was founded by Raja Alan Singh, a ruler from the Chanda clan of Meenas in 967 CE, and the fort, as it stands now, was built over the remnants of this earlier structure during the reign of Raja Man Singh, the Kachwaha King of Amer. The structure was fully expanded by his descendant, Jai Singh I. Even later, Amer Fort underwent improvements and additions by successive rulers over the next 150 years, until the Kachwahas shifted their capital to Jaipur during the time of Sawai Jai Singh II, in 1727.
Mughal architecture greatly influenced the architectural style of several buildings of the fort. Constructed of red sandstone and marble, the attractive, opulent palace is laid out on four levels, each with a courtyard. It consists of the Diwan-e-Aam (Hall of Public Audience), the Diwan-e-Khas (Hall of Private Audience), the Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace), or Jai Mandir, and the Sukh Niwas where a cool climate is artificially created by winds that blow over a water cascade within the palace. The palace was the residence of the Rajput Maharajas and their families. At the entrance to the palace near the fort's Ganesh Gate, there is a temple dedicated to Shila Devi, a goddess of the Chaitanya cult.
Amber Fort is part of the UNESCO WHS Hill Forts of Rajasthan, about which I wrote here.
About the stamp
The stamp, depicting Mother Teresa, is part of the definitive set Builders of Modern India, about which I wrote here.
References
Amber Fort - Wikipedia
Sender: Marius Vasilescu
Sent from Jodhpur (Rajasthan / India), on 24.03.2019
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