Amer Fort photos

One pic is worth a thousand words blah blah blah (even when it’s taken with a creaky old regular camera) – so here are a few from Amber/Amer, which was the capital of the old city of Jaipur. If you’re visiting Jaipur for the first time and have only a few hours to spare, do prioritise a sightseeing excursion to the Amer Fort - it’s well worth it.

(Click pics to enlarge - though I'm not sure the facility is working; Blogger has been acting up.)

A section of the fort seen from across the lake. Wish I had a wide-angle lens for this one, the view was spectacular beyond anything that can be conveyed here.

Worm's-eye view of the Diwan-e-Aam, which blends Hindu and Mughal styles of architecture. Note the elephant-head carvings at the top of the pillars.


Self in fort. The only pic where I don't look like a cantankerous, sleep-deprived, reluctant tourist – though the relatively animated expression is only because the guide taking the photo nearly dropped the camera a couple of seconds earlier.


Sheesh Mahal: part of a wall and ceiling.




A wider view.




Palace gardens by the lake.

Oliphaunt. Tourists being taken up to the fort on elephant-back. After an accident a few months ago resulted in the death of a mahout, the length of the ride was reduced.

A relief on one of the Sheesh Mahal pillars. The flower on top was carved to incorporate the features of six or seven different animals/insects – you have to cover various parts of the carving with your hands to make out the features more clearly. There's a lion's tail in there, a fish's body, a cobra's head and even a scorpion, a butterfly and an ant.

More later.