Jaigarh Fort: Amber Palace Court Yard

Photograph of Jaigarh -Fort from Amber! What  you see here is the photograph of the Fort --- clicked from Amber Palace courtyard --- Aravalli - Mountain Range in the back drop! 

Amber Palace: Tax collection center Amber Palace

A closer look at the (shelter-like) structures built for the general public. The royals cared for their people, which is evident from the photograph posted below. The structure is neatly designed and has marble flooring. Care has been taken to ensure that people who came to pay their taxes were comfortably seated under a covered space!!

Amber palace courtyard: Covered structure

Apart from the well planned palaces the Maharajas did have the pragmatic thinking of facilitating interaction with the general public. They had well planned Tax-Collection centers. People used to gather at these centers, there was a roof  above their heads and the structure had nice open space to ensure proper air circulation.

Amber palace, Jaipur: Eco friendly design

The remarkable thing about the palaces of Rajasthan is they are so scientifically designed, it would be hard to believe that people in those days had such an in- depth understanding of the importance of utilizing the natural resources. Designers ensured that the palaces remained warm during the winters and cool during the summers. The building materials and the orientation of the structures ensured optimal utilization of the Sunshine and the natural breeze. The part of the palace used by the royals during summers and had the best circulation of natural breeze. The other portion, designed for better Sunshine, was more suited for winters! The photograph shows a window having honey-comb pattern carved out of marble. 

Amber palace, Jaipur: Tourist Hot Spot

The fine work of stone which can be seen in this photograph looks like a painting. The invaluable work of fine art can be seen at Amber palace. There is so much to see and appreciate that you would want to spend the whole day roaming around the palace. It has beautiful stone carving, extraordinary mirror work and many things that are beyond imagination!

Amber Palace, Jaipur: Close up of the Gate

In the previous post you saw the larger view of the gate. This is a closer view brought exclusively to you via this blog. Here you can see the magical artistry in full bloom. The image of a deity  can be seen at the top of the opening. Each flower and leaf has been carved and there are precious stones embedded into the slots. It's a tel tale story of Indian artistry!

Jaigarh Fort Jaipur: Tourist attraction

As you enter there is a huge courtyard inside the massive boundary walls of the Amber Palace. The palaces used to have more than one gates for security reasons. Inside the courtyard you will come across  one more gate which is beautifully built using red stone and marble and has splendid sculpture and carving! You will find plenty of fine marble carvings on the structure of the gate. A close-up view (in the next post) will give you a better look at the carvings!

The Garden in the Lake: Lake Garden at Amber Fort.

The Maha-Rajas of Rajasthan were great patrons of Art and culture. The palaces of Rajasthan stand proof to their love for Art and culture. They lived in palaces having excellent interiors. They laid equal emphasis on the exteriors and also loved gardens and flowers. In the photograph you can see a garden with lawn having nice design and pattern. This garden has water all around it and was used by the Maha-Rajas and their Maha-Ranis for an afternoon stroll. 

If you happen to visit Rajasthan you will find that the colors used by natives of Rajasthan are also very bright and fascinating. The people of Rajasthan are very warmhearted, hospitable and simple!

Amber Palace: Mirror Artwork

In the last but one post, you have seen the photograph of the exquisite decoration on the walls of Amber fort. The ceiling above the walls is equally well decorated with the finest of work of Art. In this photograph,you can see, there is a lot of mirror work on the ceiling. You will appreciate this must have had a great light-effect during the evenings, when the Maha-Rajas used to relax with some dance and music performance. A single lamp used to produce the effect of hundreds of lamps, courtesy the mirror work.  Marvelous thinking and beautiful art. Even during the day you can see your images in these mirrors, all around you.  

Even these days, the real beauty of the mirror work can be seen in the evening, if the electrical lights are switched off and a candle is lit, it would seem as if hundreds  of candles are glowing!  

Amber Palace: Mirror & Marble Art

The walls of palace inside Amber-Fort has one of the best Art-Work. The walls are covered with marble stone which is very tastefully decorated using all sorts of materials..... ranging from precious stones to silver to gold to brass and glass, the mirror work too has been used to a great effect. 

The photograph shows the decorated walls of the palace, you can see there is excellent work of decoration with the finest of art-work each and every inch of the walls has been paid attention. Just think of the skill and patience of the artists, it must have been one of the best the world has seen!

Amber Palace, Jaipur: Art-Work on Marble

The art of Carving was highly-developed in India since time immemorial! If you happen to visit India you can see the finest art-work on Marble-Stone in many of the palaces of Rajasthan and also at some of the ancient temples. The Taj is one of the best, it is one of the eight wonders of the world after-all. The Taj is fully covered with marble-stone and has good carving on the interiors as well.

Apart from the Taj you can see carving (even better ones) at some other locations, thronged by foreign visitors. The photograph posted below had been clicked six months back at one of the palaces of Jaipur, is an example of a beautiful picture-frame carving .....you can see, each flower and each leaf has been sculpted to perfection!

Palaces of Rajasthan: Glittering Corridors

This exclusive photograph had been clicked away from Sun-Shine. The gallery in this pic. is similar to the one as shown in the preceding post, In this photograph  you can see the interiors clearly since the Sun-Shine had shifted away from this gallery when the photograph was clicked!

Palaces of Rajasthan: The Interiors of Amber Palace

The interiors of the palaces were done by master craftsmen.... weather a mason, a carpenter, a sculptor or a painter .......... one had to be a super craftsman to get a job in the palace building. The exclusive photographs show a gallery inside the palace, look at the plaster on the wall ..... the flooring  materials used. The shine and the glaze was so much that it was difficult to get a nice click... it seemed as if there a mirror which is being photographed!

Palaces of Rajasthan: Beautiful sculpting

The windows had their own place inside the palace, there were addition ventilation-window to enhance the flow of air. The picture, brought exclusively to you, shows one such ventilation-Window. The design is fabulous Honey-combs inside Honey combs, made from marble....

Palaces of Rajasthan: Utilizing Sun Light

If the Doors i.e. exteriors were designed and decorated beautifully .... the windows i.e. interiors were given equal importance! This shows that the people in those times had a taste as well as knowledge of making sensational buildings. The pic. posted below was clicked exclusively for the Blog. Look at the picture and compare the window with the door, in the preceding post, they are remarkably similar in shape. In case of windows the emphasis was on air circulation also.... These windows have Honey-comb design. The honey-comb is made from marble. So beautiful ..... you would like to take one of these artifacts home..... 

Palaces of Rajasthan: Beautiful artistry

The Door of one of the  palaces of Jaipur!! You will be left amazed at the accuracy of the building construction as well the architecture. These buildings were constructed almost 300 years back with no modern machinery OR computer aided  design available to assist the designers! The design of the Door-way exterior is a mixture of  Indian and Parisian architecture. The paintings are based on the themes of Hindu mythology, the fine work of art is unparalleled... 

Amber Fort- Jaipur: The Carpet type Garden

The Royals of Rajasthan had rich taste not just as far as food is concerned but also had the taste for beauty! They loved to have beautiful outdoors along with fascinating interiors. The garden at Amber Fort designed so tastefully using marble and beautiful patterns presents a captivating picture.... they had fountains installed in the garden...  This pic was clicked exclusively for my blog in the month of October 2013... Enjoy!

The Excellence of Rajasthan Art: Picture brought exclusively to you from Amber Fort Jaipur!

The Inside of the palace at Amber Fort, in this pic. you can see the extraordinary art of Rajasthan, there are many facets of art used to create this portion of the Royal Interiors of the summer abode of the King!! The flow of air has been kept in mind and accordingly the windows have been positioned in such a manner that cool breeze can be maximized... If you happen to come to India, don't miss out Rajasthan...

Painting on the Ceiling: Rajasthan Style of painting

If you want to give a Royal Look to your ceiling ..... this one is for you. Photographed in October 2013, this is the ceiling painting of Amber Fort ----  at Jaipur, Rajasthan. The colors used are eco-friendly and so lasting it is difficult to believe that the painting is 250 years old....